King James Bible
"And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"
Christ's purpose is to restore the broken relationship between humanity and God, with 'both' referring to Jews and Gentiles mentioned earlier in the chapter. This reconciliation transforms former enemies of God into those at peace with Him. The reconciliation creates a unified entity—the church—where ethnic and religious divisions dissolve. This 'one body' imagery emphasizes corporate unity rather than merely individual salvation. The cross serves as the sole instrument of reconciliation, where Christ's sacrificial death paid the penalty for sin. This phrase locates the power of unity specifically in Christ's crucifixion, not human effort. The hostility between Jews and Gentiles, as well as between humanity and God, is personified as something Christ killed through His death. The cross didn't merely cover over the division—it destroyed the very source of separation.