Colossians 1:20

God’s ultimate purpose in all of this was to reconcile all things to Himself. The Cross made reconciliation possible. Now it is up to people to accept God’s provision and "be reconciled" to God by faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

"The implication is that the purpose, means, and manner of (final) reconciliation have already been expressed by God, not that the reconciliation is already complete." [Note: Ibid., p. 103.]

". . . Paul never looks at reconciliation as mutual concession after mutual hostility. Reconciliation is manward, not Godward, in its direction. It is God’s reconciling of man ’unto himself’ (Colossians 1:20). God never has had need to be reconciled to man; He has always loved man. It is easy to see the importance of holding right views here, since our attitude to Christ’s work and our very idea of God are affected." [Note: Johnson, 474:143. See also James S. Stewart, A Man in Christ, pp. 204-72; and Barclay, p. 147.]

"All things" would include the angelic world and the rest of creation besides humanity. Christ’s death has dealt with the defilement sin caused as well as with its guilt.

In what sense did Christ reconcile all things in heaven to Himself, including Satan and his angels? He did not do so in the ordinary sense of bringing them into salvation but in the wider sense of bringing them into subjection to His will. [Note: See Gary L. Shultz Jr., "The Reconciliation of All Things in Christ," Bibliotheca Sacra 167:668 (October-December 2010):442-59.] Christ’s death has pacified Satan and his angels. They now have to submit to Him (cf. Colossians 2:15) even as He created them. [Note: For a critique of the universalist position, based on this verse, that, because God’s great purpose is reconciliation, no one will ultimately be lost, see P. T. O’Brien, "Colossians 1:20 and the Reconciliation of all Things," Reformed Theological Review 33:2 (May-August 1974):45-53.]

This passage (Colossians 1:15-20) contains one of the greatest Christologies in the Bible. [Note: For a review and evaluation of recent views on this passage, see Larry L. Helyer, "Cosmic Christology and Colossians 1:15-20," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 37:2 (June 1994):235-46; idem, "Colossians 1:15-20: Pre-Pauline or Pauline?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 26:2 (June 1983):167-79; idem, "Arius Revisited: The Firstborn Over All Creation (Colossians 1:15)," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 31:1 (March 1988):59-67; idem, "Recent Research on Colossians 1:15-20 (1980-1990)," Grace Theological Journal 12:1 (1992):51-67; and Jeffrey S. Lamp, "Wisdom in Colossians 1:15-20: Contribution and Significance," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 41:1 (March 1998):45-53.] Scholars have often referred to Colossians 1:15-18 as "The Great Christology." [Note: E.g., Johnson, 473:12] They have also called Colossians 1:15-20 "The Christ Hymn." [Note: E.g., Bruce, 562:99.] The form of these verses is probably Hebrew rather than Greek poetry. [Note: Steven M. Baugh, "The Poetic Form of Colossians 1:15-20," Westminster Theological Journal 47:2 (Fall 1985):227-44.] One writer argued that Paul took the Christological statements in Colossians 1:9-23 and Colossians 2:6-15 from Jewish sources rather than from his own store of theological ideas or from early Christian hymns. [Note: J. C. O’Neill, "The Source of the Christology in Colossians," New Testament Studies 26:1 (October 1979):87-100.] Probably he did. Another scholar suggested that Christ’s supremacy in this passage should be understood as over the Torah, Adam, and Israel. [Note: T. E. Pollard, "Colossians 1:12-20: a Reconsideration," New Testament Studies 27:4 (July 1981):572-75.] This seems unnecessarily limited to me.

"The Christ-hymn of Colossians 1:15-20 is a powerful statement about the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Christ’s supremacy is seen at every turn. The first portion focuses on His preeminent role in creation, while the second emphasizes His work as Redeemer. To any Christian, in Colosse then or elsewhere today, who may have been or is confused about Christ’s role in the world, these six verses testify to Christ’s absolute authority, which is not to be shared with any person, angel, or demon." [Note: H. Wayne House, "The Doctrine of Christ in Colossians," Bibliotheca Sacra 149:594 (April-June 1992):187.]