Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Colossians 1:14

"in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins:" — Colossians 1:14 (ASV)

By virtue of union with Christ, redemption and forgiveness are ours. “Redemption” (GK 667), a term that speaks of a release brought about by the payment of a price, was used of the deliverance of slaves from bondage or of prisoners of war from captivity. “We have” teaches that the believer’s redemption is a present possession. “Forgiveness” (lit., “a sending away”; GK 912) speaks of the removal of our sins from us, so that they are no longer barriers that separate us from God. By putting redemption and forgiveness in apposition to each other, Paul teaches that the central feature of redemption is the forgiveness of sins.