What Does “Reconcile Again” Mean in Colossians 1:20?

“Reconciling” in Paul is an entirely different word from, for example, in John in 1 John 2:2 (“a reconciliation for our sins and also for the whole world”). In this latter Scripture passage, the Greek word is “hilasmos,” and that has to do with the covering of sins.

In Paul, the verb is “katallasso,” and this is connected with the reconciling of enemies. In three cases Paul uses an intensified form of “katallasso”: “apokatallasso” (lit. from-reconcile). This points to a complete reconciliation, not merely vertical but also horizontal. Compare Ephesians 2:16, where Paul uses “apokatallasso” to indicate that there is not only reconciliation between man and God, but also among people mutually (“the two” = Jew and Gentile).

The term “Reconcile Again” is rather unfortunate because it could give the impression of “mutual.” But reconciliation is not mutual; God is not reconciled, because He was never an enemy. The “apokatallasso” points to an “entire reconciliation”: a horizontal reconciliation (of creatures among themselves) from the vertical reconciliation (= between creatures and God).

The “entire reconciliation of the all” speaks of making all-encompassing peace, or the removal of all enmity. Not God, but the world is hostile, and God changes enmity into peace “through the blood of the cross.” The cross proves that no enmity can stand up against God’s love. Every creature (“whether in heaven or on earth”) will come to that recognition.

see also:
Six Misconceptions About Universal Reconciliation

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