Ephesians 4.18c-The Ignorance of Unregenerate Gentiles with Respect to God's Revelation of Himself
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday June 12, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:18c-The Ignorance of Unregenerate Gentiles with Respect to God’s Revelation of Himself
Lesson # 258
Ephesians 4:17 Therefore, at this particular time I am communicating, specifically, at this particular time I am solemnly and earnestly making a request on the basis of the Lord’s sovereign authority. Namely, that each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to no longer make it your habit of conducting your lives as in fact the Gentiles are conducting their lives by means of the futility produced by their thinking. 18 Specifically, because they are darkened with respect to their understanding (of the three-fold revelation of the triune God). Consequently, they are alienated from the life, which originates uniquely in the character and nature of the one and only God because of the ignorance, which is a characteristic within them because of the hardness, which is produced by the function unique to their hearts. (Lecturer’s translation)
As we noted, the second participial clause in Ephesians 4:18, namely ontes apēllotriōmenoi tēs zōēs tou theou (ὄντες ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ θεοῦ), “Consequently, they are alienated from the life, which originates uniquely in the character and nature of the one and only God.” (Lecturer’s translation) presents the result of unregenerate Gentile members of the human race conducting their lives by means of the futility produced by the way they think.
Namely, their lifestyle “results in” them being alienated from the life of the triune God.
In this second participial clause, the verb eimi (εἰμί) expresses the idea of the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race “possessing the characteristic” of being alienated from the life of God.
In other words, it expresses the idea that they “are characterized by” being alienated from the life of God.
Now, as we noted, in Ephesians 4:18, the second participial clause contains the noun zōē (ζωή), which refers to one of the attributes of God, which help to compose His divine essence or holy character.
It refers to eternal life which is received as a gift by the sinner the moment they exercise faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and it is experienced by the justified sinner after conversion through obedience to the teaching of the Word of God.
It is experienced by the believer after conversion when they appropriate by faith their identification with Christ in His death and resurrection and which faith expresses itself by considering oneself dead to sin, Satan and the Law and alive to God.
The articular construction of this noun is monadic which indicates that this life is “unique” to the character and nature of the triune God.
The noun theos (θεός) refers to the Father which is indicated by the articular construction of the noun, which in the New Testament commonly signifies the Father unless otherwise indicated by the context.
Furthermore, in every instance in which the word has appeared in this epistle up to this point in the Ephesian letter, the Father is this word’s referent (1:1, 2, 3, 17, 2:4, 8, 10, 16, 19, 22, 3:2, 7, 9, 10).
The articular construction of the noun theos (θεός) expresses the idea that there were many gods in the world, but the God Jewish and Gentile Christians worshipped was the one and only true God in contrast to unregenerate humanity in the first century A.D. which worshipped the pantheon of Graeco-Roman gods.
The noun theos (θεός) functions as a genitive of source, which means that this life “originates in” the character and nature of God or in other words because it is one of His attributes, which help to form His divine essence or nature.
The noun zōē (ζωή) functions as a genitive of separation which would indicate that the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race are alienated “separated from” the life of the triune God.
Therefore, unregenerate Gentile members of the human race are alienated from the life, which is unique to the character and nature of the one and only God because they have rejected the Holy Spirit’s testimony about God in creation, as well as in their conscience and through the presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In other words, they are alienated from the life of the Father, which is eternal, because they rejected His one and only Son as their Savior and thus refused to receive the gift of eternal life.
Now, as we noted, the second participial clause in Ephesians 4:18 is modified by the prepositional phrase dia tēn agnoian tēn ousan en autois (διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τὴν οὖσαν ἐν αὐτοῖς), “because of the ignorance, which is a characteristic within them” (Author’s translation).
It presents the reason why unregenerate Gentile members of the human race are alienated from the life, which is unique to the one and only God.
It asserts that it is because of their ignorance of the three-fold revelation of the triune God and which ignorance is a characteristic within their souls.
The noun agnoia (ἄγνοια) speaks of unregenerate Gentile humanity’s “sinful ignorance” of the three-fold revelation of the triune God in creation (Rom. 1:20-21) as well as in their souls (Rom. 1:19; 2:14-15) and through the gospel because it is the direct result of being unwilling to accept by faith this revelation.
Paul uses the verb eimi (εἰμί) a second time in Ephesians 4:18.
However, this time he employs the articular accusative feminine singular present active participle conjugation of this word.
As it did the first time, the word again pertains to existing in the state of a possessing a particular characteristic.
In other words, it speaks of being characterized by something.
This time the referent of the feminine singular form of this verb is the accusative feminine singular form of the noun agnoia (ἄγνοια), “ignorance” since they agree in gender (feminine) and number (singular) as well as case (accusative).
The referent of the dative third person neuter plural form of the personal pronoun autos (αὐτός) is the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race since this word agrees with the noun ethnos (ἒθνος), “the Gentiles,” which we noted appears in Ephesians 4:17, since they agree in gender (neuter) and number (plural).
This word functions as the object of the preposition en (ἐν), which functions as a marker of location indicating where this sinful ignorance is located, namely in the minds of the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race.
The participle conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί) functions as an accusative of simple apposition, which means that it helps to “identify” the location in which this sinful ignorance on the part of unregenerate Gentile humanity resides with respect to the three-fold revelation of the triune God.
The present tense of the of this verb eimi (εἰμί) is a gnomic present, which expresses the idea that sinful ignorance “as an eternal spiritual truth” resides or is located in the minds of the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race.
It also functions as a customary present or stative present, which expresses the idea that this sinful ignorance “exists in the state of” residing in the minds of the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race.
The noun agnoia (ἄγνοια) functions as the object of the preposition dia (διά), which marks this sinful ignorance as the reason why unregenerate Gentile members of the human race are alienated from the life which is unique to the one and only God.
Therefore, this would indicate that they are alienated from the life which is unique to the one and only God “because of” the sinful ignorance, which they exist in the state of possessing in their minds.
