In Ephesians 2:15 we see that the new man was created by Christ in Himself. The phrase “in Himself” here is very significant. It indicates that Christ was not only the Creator of the one new man, the church, but also the sphere in which and the essence with which the one new man was created.
Christ is the element of the new man. Nothing of our old man was good for the creation of the new man, for our former essence was sinful. But in Christ there is a wonderful essence, in which the one new man has been created. This new man, created by Christ in Himself, is corporate and universal. There are many believers, but there is only one new man in the universe. All the believers are components of this one corporate and universal new man.
The new man was created by Christ in Himself in a particular way. This particular way was Christ’s death, for Christ created the new man when He was on the cross. While Christ was being put to death, He was working to create the one new man. In His death He created the different peoples into the new man. His death, therefore, was a tool used to work out the new creation.
The new man, unlike the old, was not created out of nothing. On the contrary, the new man was created out of the old man. This is indicated by the fact that, according to Ephesians 2:15, Christ brought the Jews and the Gentiles to the cross and there, through His death, created them into the one new man.
On the cross Christ created the new man in Himself by abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances (Eph. 2:14-15a). When Christ died on the cross, not only did He deal with sins, the old man, Satan, and the world; He also dealt with the ordinances. On the cross Christ abolished in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances.
Ephesians 2:14 speaks of “the middle wall of partition.” This middle wall of partition is “the law of the commandments in ordinances” in verse 15, which was given because of man’s flesh. The first of these ordinances is circumcision to cut off man’s flesh. This became the middle wall of partition between the circumcision and the uncircumcision.
In Ephesians 2:14 Paul also speaks of “the enmity.” The middle wall of partition, which is the distinction (mainly made by circumcision) between the circumcision and the uncircumcision, became the enmity between the Jews and the Gentiles.
It is crucial for us to see that, for the creation of the one new man, Christ abolished in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, breaking down the middle wall of partition, the enmity. Ephesians 2:14 and 15a say, “He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity, having abolished in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances.” Here we see that Christ died on the cross to abolish all the ordinances among mankind. Due to man’s fall, among mankind there are many ordinances, many customs, habits, ways to live, and ways to worship. All these differences among peoples have divided, scattered, and confused mankind. Therefore, among the human race there is no peace. Christ died on the cross to abolish all these ordinances. In particular, He died to take away the partition between the Jews and the Gentiles. Not only was there a partition between the Jews and the Gentiles; there were also partitions between every nationality and race. Without the removal of these partitions, there would be no way for us to be one in Christ as the new man.
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