“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,”
Having given thanks for the inheritance for which the Father qualified believers, Paul now moves his thanks toward the believer’s rescue from the satanic realm.
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness”
The words “delivered” and “conveyed” relate to the themes of the Old Testament.
God delivered the believer from Satan’s kingdom, a kingdom of darkness (Eph 6:12), by placing our faith in the cross. God calls Satan’s kingdom utter darkness (Mt. 25:30). He called us out of darkness (1 Pet. 2:9). “Darkness” is more than the absence of light; it is the opposite of light. Darkness is not only without God; it is against God. He delivered us from rebellion against his Word and Himself.
The word “delivered” means that God delivered us at a point in the past — at our conversion. This deliverance is absolutely finished. There is no progress in this rescue; it is an event. This salvation is a spiritual rescue greater than God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
The word “power” is authoritative power, a state of control over us. God rescues us from the authority and control of Satan. We are no longer under his evil rule. Darkness has no more authority over us. God broke Satan’s reign over us. We do not have to obey him any longer. The world is becoming more vicious and cruel every day. “Power” here probably means jurisdiction. We are no longer under the jurisdiction of Satan. We are out from under the tyranny of Satan.
Principle:
God rescued the believer from the kingdom of Satan and placed us into “the kingdom of the Son of His love” permanently.
Application:
We need to be reminded that we cannot become dislodged from the kingdom of Christ. We can also forget that we belong to another domain than this world system. All the power of Satan cannot remove us from that kingdom. We irrevocably belong to God’s kingdom. He permanently transferred us from Satan’s kingdom to Christ’s kingdom. We are under a brand new authority. The only thing left for Satan is to try to fool us that we belong to his kingdom. It is easy to get our eyes off what God has done for us in Christ. We subjectively get our eyes on people or other things and not on the objectivity of truth.
Thanks. It’s true. God bless you
am really bless with this word. more grace to you sir.
This looks like a legal brief, but the problem is that it is still subjective, as a-posed, to objective proof through material evidence. I am a believer of God, but I don’t except this form of “proof.” SORRY
Andrew, if you want to truly see a “legal brief,” read the book of Romans.
This is inspiring and has just given me an insight of who am truly is in Christ.
Hello this is a cool verse
amen!
Sorry, that’s not what the text states. “For He (God the Father) rescued us from the domain of darkness (this world under Satan), and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son….” NASB According to Paul, we have already been transferred to heaven “in Christ Jesus”. But someone will ask, “how can I be in heaven when I’m still here on this fallen planet?” How do we solve this? Answer: According to Paul, Christ is the last Adam, or the 2nd Adam. (1 Corinthians 15:45) All of us came from the 1st Adam. According to Paul, Adam’s transgression brought “condemnation to all men” (Romans 5:18), not because all men transgressed like Adam, but because “all men” were “in Adam” when He sinned. Since all of us share Adam’s life after the entrance of sin, all of us stand condemned “in him”. According to Paul “flesh and blood” (our fallen humanity) cannot enter heaven. (see 1 Corinthians 15:50). Then what did Christ take with Him to heaven after the resurrection? Let’s go to 2 Cor 5:17 “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. The new has come.” Note, “in Christ” we have, through faith, “a new creation”. Our old creation, from Adam, has passed away. Our new creation is now a reality “in Christ”. When did your old life pass away? On the cross: “Our old life (from Adam) was put to death on the cross with Christ.” Romans 6:6 This legally answered the justice of God’s law. See also Romans 7:4 and 2 Cor. 5:14. In the resurrection, Christ became “the 2nd Adam”. Just as all men were blameless “in Adam” before he sinned, likewise “all men” were “in Christ” (the 2nd Adam) when He was resurrected Sunday morning. Thus “In Christ” we have a “new creation”. Christ, the 2nd Adam, took this glorified, sinless life to heaven: hence, “God…raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Eph 2:6 When Christ stands before God and His holy law, God sees not our fallen creation from Adam, but our glorified, sinless and immortal creation in “the 2nd Adam”. We receive this glorified life at the 2nd coming of Christ. Then we will actually be holy and blameless.
Robert, you are a case of someone who has taken one verse from the commentary of this chapter having not read the argument leading up to this passage. In fact, I agree that the believer is forensically or judicially declared as right as Christ is right before the Father. That is the argument of the first two chapters of Colossians and the first three chapters of Ephesians.