The reconciliation of the universe

Paul speaks of the reconciliation of the universe in his letter to the church in Colosse. The statement is part of a longer section:

“[Der Sohn Seiner Liebe Kol 1,13]…
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn before any creation.

For in Him the universe is created :
the one in the heavens and the one on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
be they thrones or dominions,
Principalities or authorities.

The universe is createdthrough Him and to Him,
and He is above all,
and the universe exists together in Him.

And He is the head of the corporation, the called-out church,
whose beginning He is as the firstborn from the dead,
so that He becomes the first in everything,
since the entire completion has its pleasure in it,
To dwell in Him
and
through Him to reconcile the universe with Himself

(by making peace through the blood of His cross),
through Him, whether that on earth or that in the heavens.”

Col 1:15-20

The Son of His Love

In this passage, Christ Jesus is called “the Son of His love.” He is the mediator between God and this creation. This is true both in terms of the creation and in terms of the continuation and destination of this world. God works through Him:

1. the universe is created in Him
2. The universe is created through Him
3. The universe is created for Him
4. the universe exists in Him
5. through Him [wird Gott] reconcile the universe with Himself.

The context is clear – Christ is central and everything is meant at every point in the statement. This is the place where it is clearly taught that there is a reconciliation of the universe. Any criticism of the wording must start at this point. However, every hope and every serious question about God’s purpose finds confirmation here that God does indeed come to the purpose through Christ.

Opponents of the Allaussöhnung will try, according to experience, to reinterpret the 5th point of this series. All attempts to do so have one primary goal: to leave this context as soon as possible, because in the context itself everything speaks for “everything”. When God reconciles the universe to Himself through Him, it is the same universe that was created. The context and wording leave no room for subsets such as “only the faithful.” What arguments are often used to reinterpret this statement to mean “only believers”?

Reinterpretation 1: This is only about an offer

Statement of the opponents of all-auspices: “The cross and its effect are only de jure and not de facto.“

According to this interpretation, it should be here only about an offer of God, not about an actual reconciliation. So God would have created only the possibility for it, a kind of semi-finished product, so to speak. The real salvation happens only when man responds.

People like to refer to 2 Cor. 5:18-21, which says that in Christ God reconciled the world to Himself. However, this remains unanswered by man for the time being. So man cannot stand in reconciliation because he has not affirmed reconciliation until now. This should be tantamount to assuming that there is then no chance of rescue. So the assumptions lead to further wild inferences.

Answer: Various things can be said about this interpretation: 1. the text should first be read in its own context and understood there. There, it’s not about an offer, or about man having to do something. The context is about God acting, and acting through His Son. That wants to be taken seriously. 2 The text in Corinthians does not stand against the background of an all-encompassing statement about the work of Christ. So apples and oranges are being compared, even though the wording seems to be the same. More about this under the second point.

Reinterpretation 2: Man must be reconciled

Statement of the opponents of all reconciliation: “God will reconcile only those who allow themselves to be reconciled. “

With a reference to Col 1:21-22, it is said that this mutual reconciliation speaks only of believers. For Paul writes: “You also, who were once strangers and enemies in mind and evil works, He has now reconciled in the body of His flesh through His death…”. So the apostle points directly to the atonement, but speaks only of those who are in the faith. Only those who can be reconciled will be able to be reconciled.

Answer: In fact, the key to deeper understanding lies in these following verses. The primary statement, however, remains the first: God will reconcile all things to Himself, making peace through the blood of the cross. Here, God’s action is central. The comparison with the believers in the following verses confirms this, for it is no different in God’s dealings with us: “You…He has also now…reconciled.” Paul makes it clear here that God was the agent in our lives as well. So it is not that we have done the work of faith that makes reconciliation possible, but that God has reconciled us. This is what we believe (cf. also 1 Cor. 1:30-31 Eph. 2:8-10).

Reinterpretation 3: One-sided reconciliation?

Statement of the opponents of all reconciliation: “It is about the same one-sided recon ciliation as in 2Cor 5,18-21″ . The one-sided reconciliation of God with the world requires a response. However, according to 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, this is not automatically given.

Answer: Once again, apples are being compared with oranges. While both passages speak of reconciliation, they do so with different contexts and even different words, according to the basic text. In Second Corinthians, Paul uses the Greek katalasso (etymologically: to change down). God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself and not counting the offenses against it.

From above, from God, the starting position has been completely changed. This is 100% given from God. But a mutual reconciliation is not given here, which is why Paul sees himself as a messenger for Christ and says: “Be reconciled to God! For He who knew not sin made Him to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:20-21). This is not the demand with which the gospel comes to the world, but it is what the gospel brings about in Paul and his own, and what is passed on here to the church in Corinth. It is not man who is central, but Christ and God’s action in Him that is central. This is good news.

In the letter to the Colossians, another aspect is in the foreground. It is the universal meaning of Jesus Christ, as the son of God’s love. Just as everything was created and is sustained in Him and through Him, and He becomes the first in everything, so also through Him the universe will be reconciled with Him. A stronger term is used here than earlier. The Greek apokatalasso (etymologically: from-herab-change) is the intensified form of the previously mentioned katalasso. It occurs only three times (Eph 2:16; Col 1:20; Col 1:22).

The world is reconciled, namely everything that was divided. Reconciliation in Col 1:20 is not one-sided, but mutual – as in the other two passages. Believers may be mutually reconciled with God. This is what is intended for space. Making peace through the blood of the cross, it is said, God will reconcile the universe to Himself.

Where there is peace now, there is no more enmity – it is reconciled. That it speaks of “making peace through the blood of the cross” refers to the process that takes place only then. Making peace, blood of the cross and reconciliation of all things go hand in hand.

The all atonement is God’s response to the need of the world, based on the cross of Christ. He is the great Allaussöhner and others do not exist.