We come to a passage that reminds us of how God unites us. In a year so filled with division and us-them narratives, Paul reminds us that Jesus has "torn down the dividing wall of hostility." What does that mean? And how can that bring us together? Let's talk about "being built together" on our sure foundation

Discussion Questions

where we came from

Do you remember Paul’s first command in the letter (vs.11-12)? What does Paul think they forgot so often? What does it look like for us to forget this today?

In Genesis 12:3 and 17:1-14 God chooses to bless Abram and his decedents so they can be a blessing to all the nations. God renames Abram and commands him to be circumcised. Wouldn't all of this cultivate a sense of superiority among Abraham and his decedents? The same God then talks about any uncircumcised being cut off from him (17:14)? So is God inclusive or exclusive?

How has Christ united circumcised and uncircumcised (v.14-15)? How have you seen Christ "kill the hostility" (v.16) between different cultures, especially in the Church? Where have you favored your own background (family, ethnicity, culture, traditions) over another; erecting a 'dividing wall' that Christ has torn down? Is there room to celebrate our past distinctives without a sense of superiority?

how we were changed

The Temple complex in Jerusalem had walled sections. What were the consequences for crossing over those divisions? In that vein, Paul is not referencing a figurative dividing wall or a figurative hostility. What does that hostility have to do with Jesus? How do you handle hostility in your life now – cause it, avoid it, bring peace to it? Is there an area in your life now, where you need to confess that you’re walled-off, and adding to the hostility?

In Acts 11:26, the church at Antioch is where they were "first called Christians." Recall from the sermon the historical setting of Antioch. How does the development of this new 'name' for followers of Christ demonstrate the very thing to which Paul is calling the Church? What had to change about their sense of self-identity? Can you identify as a “Christian – (fill in the blank), naming your occupation or worldly title? What does that look like, or what could that look like?

DA Carson has written: the church is not made up of natural friends. It is made up of natural-born enemies. How can our ability to "love one another" show the world the very sort of love Christ has shown us on the cross?

where we're going

In v.19, what are the new unifying terms that Paul uses for these formerly disparate groups? How does this new present identity give us a new future horizon (v.21-22)? Consider the beauty of this vision of people from all tribes, tongues and nations (Revelation chapters 5, 7, 13-14, 20).

Do you remain discouraged and defeated about division and racism, or are you hopeful about where all of this is headed – unity around Jesus? What is your role in all of this; wait until the end or do something now? How does the “foundation” and “cornerstone” (v. 20) relate to the discipline of how we live our daily lives?

Ephesians 2:18 gives us a glimpse of the Trinity: God is One and yet diverse. There is relationship within Himself. Humanity is made in His image – in Their image (Genesis 1:26-27)! How should that affect the Church's sense of identity? Why might God insist we know him as a community rather than merely individually?

GOSPEL: On the cross, Christ has taken upon himself the hostility we had toward one another and even toward God. The "far off" have been brought near. How does that joyful change lead us to treat those who are currently "far off" from God? If we are actively being "joined together", how can we help one another when we return to hostility - whether toward God or one another?