Colossians 1:12 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Giving thanks unto the Father Of all mercy and grace, who, by justifying and sanctifying us through faith in his Son, and the influence of his Spirit, hath not only entitled us to, but wrought in us, a meetness, that is, an increasing meetness, for the inheritance of the saints in light For, being in Christ, we are, in a measure at least, new creatures, old things being passed away, and all things, in a great degree, become new, 2 Corinthians 5:17; where see the note. Who In order to this meetness for the heavenly inheritance; hath delivered us from the power of darkness That is, the power of the prince of darkness, and all his infernal legions, called, (Ephesians 6:12,) the rulers of the darkness of this world; and we are delivered from their power when, being rescued from that state of ignorance and error, of impenitence and unbelief, in which we naturally lie involved, we are brought to know the truth, and the truth makes us free from the guilt and power of sin, John 8:32; Romans 8:2. Some commentators have supposed, that by the power of darkness here, the apostle principally, if not only, intended that power which Satan had over the heathen world, to keep them in their various idolatries and other vicious practices, and that the apostle speaks of himself as if he had been one of the Gentile converts. But we have great reason to believe that when divine grace opened the eyes of his understanding, and made him sensible what he had been in his Pharisaical state, he saw himself to have been under the power of darkness, as Christ represents those of the Jews to have been, who, influenced by the spirit of darkness, were combined against him, Luke 22:53; as indeed all, even the professors of Christianity are, while under the power of known sin, John 8:34; John 8:44; 1 John 3:8. None can doubt, however, that, as Dr. Doddridge observes, “the ignorance and sin, confusion and misery, which reigned in the Gentile world, were also in the apostle's thoughts when he used this expression.” And hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son The kingdom of grace, preparatory to that of glory. Of the Father's dear or beloved Son, the apostle proceeds to speak in the 15th and following verses. In whom we have redemption through his blood See on Ephesians 1:7, where the contents of this verse are fully explained. The subject is treated of also from the middle of the 18th verse of this chapter. The reader will observe, that the work of redemption and salvation is here spoken of in an inverted order. The natural order is this: 1st, We have redemption through the blood of Christ; 2d, In consequence of this, and by repentance and faith therein, we have the forgiveness of sins; 3d, Being forgiven, and taken into favour with God, we are delivered, by the influence of his word and Spirit, from the power of Satan and of sin, and made the loyal subjects of Christ's kingdom. 4th, Being thus justified and adopted into God's family, we are also renewed in the spirit of our minds, and, in a measure at least, sanctified, and made meet for the heavenly inheritance, as is observed in Colossians 1:12.