Belonging is rooting for something, while at the same time, excluding something else. This plays out in society today with an “us and them” attitude that even carries into our Christian lives; we believe we have the ability to decide who and what is included or excluded from our world.
In Ephesians 2, Paul distinguishes Gentiles from Jews in that Gentiles must remember what they never had. Gentiles must recognize—much like we must recognize today— the separation, alienation, desperation, and desolation that lies in the past in order to understand the unlimited blessing there is in Jesus Christ. We must also note that, like the Jews, our self-righteousness serves as a barrier to experiencing God’s embrace. Thankfully, due to Jesus’ death on the cross, the “wall of hostility” has been destroyed and everyone in Christ—both Jew and Gentile—has complete access to God.