“And, 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.”
My Notes
What Does Colossians 1:20 Mean?
Colossians 1:20 describes the scope of Christ's reconciliation in terms so vast they strain comprehension. "Having made peace through the blood of his cross" — eirēnopoiēsas dia tou haimatos tou staurou autou. Peace was made — eirēnopoieō, a word Paul may have coined — and the instrument was blood. Not negotiation. Not compromise. Not mutual concession. Blood. The peace between God and creation was purchased at the cost of a life.
"By him to reconcile all things unto himself" — di' autou apokatallaxai ta panta eis auton. The scope is ta panta — all things, everything, the totality. Not just humans. Not just souls. All things. The reconciliation extends to the full range of creation. "Whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" — eite ta epi tēs gēs eite ta en tois ouranois. Both realms — terrestrial and celestial — are included in the reconciliation. Whatever fracture sin introduced into the fabric of reality, Christ's blood addresses it comprehensively.
This verse places the cross at the center of cosmic history — not just human salvation history. The blood of Christ doesn't merely reconcile individuals to God. It reconciles the universe to God. The fracture between Creator and creation, the disharmony that runs through every level of existence — physical, spiritual, relational, ecological — all of it is addressed by a single act of peace-making on a Roman instrument of torture.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Has your understanding of the cross been limited to personal salvation? How does 'all things' expand that?
- 2.What does it mean that peace was made through blood — not through negotiation or mutual concession?
- 3.What 'things on earth' in your experience need the reconciliation this verse describes?
- 4.How does knowing the cross reconciles the cosmos — not just individuals — change how you see the world's brokenness?
Devotional
The blood of the cross made peace. Not between two human parties. Between God and everything.
All things. Paul doesn't qualify it or limit it. Things on earth. Things in heaven. The entire scope of what exists — every broken relationship, every corrupted system, every fractured molecule of a groaning creation — reconciled. Through blood. Through a cross. Through Him.
We tend to shrink the cross to the size of our own salvation. My sins forgiven. My relationship with God restored. And that's real — it's the most important thing that ever happened to you. But Paul says the cross did something even bigger than saving your soul. It reconciled the cosmos. The same blood that covers your sin is healing the universe. The peace Christ made isn't just between you and God. It's between God and everything.
That means the cross speaks to things you've never thought to connect it to. The broken relationships that seem beyond repair — the cross made peace. The systemic injustice that seems permanent — the cross reconciled. The creation itself, groaning under the weight of a curse it didn't choose — the cross addresses that too. Nothing is outside the scope of "all things."
If your vision of the gospel has gotten small — reduced to personal salvation and individual morality — this verse blows the walls out. The blood of Christ is doing something so large that it encompasses every dimension of reality. Your reconciliation is part of the reconciliation. You're standing inside a peace that extends to the edges of everything.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And by him to reconcile all things to himself,.... This depends upon the preceding verse, and is to be connected with…
And having made peace - Margin, “making.” The Greek will bear either. The meaning is, that by his atonement he produces…
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross - Peace between God and man; for man being in a sinful state, and…
Here is a summary of the doctrine of the gospel concerning the great work of our redemption by Christ. It comes in here…
having made peace Between Himself, the Holy Judge and King, and His subjects. He is thus now "the God of Peace" (Rom…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture