Ephesians 2:11,12

The Gentiles' Condition Without Christ

Anyone who has been converted as an adult, especially if he lived a very wicked life, would do well from time to time to think back to the life he led prior to becoming a Christian. Such will give great cause for thankfulness for all God has done for us. The Gentiles of Ephesus naturally did not bear the physical mark of the covenant made with the Jews. Because of this, they were called the uncircumcision by those who bore the physical mark. Of course, the cutting away of the physical flesh was accomplished with human hands (2:11).

A thought provoking description of the Gentiles' condition prior to Christ's coming is presented in 2:12. As Paul has already shown, all spiritual blessings are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), so to be separated from him is to live in spiritual deprivation. In the commonwealth of Israel, God was the ruler and the Jews were his subjects. Certain privileges were theirs as God's people.

An alien is a stranger or foreigner who has no right to the privileges of citizenship. God made great promises to Abraham of which the Gentiles did not know, much less enjoy (Genesis 12:13). How sad to face this life's suffering, pain, sorrow, sickness and eventual death with nothing more to look forward to, yet such was the state of the Gentiles outside of Christ. The world, of course, cannot exist without God (Colossians 1:16-17). However, it can so spurn him as to be without all the rich blessings he provides (2:12).