At that time you 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. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:12-13
While it is true that God chose the nation of Israel to be His own special people, He plainly tells them that it is not because they are better than others, but simply because He chose to set His love upon them (Deuteronomy 7:6-11).
This chosen nation status brought with it unique promises of blessing, but Israel’s rejection of their Messiah meant that they forfeited their privileged position. Jesus told the Jewish leaders, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (Matthew 21:41-42).
As Paul writes to the believers in the city of Ephesus, he lets them know about the wonderful change that has taken place in their experience through faith in the Lord Jesus. Before they trusted Christ, they were alienated from God and estranged from His promises and, therefore, “having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). And this, according to God’s Word, is true of all who have not accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Perhaps you are aware of the hopelessness of your circumstances, seeing no light at the end of the tunnel. We urge you to look to the promises of God and claim His offer of hope by taking hold of Christ as the anchor for your soul (Hebrews 6:19).
Or perhaps you are happy with your circumstances: maybe a loving family, a job with good pay and even better prospects. But, as far as God is concerned, unless you have trusted Christ as your Saviour you also are without hope, because hope is not about an attitude or an emotional state of mind, but about clinging to the promises of a God who cannot lie. And the promise of God is that you can be brought near to Him by the blood of Christ and enjoy all the privileges of citizenship in the kingdom of God, including true peace and direct access to God (Ephesians 2:14-18).
DNW