Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:12a-The Two Descriptions of Gentile Christians Before Justification

Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of remembering that formerly each of you who belong to the Gentile race with respect to the human body, specifically, those who receive the designation “uncircumcision” by the those who receive the designation “circumcision” with respect to the human body performed by human hands, 12 each one of you used to be characterized as without a relationship with Christ. Each one of you used to be alienated from the nation of Israel’s citizenship. Specifically, each of you used to be strangers to the most important promise, which is the product of the covenants. Each of you used to not possess a confident expectation of blessing. Consequently, each one of you used to be without a relationship with God in the sphere of the cosmic world system. (Lecturer’s translation)

Now, in Ephesians 2:12, the first description of the unregenerate state of these Gentile Christians is that they used to be characterized as being without a relationship and fellowship with Christ.

Therefore, if we compare the command to remember in Ephesians 2:11 with this first description of these Christian Gentiles prior to their conversion to Christianity in Ephesians 2:12, Paul wants these Gentile Christians to continue to make it their habit of remembering that they used to be characterized as being without a relationship and fellowship with Christ.

The expression tō kairō ekeinō (τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ), “at that time” refers to the unregenerate state of these Gentile Christians.

During this period of their lives they were uncircumcised, without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, possessing absolutely no confident expectation of blessing and being without God in the world.

This noun functions as a dative of time, which indicates that it is marking this period of their lives when they were unregenerate when they possessed these characteristics.

The proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” contains the figure of metonymy which means that the one and only Christ is put for a relationship and fellowship with Him.

This word is the object of the improper preposition choris (χωρίς), which functions here as a marker of separation.

Therefore, this word marks Jesus Christ as the person whom these Gentile Christians were separated from during their unregenerate state or did not possess a relationship with.

Therefore, this prepositional phrase expresses the idea that these Gentile Christians used to exist in the state prior to their justification as being “without Christ” and specifically, “without a relationship or fellowship with Christ.”

As was the case in Ephesians 1:1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 20, 2:5, 6, 7 and 10 the word here in Ephesians 2:12 emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God delivered the believer from the sin nature, personal sins, the devil and his cosmic system, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths and resurrection.

This word Christos(Χριστός) denotes the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth; thus He is the Deliverer of the human race in three areas through His death, resurrection, ascension and session: (1) Satan (2) Cosmic System (3) Old Sin Nature.

The Lord’s Messiahship has a four-fold significance: (1) Separation unto God. (2) Authorization from God. (3) Divine enablement. (4) The coming Deliverer. It also signifies the uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth who is the God-Man.

Christos (Χριστός) also signifies that Jesus of Nazareth served God the Father exclusively and this was manifested by His execution of the Father’s salvation plan which was accomplished by His voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross.

The word signifies that Jesus of Nazareth has been given authority by God the Father to forgive sins, give eternal life, and authority over all creation and every creature as a result of His execution of the Father’s salvation plan.

It denotes that Jesus of Nazareth was perpetually guided and empowered by God the Holy Spirit during His First Advent.

Lastly, it signifies that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised deliverer of the human race from the bondage of Satan, his cosmic system and the old Adamic sin nature.

Now, the second description of these Gentile Christians prior to their justification, which Paul presents in Ephesians 2:12 is that they were characterized as being alienated from Israel’s citizenship.

Therefore, if we compare the command to remember in Ephesians 2:11 with this second description of these Christian Gentiles prior to their conversion to Christianity in Ephesians 2:12, Paul wants them to continue to make it their habit of remembering that they used to be characterized as being alienated from the nation of Israel’s citizenship.

The verb apallotrioō(ἀπαλλοτριόω) means “to be alienated” from someone since the word pertains to being considered foreign to someone and consequently separated from another citizenry.

They were alienated from the citizenship of the nation of Israel in that both groups were estranged from each other.

It expresses the idea that there was hostility and unfriendly relations between the two groups prior to their conversion to Christianity.

This verb also appears in Ephesians 4:18 where it is used again to describe these Gentile Christians who were the recipients of this epistle and it describes them as being “alienated from the life of God.”

It also appears in Colossians 1:21 to describe the Colossian Christian community when they were unregenerate and which community was Gentile.

The noun politeia(πολιτεία), “citizenship” pertains to a body of citizens of a particular group of people or nation.

The articular construction of this word is monadic, which indicates that this particular body of citizens are “unique” or “one of a kind.”

This use of the article is indicated by the word’s genitive adjunct tou Israēl (τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ), “of Israel.”(NET)

Thus the entire expression tēs politeias tou Israēl (τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ), “from the citizenship of Israel” (NET) is expressing a monadic notion.

The articular genitive masculine singular form of the proper name Israēl(Ἰσραήλ) refers to the nation of Israel who are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose name was changed to “Israel” by God Himself (cf. Gen. 32:28).

The articular construction of this word is also monadic which means that the nation of Israel is “unique” or “one of a kind” since it is the only nation, which God elected to represent Him to the rest of the citizens of the world.

It is also unique because it is the only nation in the world in which God entered into a covenant relationship with.

Therefore, the second description of the unregenerate state of these Gentile Christians was that they were alienated from Israel’s citizenship in the sense that they did not belong to their citizenry.

It describes them as being estranged from the citizenship of Israel and expresses the idea that there was hostility and unfriendly relations between them and this citizens of Israel prior to their conversion to Christianity.