<p>2:18 <i>For through him we have our joint access in one Spirit to the Father</i>- The extent of our peace with God is that we have access to the Father in the Spirit. There is only one Spirit- not one for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. 1 Pet. 3:18 has a connected idea; and we noted on :17 that 1 Pet. 3:19 is connected also to this passage: &quot;Christ once suffered for sins... that He might bring us s.w. &quot;have access&quot; to God on account of having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit&quot;. We too have been made alive with Him by the Spirit (see on :5). &quot;To the Father&quot; , <i>pros</i> the Father, is a phrase used about the status and place of the ascended Lord Jesus now (Jn. 13:1,3; 14:12,28; 16:10,16,28; 17:11; 20:17; 1 Jn. 2:1). Those references in John are largely in the context of the Comforter, the gift of the Spirit, enabling us to be <i>pros </i>the Father as the Lord Jesus now is. Or as Ephesians 2 has put it, we died, rose and ascended to Heaven with the Lord Jesus if we are in Him. This access to God is for both Jew and Gentile. We are both brought to the same place, in the Father's presence in Heaven, by the work of the Spirit which we received because we are in Christ. This of itself should unite us in our earthly relationships. Paul goes on to say that he prays <i>pros</i> the Father (Eph. 3:14).</p>