There are many misunderstandings about universal reconciliation, both among opponents and proponents. Universal reconciliation is the view that God will ultimately reconcile all people — and, in a broader sense, all of creation — to Himself, through the work of Jesus Christ. The word literally means: reconciliation of all, or better: reconciliation of the whole.
Biblical term
The concept of universal reconciliation is derived from Colossians 1:20, where it says that God, through His Son, “reconciles all.” The term universal reconciliation is therefore taken directly from this verse and is not a term coined by theologians, but is in full “according to Scripture.”
In the Christian religious world, universal reconciliation is a curse and is labeled as false doctrine. While all sorts of concepts have been introduced and embraced there that were indeed invented by humans, such as the Trinity, hell, the immortal soul, eternal death, etc. That should give food for thought.
Apokatastasis
In theology, universal reconciliation is also called “universalism,” derived from the Latin ūniversus = the whole, all-encompassing. Just like the English word “universe.”
Another concept used in theology to denote universal reconciliation is apokatastasis. This is derived from Acts 3:21, but is incorrectly used as a synonym.
In Acts 3, we find the story of “the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate.” This man is a representation of the people of Israel who, as it were, lay right before the gate of the Kingdom, but could not enter because of unbelief. The Jewish people had crucified their Messiah, but now it was preached to them that He had risen. If they would believe, they would be “healed,” like this man, and enter.
Promises to Israel
When Peter then addresses his fellow Israelites, he says, among other things, that if they reconsider and repent, God will send Christ, whom heaven must receive, until the times of the restoration of all things, which God has spoken through the mouth of his holy prophets (Acts 3:19-21).
What is rendered here as restoration, or restitution, is the Greek apokatastasis. The restoration of all things here does not refer to universal reconciliation, but speaks of the promises made to Israel. It is followed by: “which God has spoken through the mouth of his holy prophets.” It concerns the promise that if Israel were to repent, the future aeon would dawn and the Messiah (=Christ) would establish His Kingdom worldwide through Israel, as promised by the prophets.
Universal reconciliation takes place after the aeons, when death, as the last enemy, will be destroyed and God will be “all in all” (1 Cor. 15:22-28). “Universal reconciliation” and “apokatastatis” are two terms that indicate different events at different points in time.
On earth and in heaven
What, then, is universal reconciliation? According to Colossians 1:20, it means that God will reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven. But if we want to know what universal reconciliation is, we must first know what reconciliation means. And in this, the Bible translations are of no help. For the concept of reconciliation appears only in Paul, but we find it much more often in (Dutch) translations, especially in the Old Testament, where it speaks of “reconciliation of sins.” But this is an incorrect translation, because sins are not reconciled, but “covered,” or “protected.”
Transformation
Reconciliation is the transformation of enmity and entails that enmity gives way to peace. Distance is lifted and fellowship is restored. In reconciliation, God is always the One who acts; He reconciles His creatures to Himself.
In Christian theology, it has been assumed that God had to be reconciled and that this occurred because Jesus Christ, as a substitute, bore God’s wrath and our punishment and died for us. But nowhere in the Bible do we read that God had to be reconciled! It is always about humanity, or the world, that is reconciled to God. God has never been humanity’s enemy.
In this series of blog posts, I want to show what Scripture says about reconciliation and universal reconciliation. I also want to address the misunderstandings that exist on this topic.