Colossians 1:21 (WEB)

Passage

You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds,

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him;

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

Colossians 1:21 You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds,

Colossians 1:22 yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him,

Colossians 1:23 if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which is being proclaimed in all creation under heaven; of which I, Paul, was made a servant.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "past", "times", "alienated", "enemies", "mind", "evil", and "deeds". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "past" and "times", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "and through him to reconcile all things..." into verse 22's "yet now he has reconciled in the...", so "past" and "times" 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 "past" and "times" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.