Ephesians 2:12

Without Christ. Or, “apart from Christ,” separated from Him. This is no condemnation of the Gentiles, but simply an assertion of the fact that, being without connection with the Messiah, they were without the source or regenerative power. “Without Christ” is the tragic opposite of Paul’s oft-repeated theme phrase, “in Christ” (see on ch. 1:1).

Being aliens. Literally, “having been alienated” (cf. Eph. 2:19; Col. 1:21).

Strangers. God made His covenants with Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 12:3; 22:18). They were to make the covenant privileges available to the Gentiles and to invite them to participate in the worship of the true God (see Vol. IV, pp. 28-30). They failed to carry out God’s plan, and the Gentiles remained “aliens” and “strangers.” Before Christ came, the knowledge of the “covenants of promise” was thus confined almost entirely to the Jews.

No hope. The Gentiles had no hope in the Messiah, hence, no hope for the blessings that would flow from Him. In the catacombs of Rome the word “hope” is commonly found in Christian inscriptions, but it is never found in the inscriptions on heathen tombs.

Without God. Gr. atheoi, from which our word “atheist” is derived. However, the Greek word in the present context perhaps signifies no more than “not knowing God.” This is the ultimate in misery and loss. The Gentiles were not atheistic in the sense of lacking gods, for they had many gods. They were without the knowledge of the true God, whose attributes are holiness, love, justice, and mercy.