much to the Father's choice before the foundation of the world, as to the

implementing of that choice in the fulness of time by the Atoning work of the

`In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and

unblameable and unreproveable in His sight' (Col. 1:22).

We find this aspect of the presentation deferred to Ephesians 5:27:

`That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not

having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy

and without blemish'.

In Colossians 1:13 we read:

`Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated

us into the kingdom of His dear Son'.

This echoes the reference in Ephesians 2:2 to `the prince of the power

of the air' and, in both passages, `power' should be translated `authority'.

This passage in Colossians 1:13 should be read with Ephesians 6:12 where the

believer wrestles with `the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual

wickednesses'.  Colossians 2:15 further speaks of spoiling principalities and

powers, making a show of them openly, and triumphing over them in it, which

should be compared with Ephesians 4:8:

`When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts

unto men'.

Here the word `lead captive' means `to lead at the

point of a spear' and not, as some explain, leading Old Testament saints to

The middle wall of partition of Ephesians 2:14,15 with its `law of

commandments contained in ordinances' should be compared with `blotting out

the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,

and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross',

`Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of

an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days' (Col. 2:14-16).

`The enmity' which was `abolished' and `slain', `even the law of

commandments contained in ordinances' is expanded in the epistle to the

Colossians.  Ephesians 2:15 leads on from the breaking down of the middle

wall to the making (or literally, the creating) `of the twain' one new man,

so making peace.  Colossians defers the reference to the new man until

chapter 3 verse 10, where it is related not to the change of dispensation as

in Ephesians 2:15 but to its practical outworking, even as the reference in

Ephesians 2:15 is balanced by its practical outworking in Ephesians 4:22 -24.

Colossians 3:9 however is in its essence the same as Ephesians 2:15, the

abolition of the middle wall being expressed in Colossians 3:11 as being a

`Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,

Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all',

which is but another aspect of the Unity of the Spirit as set forth in

Ephesians 4:3 -6, based as it is on the unity accomplished in Ephesians 2:14