Eph. 2: 13

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

But now. This is a great way to look at the redeeming work of Jesus. You were…But now… Old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.

Paul rejoices in the fact that now Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ and if they can be one in love, then Jesus can break down any human barrier so that together we, in our time and in our circumstances, can become brothers and sisters in the new family, the Body of Christ, right here on the earth.

Love and unity is a sign of the New Kingdom which is the result of, the reality of, the New Covenant in the Blood of Christ. It is even more remarkable where people of cultures in conflict come to Jesus for cleansing and then live as true brothers and sisters within the Body of Christ, without leaving this world. This was the case between Jews and Gentiles in the great city of Ephesus. And it continues today all over the world where God is reconciling people of hostile cultures in Jesus Christ. It still astounds me that the great World Wars of the Twentieth Century, fought in Europe, were Christians fighting Christians. At least they were nominally Christian.

The all important, But now is possible only because of Jesus Christ. Paul uses an expression, as he often does, In Christ Jesus, to summarize Jesus’ full atoning work including forgiveness of sin, the gift of a new heart, the blessed ministry of the Holy Spirit and much, much more. Paul described it as God filling all with the fullness of Christ Jesus.

Paul points to the Blood of Christ in concluding his description of the new life in Christ. The Blood stands for many things, including cleansing from sin, protection from the evil one, power to overcome and thus the promise of a life of victory in Christ Jesus.