Some Reasons to be Grateful

"Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants and the promises, having no hope and without God in this world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:12-13, ESV).

Apart from the bad news, it is impossible to really understand the good news.  Ephesians 2:12 paints a grim picture of our life before Christ.  We know from Ephesians 2:11 that Paul is speaking to Gentile believers.  He describes their plight in terms of separation, alienation, hopelessness, and God-forsakenness.

First, Paul expresses that Gentile believers were separated from Christ.  As non-Jews they had not access to God.  Jesus said that his earthly ministry was only to the lost sheep of Israel.  The nations were not God's chosen people.  That distinction fell to the Israelites.

Second, they were "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise."  In the narrowest sense the covenants were given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  At least that is how they were interpreted by the Israelites.  They were lawbreakers, idolaters, and unclean.

Third, they were without hope.  They had no expectation of Messiah.  As Israel understood it God's Anointed was coming to strike the nations and crush them in his wrath.  They were going to subjugated under Israel's rule as the nation's eternal King sat enthroned above them.  They were trapped, by heredity, in their sin, with no hope of escape.

Finally, they were without God.  The Creator had rejected them to wonder in their blindness.  He had passed over the nations and chosen Israel.  In so doing, he had sealed the fate of both.  The Gentiles had marched along their merry way down the broad path to destruction toward their doom.  From an earthly perspective, it appeared that God had forsaken them.

If we were to stop at this description, it would leave us terrified.  Fear would tear through our heart like an rock-splitting earthquake.  Our hearts would melt like butter held over a fire.  Paul's expressions seek to drive home the nature of God's grace to non-Jewish believers.  God didn't have to include anyone into his plan of salvation, but he especially didn't have to include the Gentiles.  The Jews were his people, they had the promises and the prophets.

Yet, he determined to bring believing Jews and Gentiles together in Jesus Christ.  Paul states, "you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."  It pleased God to extend his love toward us.  He brought us near, even though we were far off.  We cannot think long or hard enough on this matter.  Paul simply states that God didn't have to save us, but he did.  The expression of  God's grace expressed in Ephesians 2:12-13 should drive us to gratitude.