Colossians 1: 14 – deliverance

… the Son of His love, in Whom we are having the deliverance, the pardon of sins.

Before Paul starts to unpack the glory of the Son of God’s love, he first notes that we (as believers) already “have the deliverance” in Him. The word ‘deliverance’ (Gr.apo-lutroosis) means ‘redemption’ and that is why many translations here also speak of ‘redemption’. ‘Redemption’ refers to liberation through the payment of a ransom. In Ephesians 1:7 we read: in Him we have redemption through His blood. Christ died and “the blood of the cross” (Col. 1:20) is the price He paid to redeem us. Nowhere is it explicitly stated to whom the ransom was paid, but by definition it is paid to the one holding in captivity

Only by dying (= the ransom) could Christ also rise as the firstfruits from the dead (Col.1:18). Thus He frees all those who are held captive in the power of death. This ‘redemption’ is always presented by Paul as future. For example in Romans 8:23: the ransom of our body (= the resurrection). And in Ephesians 4:30 we read that we are sealed “for the day of deliverance.” But while this redemption is future, we already have it. It is guaranteed in the Spirit with which we are sealed!

Delen: