Colossians 3:15 – Peace as Arbiter

15 And let the peace of Christ be arbitrating in your hearts, for which you were called also in one body; and become thankful.

What is “the peace of Christ”? Paul has already explained that earlier in this letter. Through Christ, God reconciles “the all” to Himself, both what is on the earth and what is in the heavens, making peace through the blood of His cross (1:20). The cross is the means through which God makes this peace and reconciles “the all” to Himself.

According to Paul, precisely this peace must “be arbitrating” in our hearts. It is decisive and normative for our thinking. This closely connects with what he earlier called “the expectation of the evangel,” in which we would remain grounded and steadfast (1:23). The expectation that God, through Christ, reconciles “the all” to Himself is therefore not an optional side issue, but the message that gets the final word. Take it away, and the evangel is no longer an evangel.

What is often derisively called “the doctrine of Universal Reconciliation” turns out, in Paul, to be the peace into which we were called “in one body.” This expectation is not a disputed fringe issue within the ekklesia. On the contrary, the peace of the cross, which encompasses all creation, is the arbiter in our hearts. It decides!

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