Colossians 1:20-22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
20 and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the blood of his cross[a]
[through him], whether those on earth or those in heaven.(A)
21 [b]And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds(B) 22 he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him,
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- 1:20 The blood of his cross: the most specific reference in the hymn to redemption through Christ’s death, a central theme in Paul; cf. Col 2:14–15; 1 Cor 1:17, 18, 23. [Through him]: the phrase, lacking in some manuscripts, seems superfluous but parallels the reference to reconciliation through Christ earlier in the verse.
- 1:21–23 Paul, in applying this hymn to the Colossians, reminds them that they have experienced the reconciling effect of Christ’s death. He sees the effects of the cross in the redemption of human beings, not of cosmic powers such as those referred to in Col 1:16, 20 (all things). Paul also urges adherence to Christ in faith and begins to point to his own role as minister (Col 1:23), sufferer (Col 1:24), and proclaimer (Col 1:27–28) of this gospel.
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