Colossians 1:14 · Bible study
Colossians 1:14 Commentary: Redemption as Forgiveness in Christ
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Exegetical study of Colossians 1:14: meaning of redemption, forgiveness, textual variants, and how this verse defines salvation in Christ.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Redemption in Christ is primarily and fundamentally the forgiveness of sins, the release from sin's guilt and penalty.
- Key words: en hō (in whom), union with Christ; apolytrōsis (redemption), a ransom-deliverance; aphesis (forgiveness), a letting go, remission.
- Main debate: Whether the phrase 'through his blood' is original to this verse (text-critical issue) and whether redemption includes more than forgiveness (theological scope).
- Theological theme: Salvation as deliverance from sin and its consequences solely through what Christ has done.
- Best use: Clarifying the gospel message: the core of what we receive in Christ is the forgiveness of sins, the foundation of all other blessings.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
WEB World English Bible 2000
in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
KJV King James Version 1769
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of the sins,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
En el cual tenemos redención por su sangre, la remisión de pecados:
em quem temos a libertação: o perdão dos pecados.
en qui nous avons la rédemption, la rémission des péchés.
an welchem wir haben die Erlösung durch sein Blut, die Vergebung der Sünden;
In Denwelke wij de verlossing hebben door Zijn bloed, namelijk de vergeving der zonden;
nel quale abbiamo la redenzione, la remissione dei peccati;
W którym mamy odkupienie przez krew jego, to jest odpuszczenie grzechów;
в Котором мы имеем искупление Кровию Его и прощение грехов,
我們在 愛子 裡得蒙 救贖，罪過 得以赦免。
In whom we have our salvation, the forgiveness of sins:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Colossians 1:14
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse identifies redemption with the forgiveness of sins. Calvin notes that the two terms stand in apposition, they explain one another. When God remits our transgressions, he exempts us from condemnation. The Cambridge Bible calls forgiveness the sine qua non of redemption: everything else is bound up with it. Clarke describes forgiveness as the taking away of sin's power, guilt, and infection. Gill expands redemption to include deliverance from sin's dominion, the law, and Satan, but all agree that forgiveness is the core. The textual variant regarding 'through his blood' (absent from many early manuscripts) does not change the doctrine, as the same truth appears in Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:20. This verse is not an exhaustive definition of redemption, but it names its indispensable root.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: All Christians agree that the redemption believers have in Christ includes, and is defined by, the forgiveness of sins.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Authenticity of 'through his blood' | Whether original to this verse or not, all affirm that redemption is through Christ's blood, as stated in Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:20. | Some traditions (e.g., those based on the Textus Receptus) accept the phrase as original, while modern critical texts omit it based on early manuscript evidence. The disagreement is textual, not doctrinal. |
| Relationship between redemption and forgiveness | The verse uses apposition, meaning forgiveness explains redemption. All agree that forgiveness is an essential component. | Some (e.g., Calvin, Cambridge Bible) see forgiveness as defining the entirety of redemption in this context. Others (e.g., Wesley, Gill) see forgiveness as the beginning of a broader redemption that includes liberation from sin's power and future glorification. |
| Scope of redemption: present or fully future? | All affirm that believers possess forgiveness now in Christ; it is a present reality. | Some emphasize that redemption also includes a future bodily resurrection and complete freedom from sin's presence (Rom 8:23). Others focus on the present aspect (the forgiveness and transfer from darkness) taught in this immediate passage. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul writes from prison to the church in Colossae, a small city in Phrygia (modern Turkey). The church likely began through Epaphras, a coworker of Paul. False teachers had emerged, promoting a blend of Jewish legalism, asceticism, and what would later be called Gnosticism, secret knowledge for the elite. Against this, Paul sets forth Christ's supreme glory and the completeness of his work.
Verse 14 is part of a single sentence running from verse 9 through 20, a thanksgiving and prayer that builds to a breathtaking description of Christ. Just before this, verse 13 says the Father 'delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love.' The imagery is an exodus: from slavery to a new citizenship. Then verse 14 explains what that transfer means: in the Son we have our redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Greek word for redemption, apolytrōsis, originally meant a release bought with a ransom, the freeing of a slave or prisoner. In the Greek Old Testament, it describes God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The definite article ('the redemption') may point to a specific, promised deliverance. The word for forgiveness, aphesis, has the root sense of a letting go, a release from bondage. By placing forgiveness in apposition to redemption, Paul defines the great rescue in personal, accessible terms. Forgiveness is not a small part of redemption; it is redemption's heart.
The verb 'we have' is present tense, a current possession. The Colossians did not need a secret initiation to obtain this; they already had it by being 'in Christ' (en hō), a phrase that stresses union with him, not just a transaction. The heresy likely taught that one needed special knowledge or practices to be truly redeemed. Paul counters: redemption is what you already have if you are in Christ, and it is simply the forgiveness of your sins.
Textual Notes
The words 'through his blood' (dia tou haimatos autou) are absent from many early and important Greek manuscripts (including P46, א*, A, B, C, D*), as noted by Clarke, Cambridge Bible, JFB, Lange, and Vincent. The phrase was likely added by scribes harmonizing this verse with Ephesians 1:7, where the phrase is undisputed. Modern critical editions of the Greek New Testament (e.g., NA28, UBS5) omit it. The shorter reading is almost certainly original. This textual change does not affect Christian doctrine, because redemption through Christ's blood is taught explicitly in the immediate context (v.20, 'the blood of his cross') and elsewhere in Paul (Eph 1:7, Rom 3:24-25).
Reception History
This verse has served as a cornerstone for understanding salvation across church history. In the early church, it grounded the forgiveness granted in baptism and the Eucharist. During the Reformation, it was a key text for the doctrine of justification by faith alone, forgiveness is the heart of redemption, not something we earn. Catholic and Protestant interpreters both affirm that redemption is through Christ's sacrifice, though they have differed on the sacramental channels of that forgiveness. In modern evangelical theology, the verse is often used to simplify the gospel: salvation is fundamentally the forgiveness of sins. Across traditions, the connection between the two terms has shaped worship hymns about the cross and the assurance of pardon.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Redemption is located in Christ alone. The phrase 'in whom' ties forgiveness directly to the person of Christ. Union with him is the ground of every blessing. (v12-14)
- Redemption is defined as forgiveness. Paul does not leave the term abstract. He pins it down: 'the forgiveness of sins.' This is the starting point of all salvation, without it, nothing else follows.
- Redemption is a present possession. 'We have' (present tense) assurance now, not a future hope only. Believers can live from this reality today.
Five-point outline
- The Father's action: delivering us from darkness and transferring us to Christ’s kingdom (v13).
- The location of the gift: 'in whom', union with Christ, the sphere of every blessing.
- The nature of the gift: redemption, a ransom-deliverance.
- The definition of the gift: forgiveness of sins, the explanation of what redemption consists of.
- The basis of the gift: the blood of Christ (though textually disputed in this verse, clearly taught in parallel passages and context).
Illustration hooks
- Debt cancelled: A person receives a letter that a massive debt has been paid. They do not need to earn relief, they already have it. Forgiveness is the cancellation notice.
- Prison release: A prisoner is set free not because of good behavior but because someone paid the fine. The door is open. Redemption is walking out.
- Adoption papers: A child in foster care is adopted into a family. The legal papers bring a new identity. Forgiveness is the seal of that new standing.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is forgiveness of sins the same thing as salvation, or is there more?
- If I still struggle with sin, do I really have full redemption?
- What about the phrase 'through his blood', is it in the Bible or not, and does it matter?
Leading a Discussion
This verse packs the entire gospel into ten words. It declares that what believers have in Christ is redemption, and immediately defines that redemption as forgiveness. For a small group, this verse can open up the heart of Christian faith: what we are saved from, what we are saved to, and how we can be sure.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 13, 14 together. What picture of salvation do these two verses paint? What contrasts do you see?
- Why do you think Paul explains the word 'redemption' by adding 'the forgiveness of sins'? What might someone misunderstand if only the word 'redemption' were used?
- The verb 'we have' is present tense. How does knowing that forgiveness is a current possession, not just a future promise, affect your daily life?
- Some early manuscripts leave out the phrase 'through his blood' in this verse (though it appears elsewhere, as in Ephesians 1:7). Does the truth of redemption through Christ’s blood depend on this one textual variant? Why or why not?
- In what ways might you be tempted to think that forgiveness is not enough, that you need something more to be fully accepted by God?
- The word 'forgiveness' (aphesis) carries the idea of a release, a letting go. Is there an area of guilt or shame you need to release because Christ has already released you?
- How does understanding forgiveness as the heart of redemption change how you pray, worship, or relate to others?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 32:1 | By David. A contemplative psalm. Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered. |
| Psalms 32:2 | Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit. |
| Psalms 130:4 | But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared. |
| Matthew 20:28 | even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” |
| Luke 5:20 | Seeing their faith, he said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” |
| Luke 7:47 | Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” |
| Luke 7:50 | He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” |
| Acts 2:38 | Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes insists that this verse does prove we receive forgiveness through Christ's blood, but that forgiveness is not the full extent of what his blood obtains. Redemption includes more than the pardon of sins, though the verse specifically guarantees that pardon.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that redemption means remission of sins, which frees believers from eternal condemnation. He insists this redemption comes only through Christ's blood and violently rejects any notion of human satisfactions, calling such teaching blasphemy against the sole price of reconciliation.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that the words "through His blood" are likely a later addition here, though the truth they express appears elsewhere. The commentary stresses that "redemption" inherently means rescue by ransom, and in this passage it is defined primarily as forgiveness of sins. This precise wording may counter heretical teachers who divorced redemption from moral forgiveness.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotator directly equates redemption with the forgiveness of sins, treating the two as the same reality. Christ's blood is not merely the price paid but the specific means by which sins are pardoned, making the cross the single source of both deliverance and pardon.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that redemption through Christ is a complete deliverance from sin, the law, Satan, and all spiritual enemies. He stresses that this redemption and the forgiveness of sins are only possible through Christ's blood, which satisfies divine justice, making forgiveness an act of both justice and grace.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the oldest manuscripts omit "through his blood" here, likely added later from Ephesians 1:7. He also points out the Greek text reads "our redemption" and "our sins" — the latter a general term, compared to Ephesians' "transgressions" as a more specific one.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that Christ's glory as the eternal Creator and the Head of the Church gives Him supreme honor in both creation and redemption. No created being, not even angels or powers, can claim the dignity that belongs to Him alone as the one in whom all fullness dwells.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent stresses that the apostle defines redemption specifically as forgiveness of sins, using a precise Greek term that would later be twisted by Gnostic teachers. These heretics used "redemption" to mean initiation into secret mysteries, not deliverance from sin, making the biblical definition a deliberate correction.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley draws a clear line between the two halves of redemption: forgiveness is its beginning, resurrection its completion. Christ's willing suffering appeased the Father's wrath, secured pardon for us, and broke Satan's hold that sin had given him.