That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12
Remember the time when the children of Israel in the wilderness pined to be back in Egypt. Remember what they longed for: cucumbers and melons, leeks, onions, and garlic (Numbers 11:5)! How foolish! Instead of remembering those tongue teasers, those burp makers, those halitosis producers, the Israelites should have been remembering the harsh lash of the taskmasters, the backbreaking brick-making, the cruelty of enslavement, the butchery of their babies. It does us all good at times to look back to what we once were in the days before salvation, not with longing at the pleasures of sin, but with disgust at the hole of the pit whence we were digged (Isaiah 51:1). That is what our text today seeks to do for us.
When we were without Christ, we were without a Saviour. That meant we were in our sins and abiding under the wrath of God. Regardless of our works or religion, we were barred from Heaven and bound for hell. But the Holy Spirit brought us to repentance and faith, and now we rejoice in our relationship with Christ!
When we were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, we were without any claim on God and without any expectation of any blessing from Him. Our status was that of aliens and strangers and enemies of God and His people. But our salvation has removed the barrier between us and has given to us the right to be called the children of God. And the right to address God as Abba Father.
When we were strangers from the covenants of promise, we had a purposeless life and a bleak future. The rich and precious promises of which the Scriptures are overflowing did not apply to us, and, being ignorant of them, we did not care. But our salvation has brought to us so much more than escape from damnation and assurance of Glory. We rejoice that God has brought us under the umbrella of His bountiful promises, both now and to eternity.
When we were without God in the world, we were hopelessly lost and without direction. But our salvation has brought to us the very presence of God in the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. We now have direction and purpose in this life and we have assurances that our service for our Lord now will be to our eternal blessing. We have the pattern of the life of the Lord Jesus to follow, the abundance of the Scriptures to give us encouragement, guidance and rejoicing, and the presence of the Lord’s people to give us comfort and support.
Look back and realize all that we were missing before the Lord saved us. Look around and be thankful at all that our salvation has brought us into. Look forward, and rejoice at all that our Lord has in store for our eternity. -Jim MacIntosh