Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical terms, a "barrier" can refer to both physical and spiritual obstacles that impede progress, communication, or relationship. The concept of barriers is prevalent throughout Scripture, symbolizing separation between God and humanity, between individuals, or between nations.
Physical BarriersPhysical barriers in the Bible often serve as metaphors for spiritual truths. For instance, the veil in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple acted as a physical barrier separating the Holy of Holies, where God's presence dwelt, from the rest of the sanctuary. This veil symbolized the separation between a holy God and sinful humanity. In the New Testament, the tearing of the veil at the moment of Jesus' death (
Matthew 27:51) signifies the removal of this barrier, granting believers direct access to God through Christ.
Another example of a physical barrier is the wall of Jericho. In
Joshua 6, the Israelites faced the formidable walls of Jericho, which God miraculously brought down, demonstrating His power to overcome physical and spiritual obstacles.
Spiritual BarriersSpiritual barriers are often the result of sin, unbelief, or disobedience.
Isaiah 59:2 states, "But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." Sin creates a separation from God, hindering fellowship and communication.
The New Testament emphasizes the removal of spiritual barriers through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:14 declares, "For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility." This passage refers to the reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles, illustrating how Christ's sacrifice breaks down barriers of division and hostility, uniting all believers into one body.
Barriers Between PeopleBarriers between individuals can arise from conflict, prejudice, or misunderstanding. The account of the Tower of Babel in
Genesis 11 illustrates how God introduced language barriers to scatter humanity and prevent them from uniting in prideful rebellion against Him. Conversely, the Day of Pentecost in
Acts 2 demonstrates the Holy Spirit's power to overcome language barriers, enabling the apostles to proclaim the Gospel to people of various tongues and nations.
The Bible calls believers to actively work towards breaking down barriers between people. In
Galatians 3:28 , Paul writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This verse underscores the unity and equality of all believers in Christ, transcending social, cultural, and gender barriers.
ConclusionThroughout Scripture, barriers serve as powerful symbols of separation and division, whether physical, spiritual, or relational. The Bible consistently points to God's desire to remove these barriers, offering reconciliation and unity through faith in Jesus Christ.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A carpentry obstruction, stockade, or other obstacle made in a passage in order to stop an enemy.
2. (n.) A fortress or fortified town, on the frontier of a country, commanding an avenue of approach.
3. (n.) A fence or railing to mark the limits of a place, or to keep back a crowd.
4. (n.) An any obstruction; anything which hinders approach or attack.
5. (n.) Any limit or boundary; a line of separation.
Greek
5313. hupsoma -- height, that which is lifted up... which is lifted up. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: hupsoma Phonetic
Spelling: (hoop'-so-mah) Short Definition: height,
barrier, bulwark Definition
...5418. phragmos -- a fencing in, a fence
... partition. Word Origin from phrasso Definition a fencing in, a fence NASB Word
Usagebarrier (1), hedges (1), wall (2). hedge, partition....
714. arkeo -- to assist, suffice
... Apparently a primary verb (but probably akin to airo through the idea of raising
abarrier); properly, to ward off, ie (by implication) to avail (figuratively...
3320. mesotoichon -- a middle wall
... mesotoichon Phonetic Spelling: (mes-ot'-oy-khon) Short Definition: a middle wall,
partition wall Definition: a middle wall, partition wall,barrier....
Strong's Hebrew
1366. gebul -- border, boundary, territory... Word Origin from an unused word Definition border, boundary, territory NASB Word
Usage area (1),
barrier (1), border (144), borders (10), boundary (13
...4535. massach -- perhaps repulse, defense
... broken down. From nacach in the sense of staving off; a cordon, (adverbially) or
(as a) militarybarrier -- broken down. see HEBREW nacach. 4534, 4535....
Library
Self-Made Barriers
... Or sometimes they are not willing to do their duty, and they begin at once to build
abarrier of "I can't" between themselves and their opportunity....
Death to Sin's Penalty is the Way Out into a Life of Justification...
... picked off one of the dead leaves and examined the leaf-stalk through a microscope,
you would find that the old channel is silted up by abarrier invisible to...
The Way of Fellowship
... God. Everything that comes as abarrier between us and another, be it
never so small, comes as abarrier between us and God. We...
The Blessed Hope and Its Power
... To both schools, spirit was good, matter was evil. By both therefore the body was
viewed not as a subject of redemption, but as abarrier in its way....
Our Reception at Hwochow
... Failure to readjust your mind to such conditions during the first years of your
missionary life may prove an eventual fatalbarrier to mutual sympathetic...
Justice Satisfied
... The justice of God is in itself a greatbarrier to the salvation of sinners.
There is no possibility for thatbarrier to be surmounted...
Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock
... Here are our lives, shut in, limited, self-absorbed; and here are the messages of
God, knocking at our door; and between the two only onebarrier, thebarrier...
I Withdrew the Bolt of My Door for My Beloved; but He had Turned...
... This is as though the soul were to say, I have removed thebarrier which hindered
my total loss and the consummation of my marriage; for that can only take...
But Seeing that Paradise is the Home of Living Spirits...
... line of death, and by their own deed have checked his advance; they have made
themselves, in fact, a frontier between life and death, and abarrier too, which...
Biogenesis
... his extraordinary dividing-line severing the visible universe eternally into two;
those who in watching the progress of science have seenbarrier afterbarrier...
Thesaurus
Barrier (4 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Barrier (4 Occurrences). Ephesians
... guard. So you shall
keep the watch of the house, and be a
barrier. (WEB JPS ASV).
...Middle (169 Occurrences)
... par-tish'-un, par-tish'-un (to mesotoichon tou phragmou (Ephesians 2:14)): 1. The
Barrier in the Temple What Paul here asserts is that Christ is our peace, the...
Partition (4 Occurrences)
... par-tish'-un, par-tish'-un (to mesotoichon tou phragmou (Ephesians 2:14)): 1. The
Barrier in the Temple What Paul here asserts is that Christ is our peace, the...
Wall (227 Occurrences)
... par-tish'-un, par-tish'-un (to mesotoichon tou phragmou (Ephesians 2:14)): 1. The
Barrier in the Temple What Paul here asserts is that Christ is our peace, the...
Bar (27 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Anything which obstructs, hinders, or prevents; an obstruction; abarrier.
4. (n.) A bank of sand, gravel, or other matter, esp....
Barricade (5 Occurrences)
Reconciliation (11 Occurrences)
... (d) The Manward Side: By this propitiation, therefore, thebarrier was removed,
and, God having assumed a gracious attitude toward the sinner, it is possible...
Reconcile (10 Occurrences)
... (d) The Manward Side: By this propitiation, therefore, thebarrier was removed,
and, God having assumed a gracious attitude toward the sinner, it is possible...
Negeb (37 Occurrences)
... It formed an additionalbarrier to the wilderness beyond it; against all who would
lead an army from the South, this southern frontier of Judah was always...
Negev (39 Occurrences)
... It formed an additionalbarrier to the wilderness beyond it; against all who would
lead an army from the South, this southern frontier of Judah was always...
Resources
How can I have a closer relationship with God? | GotQuestions.orgAre mono-ethnic churches, churches that focus on a specific race or ethnic group, following a biblical model? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was the Holy of Holies? | GotQuestions.orgBarrier: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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