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Christ himself is our peace. He has destroyed the hatred that was like a wall between us\u2026On that cross, Christ put to death [our] hatred toward one another. He came and preached peace to you who were far away. He also preached peace to those who were near. Through Christ we both come to the Father by the power of one Holy Spirit\u2026 You are also members of God\u2019s family. You are a building that is built on the apostles and prophets. They are the foundation. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in the building. The whole building is held together by him. It rises to become a holy temple because it belongs to the Lord. And because you belong to him, you too are being built together. You are being made into a house where God lives through his Spirit (Ephesians 2:14-22).

Contemporary Testimony: Our World Belongs to God: We grieve that the church, which shares one Spirit, one faith, one hope, and spans all time, place, race, and language, has become a broken communion in a broken world. When we struggle for the truth of the gospel and for the righteousness God demands, we pray for wisdom and courage. When our pride or blindness hinders the unity of God's household, we seek forgiveness (40).

Today, we continue our deep dive into the truth about the church of Jesus. Our text is full of action: destroyed, put to death, preached peace, a building that is built, held together, rises. It is essential we recognize that Jesus is the actor. We, believers in Jesus, are acted upon. We receive what Jesus has done and is doing.

Every action belongs to Jesus. He is our peace. On the cross, he destroyed (put to death) the hatred between us. He preaches peace to people throughout the world, bringing each one to the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. People from every nation are being built into one church, with Jesus as the chief stone. He holds the structure together. The Holy Spirit is building us into a house in which God lives right now.

In the Old Testament, Israel built a tabernacle and later a temple. When these structures were completed, God\u2019s presence came and took up residence in them. Because of Jesus\u2019 work things are different, God lives in an unfinished building. We are being built into a house in which God already lives.

We do not have to make peace. Jesus has made peace on the cross. Each one of us is bought by the precious blood of Christ. Therefore, the Lord\u2019s Supper must be understood as the table of grace and not as a place of reward for spiritual accomplishment. Here we recognize that the only common ground we have is the grace of God in Christ. Eating from the one loaf and drinking from the one cup impresses upon us that this common ground is the only thing that matters. We all stand before God because of his grace.

So reread the passage. Pray it. See what God has done and is doing. And receive it. Especially when you cannot see it, believe it is true. Frolic in the grace of this passage. Believe for yourself and for everyone else \u201cthat he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion\u201d (Philippians 1:6).

Faith is one of our responses to this good news. We need to believe in Jesus, what he has accomplished on the cross and what he is doing now through his Spirit. The church rightly tends to focus on the cross, but she must not neglect what Jesus is doing right now. He is making peace between us.

How else shall we respond? The Contemporary Testimony leads us in the right direction: we seek forgiveness. How different would the church look to the world if she was known as the community that forgives and seeks forgiveness? Rooting ourselves in the grace of God, we need to train ourselves to be forgivers. We need to decide each day that when we are offended or hurt, we will choose to forgive, that we will not hold grudges.

Forgiveness does not mean that sin doesn\u2019t matter, nor does it mean that we refrain from holding each other accountable for sins committed. Rather, forgiveness comes from the faith that we have something which is stronger than sin. We have grace. We have received it. There is plenty to pass on. Further, it is grace that \u201cteaches us to say \u2018No\u2019 to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age\u201d (Titus 2:11).