that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Truth to Learn
Through faith in Christ we are no longer without hope.
Behind the Words
The word “without” is translated from the Greek word chōris, which means “without” or “separated from.”
“Being aliens” is from the verb apallotrioō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “apart from” and allotrioō, meaning “to alienate” or “to separate from.” Thus, this word means “to be completely separated from.”
“Commonwealth” is translated from politeia (from which we get our English word politics). It is indirectly derived from polis, meaning “a city.” Politeia refers to a community or commonwealth of citizens.
Xenos is the Greek word translated “strangers.” It refers to someone who is not a citizen of a commonwealth.
The words “without God” are from atheos, which is made up of a, meaning “not” or “without” and theos, which is the Greek word for “god.” Therefore, we see that atheos refers to someone “without God” or “Godless.”
“Hope” is translated from the Greek word elpis, which refers to more than just a wish. It is “a hope for something with the full expectation that it will happen.”
Meaning Explained
In the previous verse Paul noted that before we were saved we were called “the uncircumcision” by the Jews, because we were not part of the covenant that God made with them through Abraham. Even though the Jewish faith had degenerated into a works oriented religion, they still were the recipients of God’s covenant because they were descendants of Abraham.
Paul now expands on what he has just said. He tells us that before we were saved, we were without Christ. That’s pretty obvious. But, he also tells us that we were not part of the political entity called Israel either. The significance of this is that only Israel was privy to the covenant. Now, we have to ask, what covenant is Paul talking about?
Shortly after the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God was poured out, Peter preached a message to the Jews in the temple area. As part of that message, he said:
You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, “and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Acts 3:25)
This is the covenant referred to by Paul, the promise of a Messiah. Before the coming of Christ, we were outside the commonwealth to whom the promise was made. Therefore, before Christ, we were without hope and we were without God. We were alone in this world system.
Application
Before we were saved, we were hopelessly lost and destined for eternal punishment in Hell. But now, through faith in the blood of Christ, we have hope and the assurance that we will spend eternity in God’s holy presence. There is hope for us!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved
