God Has United Jewish and Non-Jewish People

¹¹ Remember that once you were not Jewish physically. Those who called themselves “the circumcised” because of what they had done to their bodies called you “the uncircumcised.” ¹² Also, at that time you were without Christ. You were excluded from citizenship in Israel, and the pledges ^[a] ⌞God made in his⌟ promise were foreign to you. You had no hope and were in the world without God.

¹³ But now through Christ Jesus you, who were once far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ So he is our peace. In his body he has made Jewish and non-Jewish people one by breaking down the wall of hostility that kept them apart. ¹⁵ He brought an end to the commandments and demands found in Moses’ Teachings so that he could take Jewish and non-Jewish people and create one new humanity in himself. So he made peace. ¹⁶ He also brought them back to God in one body by his cross, on which he killed the hostility. ¹⁷ He came with the Good News of peace for you who were far away and for those who were near. ¹⁸ So Jewish and non-Jewish people can go to the Father in one Spirit.