Exegesis of Ephesians 2:11-18 with Particular Attention to Verse 14 on the Implication of Jesus Christ Being Our Peace and the Peaceful Co-Existence in the Society

Abstract

Peace is freedom from disturbance and tranquillity. It is a state in which there is no war or a war has ended, and it is desirable in any society. Extant researchers have done lots of rigorous work on the exegesis of Ephesians 2:11-18 and matters relating to the peaceful co-existence of Northern Ireland’s ethno-nationalist conflicts, such as Christ our peace, strategies of living at peace in society, restoring peace in Northern Ireland. However, less attention is paid to the relationship between the meanings of peace in Ephesians 2:11-18 and peaceful co-existence in Northern Ireland, where there are physical “walls of partition.” No known scholar has ever linked these physical “walls of partition” in Northern Ireland with Ephesians 2:11-18. Therefore, this paper aims to present an exegesis of Ephesians 2:11-18 and draw out some implications of Jesus Christ being the peace to the whole world and peaceful coexistence of Northern Ireland as well, regardless of the physical walls of partition in that country. The study explored exegetical and descriptive approaches. It is found out that Jesus Christ, through the shedding of his blood on the cross, brought reconciliation between God and man on one hand and between man and man on the other hand. There is, therefore, no social barrier between human beings of any race. Though Northern Ireland has been a popular flash point for crisis in the world, the peace that Jesus brought can remove the barrier of relationships. There is also no spiritual barrier between God and man, as man can now approach God directly without any intermediary apart from Jesus Christ. Some implications were drawn from this exegetical explanation. Implications include inner peace with God, social justice, forgiveness, and ethical values. The paper then concluded with the fact that human beings should emulate these virtues to have a peaceful society.