This Week's Focus Passage

This Week’s Focus Passage: Colossians 1:13 ‘The Father…translated us into the kingdom of the Son of

This Week’s Focus Passage: Colossians 1:13

‘The Father…translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.’

    We are prone to attribute, entirely, our redemption to the vicarious life, on earth, and the vicarious death, on the cross, of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After all, He is the One, who spoke those pre-incarnate words found in the fortieth psalm, Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do thy will, O my God; Yea, thy law is within my heart. And he most surely did come, as He promised. We read of that ‘coming,’ at the incarnation written of in each of the gospel accounts of both Matthew and Luke. It is not to be found in either Mark’s, or John’s accounts, interestingly enough. 

    And we read Paul’s account, if we may put it that way, in his letter written to the churches of Galatia; Paul’s is not a nativity account, at least not in the same manner as Matthew and Luke, and yet he has the very essence of this truth, in his fourth chapter, and in verses 3-5, where he relates these blessed events, saying:

So we also, when we were children, we held in bondage under the rudiments of the world: but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman [the incarnation], born under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 

But just what are we to make of this expression, or phrase, here in Colossians 1:13? Here, the apostle, after expressing his happy thanksgivings unto God the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, these things so conspicuously making reference to the applied merit of our Lord Jesus Christ in the redemption of those lost sinners that Christ had come so purposely to redeem, jumps, we might say, immediately, into this language of deliverance, as he continues to say, who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Is this not a remarkable phrase; remarkably blessed terminology?

All these activities regarding the results of the applied merits of Christ to His people by God the Holy Spirit summed up, we may say, in this marvelous statement, saying, He delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. The kingdom of the Son of His love? What does that even mean? Translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love: the love of the Father of mercies?

    Among the many English translations of this phrase, translating it to speak of the ‘kingdom of the Son of His love,’ belongs to an incredibly small minority. Options abound. Many would render the phrase, the kingdom of His dear Son. And, no doubt, Jesus Christ is the dear Son of God, but does this change of phrase truly communicate the intention of God, the Holy Spirit? Are those being saved also being translated into the ‘kingdom of His dear Son’? This is the rendering found in the King James Version, while the New King James Version, has rendered it, rather, as does, also, the ASV-1901, as, translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.   

And, attempting perhaps, something of a middle ground, there are those that have made use of the expression, beloved Son; that is, the kingdom of His beloved Son. On the basis of the frequency of this form, in agreement with the occasions found in the accounts of Jesus’ baptism, as well as, the accounts of the Transfiguration. These instances, all report the voice from the clouds, uttering the pronouncement from God, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.—Matthew 17:5. Likewise, at Jesus’ baptism, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.—Matthew 3:17. Is there not a great difference between my beloved Son, and, the Son of my Love? Or ‘my dear Son,’ or, ‘the Son he loves, or even, ‘the Son he loves so much’? These each seem to focus on the degree of love the Father has for the Son. And the glorious magnitude of such Divine love could not ever be over represented.

    We are, each of us, certainly greatly familiar with the message of John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. This amazing love toward the whole world, embracing every elect sinner for whom Christ shed His precious blood; this amazing love caused the Father to give His only begotten Son, in order that whoever believed on Him, would not perish, but would receive eternal life. The Father gave His Son, because of His love for His people; is this not all-encompassing love; is this not all-embracing love? The Only Begotten given by the Father because of the love of the Father for His people; does that not make Him the Son of His love? The Son whom the Father chose to redeem His people, became the glorious Savior of lost sinners, because of the Father’s love; was thus constituted the Son of His love.

    IS THIS NOT AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING LOVE? John 3:16. Does ‘the Son of His love,’ involve that love that brought the Father to give His Son? Has not our Lord spoken, in John 17:23, amazingly, of this truly unspeakable love. Did He not utter those marvelous words in that upper room;

And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected unto one; that the world may know that thou didst send me, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me.—John 17:22-23.

Is not the One whom God has commissioned and sent to accomplish all these things, not to be understood to be with reference to the Father, the Son of His love? Is this not underwritten, as it were, in the famous utterance of Jehovah to Jeremiah, His prophet, in Jeremiah 31:3, where we may read to our grand enjoyment, of the love of God, as spoken to His prophet, and thus, to us as well. Jehovah appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. This may be better understood if add to John 17:22-23, the 24th verse which binds together, as it were, the love of God for His own, both His only begotten, Jesus Christ, and His chosen from the foundation of the world: hear the continued words of our Savior, when He said:

Father, I desire that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

And couple this with Ephesians 1:4, where Paul couples Jesus with those given Him:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hast blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ: even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love.

Ought we not then to be giving thanks, as Paul exhorts us, “unto the Father, who delivered us out of the power of darkness, AND TRANSLATED US INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE SON OF HIS LOVE.

David Farmer, elder

Fellowship Bible Church

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