The Gentiles were aliens by birth, quite irrespective of anything they did or thought.

To illustrate this: when I stood on the quay at Southampton in April 1955 I was British,

but when I stepped on the quay at New York in the same month, without having done

anything, I was an alien. In like manner, citizen of New York who boarded the liner with

me, automatically became an alien as he stepped ashore at Southampton. An attempt has

been made to prove that the alienated Gentiles of Eph. 2: 12 are the far-off dispersion of

Israel. But what happens then to the references to "Gentiles" that follow?

The alienation of chapter 2: is expressed in the terms of distance; the alienation of

chapter 4: is expressed in the terms of death. The blood of Christ cancels the former

alienation by "making nigh"; the gift and operation of resurrection life reverses the other.

In both cases however this twofold truth merges into one expression, the new man.

Before we consider the teaching of the new man we must give attention to the

negative aspect of the believer's walk. In verse 17 we read, "That ye henceforth walk not

as other Gentiles walk". The word "other" should be omitted. We are exhorted to walk

not as the Gentiles walk.  A very definite change is suggested by the words "not

henceforth". The same negative comes in Eph. 4: 28, "Let him that stole steal no

more". While the chief feature of the epistle to the Ephesians is the revelation of the

mystery and its dispensational peculiarities, we must not forget that it finds its doctrinal

basis in Romans. When dealing with Eph. 2: 1 and the words "dead to trespasses and

sins", we were compelled to refer back to Rom. 6: So also we find the true import even

of the words "not henceforth" in Rom. 6: 6:--

The service of Rom. 6: 6 and the walk of Eph. 4: 17 are both associated with the

old man. In one case it is seen as "crucified", in the other it has to be "put off", but both

meet in a new "life unto God". Rom. 6: lays great stress upon "the body of sin", "the

mortal body" and the "members";  Eph. 4: emphasizes "the mind", and that both

positively and negatively:--

There are two words here for "mind". In 4: 2 the word is a compound of phreen,

and has particular reference to the heart and understanding. In 4: 17 mind is nous. The

word nous has passed into the English language, and is placed in Roget's Thesaurus

together with intelligence, comprehension, understanding and sagacity. The word is used

by Paul more than any other writer of the New Testament, for it occurs 21 times in his

epistles out of a total of 24. It is manifest therefore that an intelligent appreciation of the

truth revealed through Paul demands an acquaintance with the usage of this word in his

epistles. We find the nous connected with both the old and the new man.