“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—” (Colossians 1:21-22).
Banks convey funds to and from various accounts. Employees move from one office to another. Coaches, teachers, and mentors pass their knowledge and experience on to those who can benefit from their guidance. Each of these examples involves a type of transfer, or the act of moving something or someone from one place to another. While these examples are common, it may be surprising to learn that this idea also appears in Colossians 1:21 in the form of the word alienated.
This word is derived from another word that means “belonging to another,” “not of one’s own family,” or, “an enemy” in the original language of this verse. (1) So much like a soldier who has defected to the opposition, this verse begins by telling us that human beings have similarly transferred their allegiance to an enemy force. The result of that transfer is alienation from God.
We can trace the source of this alienation back to Adam, the first human being, and the events that took place in the Garden of Eden. You see, theologians refer to Adam as the “federal representative” of humanity. As the first of his kind, Adam represents all who have descended from him. Because of this, every member of the human family is associated with the effect of his decision to defect from His Creator.
However, Adam’s disobedience affects us in another way. Just as a parent sets an example for his or her children, Adam also set an example for his descendants through his sin and disobedience. Having only the example of Adam’s sin, his descendants have continued to follow that example even to this day. This explains why Romans 5:12 tells us, “Just as through one human being sin came into the world, and death came through sin, so death has come to everyone, since everyone has sinned” (CEB).
As a result, Colossians 1:21 tells us, “…you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, because the evil you did was against him” (ERV). But now, God has reconciled us through Christ for as we read in Romans 5:1, “…since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In the words of one commentary, “…by the merits of Christ believers are free from every charge (cf. Rom_8:33). In Christ the accused are unaccused and the condemned are freed.” (2)
(1) See Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries G526 allotrios (derived from G245).
(2) John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Bible Knowledge Commentary [1:22]