255. Reconcile all things
Colossians 1:20-21And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.. And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.
God promises to reconcile all things to Himself. We are reconciled to God through the blood of the cross, the death of the Son of God. We were once enemies of God; we were estranged from God our Creator; we were separated from God from the moment of conception since we were conceived in sin. We by ourselves could not reconcile ourselves unto God because sinners are dead to God and don’t want anything to do with Him. Therefore, God Himself had to take the initiative and effect a reconciliation of enemiesby sending the Son to die for us while we were yet sinners. Through the blood of the cross we are reconciled, and now we, the former enemies, have become friends with God, and not just friends but close intimates. Through the cross God made peace with us.
But not only we the human enemies of God, but also “all things” are reconciled to God. In this context “all things” means all things, for he goes on to say “things in earth and things in heaven,” that is, the entire creation of the universe, visible and invisible things, all things everywhere possible. All created things are reconciled: animals, plants, rocks, earth, sun, moon, stars, angels, demons, and all the visible and invisible parts of creation we don’t even know about. All Creation waits with eager longing for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
God will reconcile accounts; justice will be rendered; an accounting will be made. God will reconcile all things. Reconciliation, or accounting, will be made through Judgment: sin and evil was judged definitively at the cross and believers are reconciled to God; all humans who do not believe that Gospel and do not accept that reconciliation will be judged with eternal death; all evil spirits in rebellion are judged finally in the eternal lake of fire; all inanimate objects wait for the redemption of believers when all will be recreated. All accountable creatures, visible and invisible, will either accept God’s planned reconciliation in Christ, or they will not. It would probably be a good idea to believe the Gospel now.