A New Reality

In Ephesians chapter 2 we are shown how God dealt with Jews and Gentiles to obtain from both peoples a new reality: the church. The divine method was not to produce a fusion of the two very different peoples. It would have been an impossible task, a work made with patches of different and irreconcilable human conditions.

The Jewish people had, in their own eyes, much to glory in; the Gentiles, on the other hand, had much to be ashamed of. In glorying or being ashamed, both were taking their own righteousness or unrighteousness as a rule of measure; but neither of these is a help or hindrance to the work of God. In Christ, neither the righteousness of the one is a merit, nor the wickedness of the other a hindrance to God. He wills that our only reference should be Christ, to remove all those human things and establish His own in us.

For this reason, God did something totally different: he brought to death those two previous realities, in the cross of Christ, so that in his resurrection something totally new would emerge: "one new man" (2:15). His objective was not only to obtain from both of them a single man, but a new man; one coming from the resurrection, who had no traces of that previous condition.

Paul illustrates very well what was the attitude that produced the righteousness of Christ in a Jew converted to faith. "What things were gain to me I counted loss for Christ's sake. And indeed, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but dung, that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith; that I may know him..." (Phil. 3:7-10a).

Paul is willing to discard that, with a double objective: to gain Christ and to know him. Without loss, there is no gain. If we do not forsake our miserable 'riches', we will not gain the preciousness of Christ.

At this time, Christ continues to build his church, with those who consider themselves the best, and with the worst. If the former are not willing to abandon their past glories, they cannot come to be one with those who bring nothing but shame; nor can they cease to boast, and weary their brethren, with vanities that deserve no place but the dustbin. The ancient prophet already said: "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Is. 64:6). And, of course, Christ does not build his church with this kind of things.

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