Colossians 1:21 (DBY)

Passage

And you, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:19 for in him all the fulness [of the Godhead] was pleased to dwell,

Colossians 1:20 and by him to reconcile all things to itself, having made peace by the blood of his cross by him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.

Colossians 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled

Colossians 1:22 in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it,

Colossians 1:23 if indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which [is] under heaven, of which *I* Paul became minister.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "once", "alienated", "enemies", "mind", "wicked", "works", and "reconciled". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "once" and "alienated", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "and by him to reconcile all things..." into verse 22's "in the body of his flesh through...", so "once" and "alienated" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "once" and "alienated" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.