When Two Become Someone New
A new consistency appears when the right bond is present.
Devotional Credit:
In Christ, by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit:
Unsplash
E. Stanley Jones points to Ephesians 2:15 and names the secret to real peace. Jesus creates in Himself one new man out of the two. The way to peace is not for one side to win and the other to lose. The way is a third reality formed in Jesus, a union where no party conquers the other, and both are transformed by a shared life.
Jones applies this to everyday relationships and to the deepest social fractures. Whenever one person tries to dominate another, tension remains. When both yield to the Lord and meet in Him, a new personhood emerges. This is not compromise in the sense of diluted truth. It is a new creation identity in the Messiah that neither side could produce alone.
Followers of Jesus belong to a reconciled people. We are not saved to sit on separate hills and shout across the valley. We are brought near to God and near to one another. In Jesus, hostility loses its footing, not because painful histories are ignored, but because a greater allegiance takes hold.
The call is deeply practical. Begin with the Lord, continue with the Lord, and let His peace rule the conversation. Unity is not achieved by pressure. It is expressed as we live from the life of Jesus within us. Around everything else we divide. Around Him we become one new humanity.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have brought you near in My Son. He Himself is your peace. In Him I create one new man, making the two into one, and I put hostility to death. You have access to Me in one Spirit, and you are members of My household.
Let My peace rule in your heart, to which you were called in one body. Keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. In My Son there is no room for superiority, for you are all one in Him.
Live as ambassadors of reconciliation. I reconciled you to Myself through the Messiah and entrusted to you this ministry. Pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. As far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Let humility and love shape your mind, the same mind that was in Jesus who laid Himself down for others.
You are a chosen people, called out of darkness into My marvelous light, so that you may declare My excellencies. Let words be gracious. Let forgiveness be quick. Let gentleness be known to all. The God of peace is with you, and I am able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand with great joy in My presence.
Scripture References: Ephesians 2:13–19, Colossians 3:15, Ephesians 4:1–6, Galatians 3:28, 2 Corinthians 5:17–20, Romans 14:19, Romans 12:18, Philippians 2:1–5, 1 Peter 2:9–10, Ephesians 4:32, Philippians 4:5, Jude 24, John 17:21–23, Colossians 1:20, Isaiah 9:6, Acts 10:34–35, James 2:1
Real-Life Analogy
Think of making a simple vinaigrette. Oil and vinegar will not stay together on their own. Add a spoon of mustard and whisk, and the mixture becomes one smooth dressing. You did not force one liquid to dominate the other. A third element brought them into a new consistency.
Carry that picture into a difficult relationship today. Before the conversation or text, pause and say, Lord, I trust You to be the bond of peace in me right now, and to form Your new way between us. Then take one step that fits this unity. Listen without interrupting, choose a gentle tone, or suggest a shared goal you can pursue together.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that Jesus is my peace. You have already brought me near, and You have placed me in one body with others You love. I praise You that hostility has lost its claim, and that Your Spirit empowers me to live as a reconciler. I rest in Your sufficiency, and I rejoice to express the unity that is mine in the Messiah.