The Middle Wall of Partition
Apr 15
"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." (Ephesians 2:14) This middle wall of partition is a figure with important symbolic applications. The only specific Old Testament reference to a partition is to the wall shielding the Holy Place in the Temple of God as built by Solomon. "So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold." (1 Kings 6:21) This gold-covered wall separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, where God met annually with the high priest at the Ark of the Covenant. Apparently the opening through the partition was covered with a thick veil, preventing others from entering or even seeing the Ark inside. But that veil was rent, and soon the wall itself torn down, when Christ died and rose again, forever opening the way to God for all who would come in faith through Him (Hebrews 10:19-20).
Where Did Denominations Come From?
Mar 12
“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” I Corinthians 12:13 “Where did denominations come from?” This question is often asked of me by the person who has wearied of going from one “church” to the next, trying to find a place they might finally “fit in with.” My heart goes out to Christians who have wandered from building to building trying to find true fellowship that is described to intimately in the Book of Acts and the Epistle letters. A Baptist preacher from Massachusetts once told me, “The reason for denominations is because God desires ‘walls of separation’ in order to keep bad doctrine from creeping in.” Unfortunately, this “teacher” was and still is, promoting an exclusivity or “closed fellowship” mentality – doctrines strongly rebuked by the teaching of our Apostles. Is this scriptural? No.
We are very special…
Dec 11
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." (1 Peter 2:9) In our ongoing struggle for both survival and victory in this world, we do well to recognize that we are in enemy territory. While it is true that our Captain created the world -- indeed, "all things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3) Jesus Christ sacrificed His life to redeem it, and will reign over it for eternity. It is also true that "the whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5:19), occupied by "the prince of this world" (John 12:31) and that "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). The fact that we are surrounded by such darkness should come as no surprise. Remember that we too were part of this world's darkness -- indeed, we had to be called out of it.
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