He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. —Colossians 1:13–14
Delivered from darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son—what a great truth! But this is exactly the redemption we have through Jesus’ blood. Positional statements such as these are great encouragements as we encounter the ebb and flow of daily existence. As good times and hard times roll onto the shores of our lives, the constant truth that we have been delivered and have redemption yet remains.
In today’s passage, Paul employs the common symbolism of light and darkness as references to good and evil and reminds us that the power of darkness is no longer our master. The King James Version of the Bible uses the word translated in place of conveyed and gives a little better perspective. While conveyed might lead us to picture the thought of being on a conveyor and moving from one place to another, translated gives the impression of instantaneous deliverance, which is the proper perspective for this passage. Darkness cannot rule us if we have been translated out of its kingdom and no longer dwell there. Think of it like this: Darkness can prevail only in the absence of light. When a light switch is turned on, the light immediately overpowers the darkness. The darkness cannot impose upon the light, and the room can grow dark again only in the absence of light.
This analogy helps us understand that the blood of Jesus gives us an instantaneous, permanent, and fixed position in His Kingdom and in His love. Here darkness cannot infringe, even when difficulty rolls like a wave onto the shores of our lives.
God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. And you and I are in Him! This is the only way possible for us to be lights to the world. Shine for Him today. You have been translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love!
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