What is the Cosmic Christ / Universal Christ?

This last term is sometimes used to designate what is simply world-wide: it is, however, creation-wide when we read, “All things were made by Him (John 1:3). It is universal in the all-embracing meaning of the term. In one whole is comprehended the most distant ranges, and the most immediate parts, along with the vast and varied interweavings and interdependencies of all the material, the intelligent, and the moral creation; the animate and the inanimate; the breadth and length and depth and height; the UNIVERSE—one—all comprehended in one whole. The hearts of those who know the surpassing love of Christ may well aspire to know the relation of our blessed Lord and Saviour to it all. And God would have us to apprehend this. The Holy Spirit is here to enable us to do so. Liberty, fullness of joy, life and peace, are thus maintained in the soul.

All fulness was pleased to dwell in Him, and to reconcile all things to Himself; and He had reconciled the saints, who before had been aliens, and enemies in their minds by wicked works, in the body of His flesh through death. Thus the regions of creation, providence, redemption, and glory, are ranged through by the Apostle, and Christ unfolded as filling all things. It is the glory of the Person of the Son!

The "fulness of times" is spoken of here, not eternity; in eternity we find God all in all. "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ." This is the thought and purpose of God that everything He has created He will bring under Christ's moral power as Man. He created all things, we read in Colossians. He is going to reconcile the state of things: but we are reconciled. The place of the Christian is - absolutely reconciled to God in a world that is not reconciled at all. Everything in heaven and earth will be reconciled. If you want to go as Christians through the world, you must go as absolutely reconciled to God among things not reconciled. You have nothing to do with "things under the earth" here: in Philippians they bow at the name of Jesus. The scene He created He will perfectly restore. His first title is Creator; His second is Son - He is the heir of all things.

Theologians in general quite overlook Eph. 1:10, God's purpose in Christ for an administration of the fullness of the times; which is to head or sum up all things in Him, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth — in Him in Whom we too were made to have lot or inheritance; for we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Here we learn in the dogmatic teaching of the great apostle, and not only in parable or prophecy, that God will put the entire universe heavenly and earthly under Christ; and that we shall share it with the Heir of all things in that day of glory. This is neither the present time of gathering the heirs, nor the eternal state, when it will be no longer a question of His government; but having put down all enemies He gives up the kingdom to Him Who is God and Father, that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28). Hence, as a groundwork for it, we hear in the companion Epistle to the Colossians that all the fullness was pleased in Him to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things to itself, having made peace by the blood of His cross — by Him the things on the earth and the things in the heavens (Col. 1:19-20). For it is to be on the basis, not of His creative rights only, or of His incarnation, but of the reconciling work in His death.

This is not at all left to be interpreted by our imagination. In the first chapter to the Colossians we have the answering truth: "And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things to Himself." What is meant by "all things"? People on earth, or those in heaven? Neither. Creation at large is here, "All things … whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens." To prove that such is the meaning, you have only to read on, "And you has He reconciled." Nothing can be more exact. The reconciling of "all things," not of "us" only, is bound up with the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. There we hear of God's great future purpose, when peace was made through the blood of His cross, "by Him to reconcile all things to Himself." Notably there next follows the application of Christ's reconciling work to those who now believe.

From the first chapter of Colossians I read two verses, in which it appears we are taught, first, that Christ has made peace by the blood of His cross, and secondly, that the results of that work on the cross have both a present and a future application. As to its present application, we know that the person who believes is already reconciled to God; but observe that in the 20th verse it is not persons that are spoken of, but things which are to be reconciled. And so in the first chapter of the Ephesians it does not say, "to gather together all believers in one," though, as regards the Church, that would be true; but what the apostle is glorying in here is that God, who has so blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, has made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself, that He might gather together in one all things (mark, THINGS) in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him. When? "In the dispensation of the fulness of times;" that is, I apprehend, when the times for many things will have fully come. Nothing can be more simple. Everything was made by Christ, and for Christ, both Colossians and Hebrews tell us; and when He takes to Himself His great power and reigns, it will be manifest that every department of the kingdom will be blessed through Christ, and be headed up in Christ.

All things were made by Christ and for Christ. All things are to be gathered together in one in Him, and to be reconciled - all to the eternal fulness of God - all that is in heaven and earth. The result is purposed before the foundation of the world, but in the world, in the creatures, responsibility has come in - we are guilty and all is defiled. But it was all ordained before the world to our glory. Christ has perfectly glorified God morally, and brought out what He is as nothing else could have done. Redemption and grace have a glory, and that through perfect separation from evil, and perfect obedience of Man in the midst of evil, which is all its own. Done for us, we have a part in the glory which belongs to it - the glory of God - are the first-fruits of it - the inner circle round the blessed and glorious Centre in which God is displayed in Christ. Then all things will be gathered round as a redeemed and reconciled Creation to the praise of His glory - the glorious result of the hidden wisdom ordained before the world to our glory. Then Christ will be displayed as the Power as well as the Wisdom of God.

Everything in heaven and on earth which has been marked by sin and used at times against God, will be brought back into the service of God by Christ. As mentioned earlier, the same Person Who created these things comes into Manhood to reconcile them and will yet use them all to fill the universe with the glory of God.

In the world to come there will not be a thing in the whole creation of God that will not be gathered together under His headship. The things in the heavens as well as the things on the earth. Every intelligent being in the universe will be dependent upon a Man for everything that concerns happiness. It is in this way, I do not doubt, He will fill all things. If every intelligent being is directed by Christ, and only moves as directed by that glorious Head, then it will be Christ that, in some measure, will be reproduced by that intelligence. No doubt there will be differences in the various families which will be gathered under the name of the Father, but as everything must be subject to Christ, and move only at His commandment, some feature of Christ must be exhibited by each several intelligence. He has gone down into the lower parts of the earth, and now He has gone up far above all heavens; in this way He has spanned the universe, but it is in order that He may fill all things. I do not doubt He will fill all things with the glory of redemption, and that really is the love of God; but that love has all come to light in Himself, and just as He fills all things so all things will be filled with redemption’s glory.

What a wonderful light does that throw upon creation itself and upon its destiny! Christ is not only the One under whom it is; He is not only the One who will bring it all into blessing, but He, the One who has become the Man Christ Jesus, is the One for whom it all exists. Christ, then, and that grace which is manifested in Him, — that manifestation itself, which is in itself grace, — is that which is the great purpose of God in creation. He must manifest Himself; He must make His creatures know Him. He could not possibly leave them without the full display of all His heart. He wants to be near them. He wants to have them near Himself. Christ is the fulness of God's heart thus told out, and as He is before all, as He is the One who holds all things together now, this purpose cannot fail of accomplishment.