Colossians 1: 14 – The liberation from sins

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

The vast majority of translations speak of “forgiveness of sins”, or “pardon of sins”, but that is too thin. The Greek word ‘aphesis’ is made up of the elements ‘from’ and ‘let’ and in it we recognize the Old Dutch word ‘aflaat’, which means remission. In Luke 4:18, ‘aphesis’ is translated as letting go, namely of captives. Letting go or setting you free is the primary idea behind aphesis. That meaning fits seamlessly with that of redemption. In the Son of God’s love we have redemption, that is, liberation from sin.

It should not escape our notice that “liberation from sins” goes much further than what is traditionally understood by “forgiveness of sins”. When we think about forgiveness of sins, we remember that God no longer blames, imputes or remembers past sins. But with ransom and release the idea is that we are no longer prisoners. Not only do the sins of the past no longer haunt us, but sins in general no longer hold us captive. We live in freedom! For God has justified us and given us LIFE in all capital letters! The ransom has been paid and the ransom has become a reality!

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