11. You who are not Jews by birth, here is what I want you to remember. You are called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "circumcised." But they have only been circumcised in their bodies by human hands.
12. Before you believed in Christ, you were separated from him. You were not considered to be citizens of Israel. You were not included in what the covenants promised. You were without hope and without God in the world.
13. At one time you were far away from God. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. He spilled his blood for you. That has brought you near to God.
14. Christ himself is our peace. He has made Jews and non-Jews into one group of people. He has destroyed the hatred that was like a wall between us.
15. Through his body on the cross, Christ put an end to the law with all its commands and rules. He wanted to create one new group of people out of the two. He wanted to make peace between them.
16. He planned to bring both of them as one body back to God because of the cross. Christ put their hatred to death on that cross.
17. He came and preached peace to you who were far away. He also preached peace to those who were near.
18. Through Christ we both come to the Father by the power of one Holy Spirit.