The Young Adults group at White Fields Church is currently studying through Colossians, and this question came up about Colossians 1:20:
Colossians 1:20 says that Jesus reconciled “all things“ to Himself — including things in heaven. What does that mean? Why would things in heaven need reconciliation?
According to John McRay in his commentary on Colossians in the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, the majority of exegetes today consider Colossians 1:15–20 to be a pre-Pauline hymn that Paul reworked for his own special application. [1]
A Cosmic Savior for a Cosmic Problem
Colossians 1:16 stated that all things were created in, through and for Christ. However, the unity of and harmony of the cosmos was affected by “the fall” and the introduction of sin into the world.
Colossians 1:19–20 says:
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Paul’s point in this section is to show that Jesus is not only the Savior of human souls, He is the redeemer of all creation.
Genesis 3 describes how sin didn’t only affect individual hearts, it also disrupted the harmony of the entire created order: “Cursed is the ground because of you…thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you” – Genesis 3:17-28).
Romans 8:19–22 describes how creation itself has been “groaning” and longing for restoration. The world itself is broken, and the scope of Jesus’ redeeming work is as wide as the scope of the damage caused by sin.
It was God’s good pleasure to reconcile all things through Christ.
The Greek word used here, apokatallassō, refers to the act of restoring a relationship to harmony. The purpose of Christ’s work was to bring all things created by Him and for Him into harmonious relationship.
Peter O’Brian explains it like this: “Heaven and earth have been brought back to the order for which God made them. The universe is under its Lord, and cosmic peace has been restored. Reconciliation and making peace (which includes the idea of pacification, i.e. over-throwing evil) are used synonymously to describe the mighty work which Christ achieved in history through his death on the cross as a sacrifice (Rom. 3:25; 1 Cor. 11:25; Eph. 1:7).” [2]
Why “Things in Heaven”?
We might think of heaven as a place untouched by sin. So why does it say that Jesus reconciled “things in heaven”?
Sin in the Heavenly Realm
The Bible tells us that rebellion against God predated sin on earth; sin started in the heavenly realm, with Satan and other fallen angels (cf. Revelation 12:7–9). There was a fracture in the spiritual realm before humanity ever sinned, which is why we see the deceiving serpent in the garden, tempting the first man and woman to follow him in the way of sin.
Hebrews 9:23 talks about “heavenly things” being purified by Christ’s sacrifice. The cosmic order was disrupted by angelic rebellion, and Christ’s victory defeats and expels evil.
Christ’s Work Restores the Order of the Universe
Colossians 1 talks about spiritual powers (“thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities”). Later in the letter, Paul says that Jesus disarmed and triumphed over them (Colossians 2:15). Part of His reconciling work is bringing all spiritual powers back into proper relation to God — whether by willing obedience or final subjugation.
Peter O’Brien explains:
The peace which Christ has brought may be ‘freely accepted, or … compulsorily imposed’ (F. F. Bruce). The principalities and powers over whom God has triumphed (Colossians 2:15) did not gladly surrender to God’s grace. They were ‘pacified’. They continue to exist, opposed to men and women (cf. Rom. 8:38–39), but they cannot finally harm the person who is in Christ and their overthrow in the future is assured (1 Cor. 15:24–28; see on 2:15). [3]
A Hebrew expression for totality
The phrase “in heaven or on earth” may also be seen as a Hebrew way of saying “everything that exists,” like how in Genesis 1:1 it says that “the heavens and the earth.”
What This Verse Does Not Mean
This verse is not teaching “universalism” – the idea that everyone will eventually be saved. Throughout the Bible, and by Jesus Himself, it is clearly stated that some will reject God and face eternal judgment (e.g. Revelation 20; Matthew 25:46).
Again, O’Brien explains:
Further, it cannot be assumed from this verse that all sinful men and women have freely accepted the peace achieved through Christ’s death. Although all things will finally unite to bow in the name of Jesus and to acknowledge him as Lord (Phil. 2:10–11), it is not to be supposed that this will be done gladly by all, and to suggest that v 20 points to a universal reconciliation in which every person will finally enjoy the blessings of salvation is unwarranted. [4]
So “reconciliation” here means the restoration of Christ’s lordship over all, not salvation for all. As it says in Philippians 2:10-11, one day, at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In other words, every creature will acknowledge Jesus as Lord — either joyfully as Redeemer or reluctantly as Judge.
In Summary
What this means for us is that the gospel has bigger implications than many people often imagine: Jesus didn’t only come to save individual souls — He came to renew the universe.
Through Jesus’ saving work:
- People are reconciled to God
- Creation will one day be made new
- Evil forces are defeated and brought into submission to Jesus
- Cosmic peace will be achieved under Jesus’ reign
This means that the death and resurrection of Jesus was the turning point for the entire universe.
We now live in the “dawn” (2 Peter 1:19), in which the light of the new day has broken the darkness, and it is only a matter of time until the darkness is dispelled completely.
And if you belong to Jesus through faith in Him, you are already part of the new creation that He is bringing about!
Footnotes
- John McRay, “Colossians,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), 1053.
- Peter T. O’Brien, “Colossians,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 1267.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
Theology for the People 