Colossians 1:14
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →In the Son we have redemption -- the forgiveness of our sins -- through his blood.
What Does Colossians 1:14 Mean?
Paul defines what this rescued life rests on. Redemption is a ransom word, the buying back of someone held captive, and here it is found in whom -- in Christ himself, not in any system or ritual.
He names the heart of it plainly: the forgiveness of sins, purchased through his blood, the cost of the cross. The chains of darkness in the previous verse are broken precisely here, where guilt is canceled and the captive is set free. Forgiveness is not God overlooking sin lightly but God dealing with it fully at the cross and then releasing the sinner. Everything Paul is about to say about Christ's supremacy stands on this: the great Lord of all is also the one who shed his blood to forgive us. Majesty and mercy meet in the same Savior.
In the Original Language
Apolytrosis (ἀπολύτρωσις), 'redemption' -- a release secured by payment, the freeing of a captive or slave at a price.