Paul the
apostle referred to the “Gentiles” as the “uncircumcised”
and the “Jews” as the “circumcised” as he mentioned
their transformation after they received Jesus Christ as their
Savior. In chapter two and verse twelve of his letter to the
Ephesians, Paul shared how the “Gentiles” were “aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel” who were “without hope”
where we read:
That at
that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no
hope, and without God in the world:
The
verse begins, “That at that time you were without Christ, being
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,...” Paul began with the
words, “That at that time” or “in due measure, in an
opportune, seasonable and right period” “you were without”
which means “the Ephesians were separate, apart, without any
and besides” “Christ” who is “the anointed one, the
Messiah and Son of God”, “being aliens” which means
“alienates, estranges, and shut outs from fellowship and intimacy”
“from the commonwealth” or “administration of civil
affairs, state, citizenship and rights of a citizen” “of
Israel” which means “he shall be a prince of God or governed
by God”. Paul mentioned how the Ephesians were “foreigners” to
“Israel” and the citizenship which was offered to those
who belonged to them.
The
verse continues, “...and strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:” Paul
added, “and strangers” or “foreigners, guests and
aliens” “from the covenants” which refers to
“dispositions, arrangements, covenants or testaments” “of
promise” or “announcements, assents and pledges”, “having
no hope” or “expectation of evil, fear and without
expectation of good, joyful and confident expectation of eternal
salvation”, “and without God” who is “the Godhead
bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the
Son and the Holy Spirit” “in the world” or “the circle
of the earth, of earthly goods, endowments and riches”. Not only
were the Ephesians “estranged” from “Israel”, but they
were also “strangers” to the “covenants” the
Israelites received from the Lord which made them “without hope”
and “God” Himself while they lived “in the world”.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we are prone to wonder at the
expansive “grace” of God Almighty. His benefits are
inclusionary, and He desires for all, both “Jew and Gentile”, to
enjoy the Salvation He offers through His son Jesus. Whether a person
was previously not privy to the “covenants of promise”,
“without hope” and “without God in the world”,
they now have access to a relationship with Him. May all who read
these words receive this wonderful gift God offers to all who are in
the world.
Next
time Paul shares how the Ephesians were “made near”
unto God by the “blood of Christ”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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