“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by/in His life.” (Romans 5:10 NAU)
“For if, being enemies, we were conciliated to God through the death of His Son, much rather, being conciliated, we shall be saved IN His life.” (Concordant NT)
“For since (if) continuously existing being actively hostile ones (enemies) we were changed from enmity to friendship (reconciled; conciliated; changed to be consistent and compatible; down-exchanged) by God (to God; in God) through His Son’s death, much more, being ones that were conciliated (changed down from enmity to friendship), WITHIN His Life we will be rescued (delivered; saved; made whole; cured and restored to health). (Jonathan Mitchell’s New Testament)
If we say that the reconciliation of man to God is for a few, then we place ourselves with the ancient Jews who believed that they alone should be the receiver of God’s mercy, having overlooked the promise that God would raise up a people for His name from among the goyim (Gentiles) as they felt that they alone should receive the blessings of Abraham. This is the kind of blind thinking that much of the church world dwells in.
Most of us freely admit that Jesus died for all, and how we much we may believe John 3:16. Yet, we have failed to comprehend Verse Seventeen. “For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the WORLD might be SAVED through Him.” This agrees with the principle that God is love, and love never fails.
It seems that in all honestly many really believe that our Father sent the Son to save a very limited few. Annihilation, or non-stop suffering is what the rest of humanity faces. Both of these theories suggest that our Father knowingly created mankind to be tossed out like so much garbage, after a few, who happen to have heard the good news, and who also happened to have exercised their “free will,” just made the right choice, and somehow hung on until the end, resulting in eternal bliss. It has been suggested by some that these blessed ones may have the opportunity of looking out of a window in heaven to watch the rest of us suffer as we fry non-stop, if we haven’t been totally wiped out.
While I don’t wish to continue in this line of unflattering thinking about God, I do believe that one should be a aware of a big word that does describe the thinking of the religious masses - SUPRALAPSARIANISM. The following is part of the description given to this word by the Institutes of the Christian Religion.
“In order to glorify himself by manifesting both his mercy and his justice, God decreed that some rational creatures would be saved and some would be condemned; - - these creatures, however, did not yet exist as anything other than possibilities in God’s mind. God decreed the creation of these rational creatures, - - God ordained the justification of some to be saved, and the reprobation, or damnation, of others to be condemned.”
It must be stated that even the strong “free will” advocates, to a large degree, must agree with this idea, or why else would they be so willing to limit the grace of God to but a few? Something to think about for sure!
From 2 Corinthians 5:14 we learn that “one died for ALL, therefore ALL died.” That ALL includes Emperor Nero, Hitler, Stalin, and the whole line of despots before and after them, as well as the mass murderers, rapists, child molesters and more. In fact, ALL were included IN Christ Jesus when He died, therefore, ALL have died so that ALL may live IN Christ. Just because it is not evident to us now, doesn’t cancel out what is an accomplished fact in Christ even if we don’t believe some of them deserve the grace of God.
The Concordant NT puts 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 this way. “Yet ALL is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ, and is giving us the dispensation of the conciliation, how that God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing in us the word of the conciliation.”
Two things are evident here. 1. It was God, who conciliated, who reached out, and brought back mankind into His relationship with Him. Man was out of relationship with God, not God with man. 2. The word “conciliate” means to draw, or bring together, to change the situation.” This word properly used, describes a one sided initiative that reaches out to the other side. God is not alienated from man, but man from God, and He has taken the initiative to end this alienation by including us ALL IN CHRIST. Our inheritance via the First Adam, had been destroyed by the LAST ADAM.
Within Colossians 1:15-22 the Greek word PAS #3956 which means ALL or every, is used EIGHT times. EIGHT is the number of resurrection and regeneration. It speaks of a NEW BEGINNING. If I am correct, the Greek letters in the name Jesus, total 888. Without a doubt in Him is life!
There are some today who claim that the interpretation of the Greek word PAS, and it’s different forms (all #3956. pasees, panta, pantoon, pan) normally translated as ALL, or EVERYTHING doesn’t really mean ALL. So which ALL doesn’t mean ALL? Because either we believe thus portion of scripture or we may as well say that Paul was having a bad day and got it wrong, and therefore we MUST reject it all.
Verse 15. Is he or is he not the firstborn of ALL creation? (pasees)
Verse 16. Did he or did he not, create ALL?” (panta)
Verse 16. Were ALL {things} not just created through him, but also for him? (panta)
Verse 17. Is or was he not before ALL {things}? (pantoon)
Verse 17. Does not Christ “hold ALL {things} together, or consist? (panta)
Verse 18. Will he or will he not have first place in EVERYTHING? (pasin)
Verse 19. Was it, or was it not, the Fathers choice, and good pleasure, to have ALL fullness dwell in him? (pan)
Verse 20. Did he or did he not RECONCILE ALL {things} to himself, even if it isn’t apparent to us now? (panta)
Verse 22. Did he or did he not
Now here are a few verses to consider:
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord's And He rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:27-19 NASU)
“Look to me and be saved, you peoples from all the corners of the earth; for I am God, there is no other. By my life I have sworn, I have given a promise of victory, a promise that will not be broken, that to me every knee will bend and by me every tongue shall swear. (NEB Isaiah 45:22-23) See also Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10-11.
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." (Revelation 5:13 NASU)
RECONCILIATION can hardly be limited to a few, or all of the truths expressed in the above passages cannot be true. Without a doubt, regardless of our questions, our Father will bring forth all things to his glory. Amen!