1:14a
in whom: The words in whom refer to “His beloved Son” in 1:13b, that is, to Jesus. It is by means of the Son that God redeems people.
In the rest of this section, 1:14–23, Paul refers to Jesus by only a pronoun (“he,” “him,” “his”). However, in your language you may need to replace one or more of these pronouns with a name. If so, you should use “his/God’s Son,” which is the way Paul referred to Jesus in 1:13. Another way would be “Christ” or “Christ Jesus” (these are other ways Paul refers to Jesus in Colossians).
redemption: The noun redemption comes from the verb “to redeem” which means “to buy back something which once belonged to you.” It also means “to free someone from slavery by paying a price.” In the NT, the blood that Jesus shed when he died on the cross was the price that was paid to “redeem” people and free them from being slaves of Satan. See “redeem” in Key Biblical Terms for further information.
1:14b
the forgiveness of sins: In many languages, it is necessary to use a verb to translate forgiveness. God is the subject of the verb.
General Comment about 1:14
English versions do not agree about how 1:14a and 1:14b should be connected, that is, they do not agree about how Paul connected “redemption” and “forgiveness” in this verse. There are two possibilities:
(1) Some translations connect the two parts of the verse using the word “and.” In this case, Paul was saying that by means of his Son, God redeemed us and forgave our sins.
(Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible)
(2) Other versions consider that by “forgiveness,” Paul meant almost the same thing as “redemption” in 1:14a. So he was saying by means of his Son, God redeemed us, that is, he forgave our sins.
(Good News Translation, God’s Word)
Both of these options are possible. The Display follows the first option (1).
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