Colossians 1: 20 – God reconciles!

…and through Him to reconcile all to Him (making peace through the blood of His cross), through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens.

We already saw that the meaning of ‘reconcile’ in this verse corresponds to the everyday meaning of our word ‘reconcile’. It describes the process by which enmity and alienation (cf. 1:21) gives way to peace. Enemies become friends and enthusiasts.

It is very important to get a clear picture of how Paul expresses himself here. That is at odds with the representation as we know it from orthodox theology. This states that God must first be satisfied in order to be reconciled with the world. However, nothing is further from the truth than this representation. God did not need to be appeased, as He was never hostile to His creatures! The creatures were the ones that were hostile and alienated, not God.

God does not reconcile himself to ‘all’, but He reconciles ‘all’ to himself. God is the One who reconciles and ‘all’ is the direct object therein. She undergoes this. ‘The all’ is reconciled. Enmity or alienation is not an obstacle to reconciliation but rather a prerequisite. Without illness there is no healing and without enmity there is no reconciliation.

Delen: