*LIVING SEEDS DEVOTIONALS*
(Life Transforming Words)
Day: 82 Tuesday March 23rd 2021
*********************************** *COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL.*
*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(KJV) Five things are very common to the gentiles. 1. They were without Christ, 2. They were alien from the Commonwealth of Israel. 3. They were strangers from the covenant promises, 4 they have no hope, 5. They were without God.
Who are the gentiles? The gentiles are the people who are without Christ. these people who have no knowledge of God, rather they formed their own God. Paul calls on the gentiles to remember where they were spiritually before they responded to the grace of God. The Jews referred to the gentiles as the uncircumcised. The designation was given to the gentiles by the Jews for the purpose of maintaining the Jews separation from the gentiles who were not in a national covenant relationship with God as were the Jews. However, this culture of been separate from the gentiles was dissolved in Christ. From the above scripture above, Paul explains the deplorable situations one is in, when he is outside the grace of God. He explains the situation of the gentiles who were outside the covenant relationship that God had established with Israel. When one is outside Christ, he is without hope. Being without Christ means that one is outside the mediatorial work of Jesus before God (Act 4:12). The gentiles as a whole had no citizenship with the people with whom God had established a covenant relationship with. They were therefore separated from Israel because they were not included in the covenant that God established with national Israel. They were separated from God because of sin( Isaiah 59:1-2). The gentiles had no part in the covenant of God that he established with the fathers of Israel and the Israelite nation itself (Rom. 9:4,8, Gen 12:1-3, 26:1, 28:13). Because the gentiles were without a covenant relationship with God, they had nothing upon which to base their hope. Therefore they had no hope for a deliverer that would deliver them from sin (1Thes. 4:13). The gentiles were in a world where they created gods after their own imagination. Such gods could never be substitute for the one true God. Therefore, if one could conceives of a god in his mind that is not according to God's definition of himself in his revealed word, then such a one is without God. He is without the true and the living God (Eph. 4:17-19; Rom 1:30, Gal 4:8). Before they were far away from God because of sin, the gentiles were spiritually separated from God and without hope in a world of sin ( John 10:15-16, Act 2:26). However, through grace of God that was manifested by the sacrificial blood of Jesus on the cross they have opportunity to come near through obedience of the gospel. They were engrafted into the Commonwealth of Israel through obedience to the gospel. Will you also access the grace of God and accept the finished works of Christ on the cross so that you can be accepted among his brethren. Jesus says come. Shalom!!!
*SHALL WE PRAY*
Father in the name of Jesus, thank you for the finished works of the cross and thanks for engrafting me into the Commonwealth of Israel.
*READ THE BIBLE THROUGH*
Judges 3-5
*MEDITATION*
John 4:24-25.
*SURE PROPHECY* : I prophecy into your life and destiny, the hand of the lord will manifest greatly in your life today in Jesus name
*Gifted hands!!!*
© Apostle Thomas & Testimony Adegbile. The Senior pastors, Revealed life international Christian centre Akure. www.rlcc.org.ng 08035868741.
