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Answer
A primary purpose of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians was to combat the work of false teachers who were invading the church and undermining the simple truth of the gospel. In his opening prayer, Paul states that God the Father “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” «who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: », (Colossians 1:13, ESV).
The verb rendered as “transferred” in the English Standard Version of Colossians 1:13 is alternatively rendered “translated” (KJV) or “brought us into” (NIV). In the original Greek, the term literally means “to move something from one place or sphere to another.” When God rescues Christians “from the kingdom of darkness” through the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross, He packs them up and moves them, spiritually speaking, into “the Kingdom of his dear Son” «who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: », (Colossians 1:13, NLT).
Paul likens salvation to acquiring a brand-new address in a shiny new domain. This imagery of deliverance evokes the Lord’s dramatic rescue of His people out of slavery in Egypt (Exodus 6:6; Exodus 12:27; Deuteronomy 13:5). God brought the Israelites out of the dark land of Egypt and transferred or “translated” them, eventually, into the Promised Land. Today, He moves believers into the kingdom where His Son reigns as King over every power of darkness (see Acts 26:17-18; Ephesians 6:12).
Acts 26:17-18; Ephesians 6:12).
Paul’s imagery also recalls the prophet Isaiah’s hope-filled vision of the Messiah: “There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past, he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future, he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:1-2; see also Isaiah 42:6-7; 58:10; Isaiah 60:1-3). At the moment of salvation, God plucks us out of Satan’s dark domain and transplants us into the brilliant light of Jesus Christ’s kingdom.
Believers are transferred into the kingdom of His beloved Son, which means our citizenship changes when Jesus becomes our Savior. Before being rescued, we walk in disobedience and sin, obeying our commander, the devil (see Ephesians 2:1-3). After salvation, our passport gets stamped “citizen of heaven,” and our King is now “the Lord Jesus Christ” see Philippians 3:20. We are “no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” «Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; », (Ephesians 2:19). The apostle Peter declares, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” «But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: », (1 Peter 2:9).
Much of Christ’s teaching focused on His kingdom (Matthew 4:17; Matthew 5:1-12; Luke 12:32; Matthew 13:10-52). Believers must be “transferred” into the kingdom of heaven because we can’t move there of our own volition. The Bible says we are powerless to save ourselves (Romans 5:6-8; Ephesians 1:7). The heavy lifting can only be accomplished by God, who “saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7; NLT; see also Ephesians 1:7; see also Ephesians 2:4-9, 13).
Believers are transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son “by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11; NLT; see also Romans 3:21-24). In Christ, God gives us the golden ticket that transfers us from death to life «Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. », (John 5:24); from alienation to acceptance «in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: », (Colossians 1:22); from separation to closeness (2 Corinthians 5:18-20); from hopelessness to hope «Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, », (1 Peter 1:3); from darkness to illumination «Again, a new commandment I write to you, which is true in him and in you: because the darkness is fading and the true light now shines. », (1 John 2:8); from bondage to liberty (Romans 6:16-23;8:2;John 8:32); from adversaries to companions «And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. », (Romans 5:11); and from foreigners to fellow citizens (Hebrews 11:13-16).
