As we saw in 1 Corinthians 15:22, in Adam all die and in Christ all are made alive. Romans 5:18 expresses this same principle, encompassing all people, but approaches it from the perspective of condemnation and justification.
Romans 5 GES
18 So then, just as one transgression resulted in condemnation for all, so also one righteous act resulted in justification of life for all.
Adam and Christ
All people bear the consequences of Adam’s transgression; in the same way, all people ultimately receive justification and life through Christ. This does not mean that every person is already justified, but that God’s plan of salvation encompasses all people, each in their own order. Believers already share in the aeonian life, while unbelievers remain in death for the coming aeons. However, they are not permanently excluded from God’s grace and salvation.
The scope of Romans 5:18 and 1 Corinthians 15:22 concerns all people. Yet, God’s plan of reconciliation extends beyond humanity alone: all creation will be reconciled to God.
Philippians 2 KJV
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Every knee and every tongue
Every knee will bow to him. Three groups are mentioned for clarification: those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth. Living humanity is “on earth”, “under the earth” refers to those who have died. In addition, there is also mention of those who are “in heaven”, which refers to spiritual beings.
That such beings reside in heaven is evident from Job 2:1, where Satan is described. But also from Revelation 12:7, which speaks of a war in heaven, in which Michael, a messenger of God, appears. In that same passage, we read that Satan and his messengers are ultimately cast out of heaven, where they still remain today. (Revelation 12:7-9).
Confess wholeheartedly
Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Greek word exomologeō used refers to a confession that comes from within, a sincere and voluntary acknowledgment. Every creature will wholeheartedly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord: heavenly, earthly, and subterranean. Every creature will acknowledge Jesus as Lord!
That God’s plan of salvation encompasses all creatures is also made clear in:
Colossians 1 KJV
20 and that through Him He would reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross, even through Him, both things on earth and things in heaven.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation means the transformation of enmity. God will, through His Son, transform all enemies into lovers of Him and establish peace with all His creatures. What the King James Version renders as “all things” is literally the all—what we would indicate as the whole, or the universe. Therefore, it is explicitly added: both things on earth and things in heaven. The reconciliation concerns the all and is all-encompassing!