Colossians 1:20 (WEB)

Passage

and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:18 He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Colossians 1:19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him;

Colossians 1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:21 You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds,

Colossians 1:22 yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "through", "reconcile", "himself", "whether", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "through", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "For all the fullness was pleased to..." into verse 21's "You being in past times alienated and...", so "all things" and "through" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "all things" and "through" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.