Jumpstarter 4 of 10

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Question 4

Dean claims that “in Christ, those walls had already been torn down 2,000 years ago” and then quotes Ephesians 2:14–16 about Christ abolishing enmity to create “one new man”; how would the earliest Christians—living under Rome, surrounded by ethnic hostilities—have assumed this new identity should reshape daily life and loyalty?

Another way to ask: If Christ tore down hostile walls long ago (Ephesians 2:14–16), how would early Christians under Rome think that should change their everyday choices and loyalties?

Direct Answer Based on Dean’s teaching, earliest Christians would have understood that loyalty shifts upward to Christ’s kingdom, so ethnic and national hostilities lose their power because believers become “one new man” reconciled to God together.

Support from Transcript:

Dean states that “in Christ, those walls had already been torn down 2,000 years ago. Christ has broken down the wall of partition.”
He quotes Ephesians 2:14–16: Christ “has made both one,” “broken down the middle wall,” and created “one new man…thus making peace.”
The passage emphasizes reconciliation “in one body through the cross,” implying a new shared identity stronger than prior divisions.
Dean applies this to nationalism: “in Christ, these nationalistic dividing walls all have been taken down.”
He says this means believers live in earthly kingdoms “as a stranger and pilgrim,” with “true citizenship and belonging…in Christ.”

Discussion Follow-ups What daily loyalties (speech, fear, suspicion, tribal defense) would change if “one new man” was your primary identity? Where do you still act like the wall is standing?

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