According to the teaching of the Bible, all people are sinners by nature. They hate the thought of a holy God to whom they are accountable and have thus become His enemies (Rom. 5:10). This does not mean, however, that God is our enemy. No, He loved us even though we did not love Him, and He sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:10). Just as enmity did not come from God but from men, so the result of Christ’s work is not God making peace with men, but “peace with God” for men, which is now preached to all through the gospel (Eph. 2:17). And how does man receive peace with God? Through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Only through this, can people who were once enemies of God be reconciled to Him (Col. 1:22). Everything came from God, who
“Has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and given to us the ministry of that reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18).
Through the coming of Christ, God revealed Himself in His gracious willingness to reconcile people to Himself, and on the cross Christ completely fulfilled all His holy and righteous requirements for sinful man. Hence there is now a “ministry of reconciliation” through which is proclaimed
“How that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their offences” (2 Cor. 5:19).
From this, however, one must not draw the conclusion that God will one day reconcile all people to himself. If this were so, the following words of the apostle would be superfluous:
“We entreat for Christ, Be reconciled to God” (v. 20).
The same is true of Colossians 1:19–20:
“For in him all the fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to itself”.
It doesn’t say ‘all men’, but “all things”. This refers to the introduction of a new creation, in which there will be new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13; Heb. 9:23). The fact that the noun, ‘things’, is not present in the original text does not change this, because the pronoun “all” is neuter and therefore cannot refer to persons. This is underlined by the fact that Paul adds, “And you … has [he] reconciled” (v. 21). While the reconciliation of all things is still to come, all those who stand on the firm foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus may know that they are already reconciled to God, because Christ has entered into death “in the body of his flesh” (Col. 1:22). This reconciliation effected by God is eternally secure and irrevocable.
Reconciliation
According to the teaching of the Bible, all people are sinners by nature. They hate the thought of a holy God to whom they are accountable and have thus become His enemies (Rom. 5:10). This does not mean, however, that God is our enemy. No, He loved us even though we did not love Him, and He sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:10). Just as enmity did not come from God but from men, so the result of Christ’s work is not God making peace with men, but “peace with God” for men, which is now preached to all through the gospel (Eph. 2:17). And how does man receive peace with God? Through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Only through this, can people who were once enemies of God be reconciled to Him (Col. 1:22). Everything came from God, who
“Has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and given to us the ministry of that reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18).
Through the coming of Christ, God revealed Himself in His gracious willingness to reconcile people to Himself, and on the cross Christ completely fulfilled all His holy and righteous requirements for sinful man. Hence there is now a “ministry of reconciliation” through which is proclaimed
“How that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their offences” (2 Cor. 5:19).
From this, however, one must not draw the conclusion that God will one day reconcile all people to himself. If this were so, the following words of the apostle would be superfluous:
“We entreat for Christ, Be reconciled to God” (v. 20).
The same is true of Colossians 1:19–20:
“For in him all the fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to itself”.
It doesn’t say ‘all men’, but “all things”. This refers to the introduction of a new creation, in which there will be new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13; Heb. 9:23). The fact that the noun, ‘things’, is not present in the original text does not change this, because the pronoun “all” is neuter and therefore cannot refer to persons. This is underlined by the fact that Paul adds, “And you … has [he] reconciled” (v. 21). While the reconciliation of all things is still to come, all those who stand on the firm foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus may know that they are already reconciled to God, because Christ has entered into death “in the body of his flesh” (Col. 1:22). This reconciliation effected by God is eternally secure and irrevocable.
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