Among the most sweeping and majestic passages in all of Scripture is Colossians 1:15–20. In these verses, the Apostle Paul presents Jesus Christ not merely as Savior of a select group of people, but as the Creator, Sustainer, and ultimate Reconciler of the entire universe. For Christian Universalists, this passage stands as one of the clearest declarations of God’s intention to ultimately restore all creation to Himself through the victorious work of Christ.
Paul begins by describing Jesus as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). Christ perfectly reveals the Father’s character. If we wish to know what God is like, we need look no further than Jesus. His compassion toward sinners, His forgiveness of enemies, His healing of the broken, and His sacrificial love on the cross reveal the very heart of God.
The apostle then emphasizes Christ’s role as Creator:
“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)
Notice the repetition of the phrase “all things.” Paul leaves no category excluded. Everything that exists owes its origin to Christ. Every person, every nation, every angelic being, and every power in heaven and earth was created through Him and for Him. Since all things originated in Christ and ultimately belong to Him, it would seem strange to imagine that the majority of His creation would remain forever alienated from Him or eternally lost.
Paul continues by declaring that Christ is before all things and that “in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Jesus is the “glue” who holds us all together. The same Savior who created the universe continually sustains it. The existence of all creation depends moment by moment upon Him. If Christ is presently holding all things together, it suggests a divine purpose that extends far beyond temporary history and culminates in the restoration of creation itself.
In verse 18, Paul shifts his attention to Christ’s role as Head of the Church:
“He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
Jesus is called “the firstborn from the dead.” The word “firstborn” implies others will follow. His resurrection is not an isolated event but the beginning of a universal harvest. Just as Christ was raised, so Scripture repeatedly teaches that all humanity will ultimately experience resurrection because of Him (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Paul then explains why Christ’s work is sufficient to accomplish such a grand purpose:
“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him” (Colossians 1:19).
All the fullness of God resides in Christ. There is no deficiency in His power, wisdom, mercy, or ability to save. The God who desires reconciliation possesses all the resources necessary to accomplish His purpose.
The climax arrives in verse 20:
“And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
This statement is breathtaking in scope. The phrase “all things” is the same phrase Paul has repeatedly used throughout the passage. The “all things” created through Christ in verse 16 are the “all things” reconciled through Christ in verse 20. Paul does not narrow the scope of reconciliation; rather, he mirrors the scope of creation itself.
The Greek word translated “reconcile” (apokatallassō) means to restore a relationship that has been broken or estranged. Paul is not speaking merely of pacification or subjugation. Reconciliation implies the restoration of harmony and peace. Through the blood of the cross, Christ is actively bringing creation back into proper relationship with God.
Christian Universalists argue that if Paul intended only a portion of humanity to be reconciled, he could have easily said so. Instead, he intentionally employs universal language. Christ created all things. Christ sustains all things. Christ inherits all things. Christ reconciles all things.
Some object that “all things” cannot really mean all things. Yet throughout the passage Paul goes out of his way to expand the phrase: things in heaven and things on earth, visible and invisible, rulers and authorities. Rather than limiting the meaning, Paul continually broadens it.
This does not mean that everyone experiences salvation in the same way or at the same time. Scripture contains many warnings of judgment, correction, and divine discipline. Christian Universalists generally understand these judgments as remedial rather than endlessly retributive. God’s judgments serve the purpose of healing, restoring, and bringing His creatures to repentance. Just as a loving physician may employ painful treatments to cure disease, God may employ corrective judgment to remove sin and reconcile sinners.
The cross stands at the center of this reconciliation. Paul says Christ made peace “through the blood of His cross.” The cross was not merely an attempt at salvation. It was God’s decisive act of reconciliation. If Christ’s mission was to seek and save the lost, and if His blood was shed to reconcile all things, then Christian Universalists believe His mission will ultimately succeed.
This interpretation harmonizes beautifully with other passages of Scripture. Paul elsewhere writes that “as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). He declares that God desires all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and that eventually every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus Christ as Lord (Philippians 2:10–11). The vision culminates in 1 Corinthians 15:28, where God becomes “all in all.”
Colossians 1:15–20 presents a cosmic Christ whose redemptive work is as expansive as His creative work. The One through whom all things came into existence is the same One through whom all things will ultimately be reconciled. The passage offers a vision not of eternal division, but of universal restoration; not of endless rebellion, but of eventual peace; not of a universe forever fractured, but of creation finally healed through the triumph of God’s love in Jesus Christ.
For Christian Universalists, Colossians 1:20 is not merely a statement about possibility. It is a declaration of God’s purpose. The cross was God’s means of making peace, and the risen Christ will continue His work until every enemy is overcome, every wound is healed, and all things are reconciled to God.
Brother Roger
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