Ephesians 2:11-13

 

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

 

• Gentiles: a title that describes all people that are not of Jewish descent.

• There was a strong division between Jews and Gentiles.

• The Jews struggled to believe that God loved and saved Gentiles.

 

• Uncircumcised: the literal meaning is quite obvious

• The Jews believed that this ritual somehow made them holy and acceptable to God. Paul’s point is that human rituals don’t have that kind of power.

 

• Separate; apart from, having no part in

 

• Excluded: alienated, estranged, broken relationship

 

• Covenants: arrangement, promised agreement

• God’s relationship with mankind is often described as a covenant.

• There is an Old Covenant (Testament) and a New Covenant (Testament).

• After the cross, we are now under the New Covenant.

 

• Without Hope : without anything to believe in

 

• Without God : without relationship to your Creator (John 15:5)