The divine record states that God the Father "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13). There are three key concepts from this verse that we want to consider in this article: deliverance, translation, and kingdom citizenship.

Deliverance – Who is the Deliverer? God Himself is. The same God that delivered the Israelites from the bondage of slavery in Egypt (Exodus 18:8) is the One that delivered these saints to whom Paul was writing (Colossians 1:2). From what did God deliver them? The text says "from the power of darkness." "Darkness" is used here as a symbol of sin or wickedness, so the idea is that God delivered them from the bondage of sin. 1 Peter 2:9 declares that God called sinners "out of darkness into his marvelous light." By what means did He call them? "Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 2:14). God calls men out of sin through the gospel.

Was this deliverance accomplished without the sacrifice of Jesus? God forbid. Yea, only through the sacrifice of Jesus is such deliverance possible. Jesus "gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4). 1 Thessalonians 1:10 also states that Jesus "delivered ["delivers," NKJV] us from the wrath to come."

Was the deliverance of the saints in Colosse accomplished without any action on their part, or was their deliverance from sin conditional on something that they had to do? Were they totally passive in this process? Because God is no respecter of persons, then it is the case that what He requires of one group or individual in order to be delivered from sin is the same thing that He requires of others. Observe what Paul wrote to the saints in Rome: "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Romans 6:17,18). The message is plain: those brethren in Rome had been made free ("delivered") when they obeyed the doctrine that they were taught, i.e., when they obeyed Jesus’ gospel or truth (Romans 2:8). Since the Roman disciples were required to take action – obey the gospel – in order to be delivered from sin, then it follows that the saints in Colosse had to do the same. Colossians 2:12,13 points to the fact that they received the forgiveness of sins after they were buried with the Christ in baptism.

If we have been delivered from darkness by the blood of the Lamb, should we not be grateful to our Redeemer? And, should not our gratefulness motivate us to want to zealously and faithfully serve Him all the days of our sojourning on this earth? Surely so.

Look again. Into what denomination or man-made religious group did the Almighty translate those that were delivered from sin? Not a one! No denomination or man-made religious group on the face of the earth has the right to exist before the Lord God. Jesus is the Savior of the body, His church (Ephesians 5:23; 1:22,23). So, of course, God translated delivered-from-darkness-people into that body or kingdom. One is born again into the kingdom of God, not into an organization that men established (John 3:5). The Lord knew exactly where He needed to translate the saints in Colosse: "into the kingdom of his dear Son." Anyone that tries to convince you that Jehovah somehow adds or translates people into something other than His church or kingdom, is promoting something that the Bible does not teach!

Kingdom citizenship – Great multitudes of people believe that Jesus is not yet King, and that He will become King only when He comes again. This teaching, often associated with the theory of Premillenialism, is not founded in the Scriptures. Colossians 1:13 proves that it is false. Since God translated the saints into Christ’s kingdom, then it follows that the kingdom already existed! When? It already existed in A.D. 62,63 for that is when Paul wrote the book of Colossians.

The apostle John later wrote that he was "in the kingdom" (Revelation 1:9). How could he be in something that did not exist at the time? (Try sleeping in a car that does not exist!). Of course the kingdom already existed in John’s day, else he could not be in it. Thus, it is a false doctrine that says Jesus will not become King until He comes again. The fact that His kingdom now exists carries with it the idea that He is now King.

It is God’s will that the kingdom or church be "subject unto Christ" (Ephesians 5:24). As members of the body of Christ we are "fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). As individual citizens in the kingdom of the Christ we have the responsibility to obey our King. "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). At the same time we are to be servants of our fellow citizens: ". . . by love serve one another" (Galatians 5:13).

In addition to our responsibilities in the kingdom, we also have wonderful blessings that our citizenship brings. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). How wonderful is that thought, that in the Christ we have "a-l-l" spiritual blessings?! We have the assurance and promise of the Master that if we will trust in Him and put Him first in our lives, then He will take care of both our material and spiritual needs (Matthew 6:33). Talk about "fringe benefits!"

Deliverance, translation, and kingdom citizenship. These are three of the inspiring thoughts of Colossians 1:13. May our Lord bless us as we strive to faithfully serve Him with thankful and love-filled hearts.

-- Roger D. Campbell