Paragraph 1:21–23

Theme: Although the Colossians had previously been God’s enemies, he had now made them his own people.

1:21–23 is one sentence in Greek. You will probably need to divide it into several sentences in your translation. The main verb of this sentence is “he has reconciled you” (1:22). In the previous paragraph Paul said that God’s plan was to reconcile all things to himself (1:20). In this paragraph Paul applied this directly to the Colossians.

1:21a

Once: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates Once means “formerly, in the past.” Paul was writing about what the Colossian Christians were like before they believed in Christ.

you: The word you is emphasized in the Greek text. In English this can be expressed, “But as for you…,” or, “And you yourselves…” Paul used this emphasis to change the focus of the letter at this point. In 1:15–20 he had written about the greatness of Christ, here he began to write about the Colossian Christians’ relationship to God.

alienated from God: The Greek text does not contain the words from God (see Revised Standard Version and NET Bible). However, almost all commentators agree that the text here implies the words from God. Therefore the Berean Standard Bible and many other English versions include these words. Paul was saying that the Colossians were separated from God. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

far away from God (Good News Translation)

Paul did not mean that the Colossians were physically far away from God. He meant that they did not have a relationship with him because their sinful deeds separated them from him. Other ways to translate this might be:

you were like strangers to God
-or-
you had turned your backs on God

1:21b

hostile in your minds: This phrase continues to describe what the Colossians were like before they became Christians: they were hostile toward God. Possible ways to say this are:

you were hostile toward God
-or-
you were against God

in your minds: This explains the specific way the Colossians had been God’s enemies—they were hostile to God in the way they thought and felt. Here is another way to translate this:

Your thoughts made you his enemies (Contemporary English Version)

1:21c

engaging in evil deeds: It wasn’t just the way they thought that caused the Colossians to be God’s enemies—it was also the evil way they acted.

General Comment for 1:21b–c

Some English versions combine 1:21b–c and these two ideas. For example:

and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought (Good News Translation)

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