Colossians 1:21

And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled The Colossians are included in this general reconciliation (Colossians 2:13). SOMETIME - `once.' THAT WERE ... ALIENATED - a double participle [ ontas (G5607) apeellotrioomenous (G526)]: 'being in a state of continued alienation;' objectively banished from God, through the barrier which God's justice interposed against your sin; subjectively estranged through the alienation of your own wills from God. The former is prominent (cf. Romans 5:10), the second follows, "enemies...

21._And whereas ye were formerly. _The general doctrine which he had set forth he now applies particularly to them, that they may feel that they are guilty of very great ingratitude, if they allow themselves to be drawn away from Christ to new inventions. And this arrangement must be carefully observed, because the particular application of a doctrine, so to speak, affects the mind more powerfully. Farther, he leads their views to experience, that they may recognize in themselves the benefit of that redemption of which he had made mention. “You are yourselves a sample (318) of that grace which I declare to have been offered to mankind through Christ. For ye were _alienated_, that is, from God. Ye were _enemies_; now ye are received into favor: whence comes this? It is because God, being appeased by the death of Christ, has become reconciled to you.” At the same time, there is in this sta...

15-23 Christ in his human nature, is the visible discovery of the invisible God, and he that hath seen Him hath seen the Father. Let us adore these mysteries in humble faith, and behold the glory of the Lord in Christ Jesus. He was born or begotten before all the creation, before any creature was made; which is the Scripture way of representing eternity, and by which the eternity of God is represented to us. All things being created by Him, were created for him; being made by his power, they were made according to his pleasure, and for his praise and glory. He not only created them all at first, but it is by the word of his power that they are upheld. Christ as Mediator is the Head of the body, the church; all grace and strength are from him; and the church is his body. All fulness dwells in him; a fulness of merit and righteousness, of strength and grace for us. God showed his justice...

Verse 21. _AND YOU, THAT WERE SOMETIME ALIENATED_] All men are _alienated_ from God, and all are _enemies in their minds_ to him, and show it by their _wicked works_; but this is spoken particularly of the _Gentiles_. The word απαλλοτριοω, which we render to _alienate_, to _give to another_, to _estrange_, expresses the state of the Gentiles: while the Jews were, at least by profession, _dedicated_ to God, the Gentiles were _alienated_, that is, _given up to others_; they worshipped not the true God, but had gods many and lords many, to whom they dedicated themselves, their religious service, and their property. The verb αλλοτριοω, to _alienate_, being compounded here with the preposition απο, _from_, signifies to abalienate, to _estrange utterly_, to be _wholly the property of_ _another_. Thus the Gentiles had alienated themselves from God, and were alienated or rejected by him, becaus...

AND YOU, THAT WERE SOMETIME ALIENATED - In this work of reconciling heaven and earth, you at Colossae, who were once enemies of God, have been reached. The benefit of that great plan has been extended to you, and it has accomplished in you what it is designed to effect everywhere - to reconcile enemies to God. The word “sometime” here - ποτε pote - means “formerly.” In common with all other men they were, by nature, in a state of enmity against God; compare the notes at Ephesians 2:1. IN YOUR MIND - It was not merely by wicked works, or by an evil life; it was alienation seated in the mind, and leading to wicked works. It was deliberate and purposed enmity. It was not the result of passion and excitement; it had a deeper seat, and took hold of the intellectual po

EXPOSITION COLOSSIANS 1:1 SECTION I. INTRODUCTION. The Epistle commences, in St. Paul's manner, with a _salutation _(Colossians 1:1, Colossians 1:2), followed by _thanksgiving _(Colossians 1:3) and _prayer _(Colossians 1:9). Only in 2 Thessalonians, however, outside of the Epistles of this group, do we find a formal opening prayer. The _salutation _agrees closely with that of Ephesians....

AND YOU THAT WERE SOMETIME ALIENATED,.... The general blessing of grace and reconciliation, which belongs to the whole body of Christ, the church universal, all the elect of God, whether in heaven or in earth, is here particularly applied to the saints at Colosse, who were eminent instances of it; and that the free grace of God towards them in it might more illustriously appear, the apostle takes notice of what they were before the coming of Christ in the flesh, before the Gospel came among them, and while in a state of unregeneracy, as that they were "alienated": that is from God, not from his general presence, power, and providence, which reach to all his creatures, but from the life of God; see Ephesians 4:18; from living agreeably to the will of God, being estranged from him who is the fountain of moral and spiritual, as well as natural life; from the law, the rule of life, and from...

Colossians 1:1. _Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ._ Kindness is the very breath of Christianity, so the apostle will not begin the subject matter of his letter until first of all he has breathed out a benediction upon those to whom he writes. Colossians 1:3. _We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,_ Paul very graciously blends his giving of thanks and his constant prayer for these Christians at Colosse, and therein sets us an example that we may well imitate....

RECONCILED Reconciliation. The Greek word signifies "to change thoroughly from," and occurs in (Romans 5:10); (Romans 11:15); (1 Corinthians 7:11); (2 Corinthians 5:18); (2 Corinthians 5:19); (2 Corinthians 5:20). Reconciliation looks toward the effect of the death of christ upon man, as propitiation, ( See Scofield) - (Ro

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. THE PERSON OF CHRIST, His GLORY AND His WORK CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The introduction (Colossians 1:1)_ 2. The prayer (Colossians 1:9) 3. The person and glory of Christ, Head of creation and Head of the Church (Colossians 1:15) 4. The work of reconciliation and the double ministry (Colossians 1:19) Colossians 1:1 This Epistle unfolds the doctrine of Christ and therefore Paul speaks of himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God; Timothe