Colossians 1:21
“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The Colossians, once estranged from God and hostile to him in mind and deed, have now been reconciled by Christ.
What Does Colossians 1:21 Mean?
Paul brings the cosmic reconciliation of verse 20 down to his readers personally. He does not flatter them about their past: they were once alienated and enemies, hostile to God in mind by wicked works.
Then comes the great reversal -- yet now hath he reconciled. What they could never repair, Christ has mended. The honesty about their former condition makes the grace shine brighter; estrangement that ran deep has been overcome entirely by God's initiative, not theirs. Paul wants the Colossians to see themselves inside the sweeping work he has just described. The peace Christ makes for all things is the very peace that found them and changed their standing before God. No one is too far gone for this reconciliation, because it reaches enemies and makes them friends. Their distance from God is over.