And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
Parallel translations
- WEB You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds,
- BSB Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds.
- NKJV And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
- NASB And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds,
- NLT This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Colossians were once alienated from God and hostile in mind because of their evil deeds. This describes everyone's natural condition apart from Christ.
Overview
Paul reminds them of their former state: 'alienated and enemies in your mind' shown 'in your evil deeds.' Sin is not only outward acts but inward hostility toward God. Remembering this past makes the reconciliation of the next verse all the more astonishing.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Eph 2:12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
- Eph 2:1–3And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
- Titus 3:3–7For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
- Rom 5:9–10Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
- Eph 4:18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
- Eph 2:19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
- Rom 8:7–8Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
- 1 Cor 6:9–11Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
- Titus 1:15–16Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
- Rom 1:30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
- Jas 4:4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The image of the invisible God, firstborn over creation, in whom all things hold together and all the fullness of God dwells bodily — supreme over every power.
How Colossians 1:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.