yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him,
Parallel translations
- KJV In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
- BSB But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—
- NKJV in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—
- NASB yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
- NLT Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
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
Now Christ has reconciled them through His physical death, to present them holy and blameless before God. The goal of reconciliation is a people made spotless.
Overview
Reconciliation came 'in the body of his flesh through death,' stressing the reality of Christ's bodily incarnation and crucifixion. Its purpose is 'to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him,' sacrificial language describing the believer's perfect standing. What we could not achieve, Christ accomplished for us at the cross.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Eph 5:27that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect.
- Eph 1:4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;
- Jude 1:24Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy,
- Heb 10:10by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
- Titus 2:14who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.
- Rom 7:4Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might produce fruit to God.
- Heb 10:20by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
- Eph 2:15–16having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;
- Heb 13:21make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
- 2 Cor 11:2For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I married you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
- 2 Pet 3:14Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, be diligent to be found in peace, without defect and blameless in his sight.
- 1 Th 4:7For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
- Luke 1:75In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.
- Ps 51:7Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
- Job 15:15Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
- Job 25:5Behold, even the moon has no brightness, and the stars are not pure in his sight;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 1:22 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.