The climactic phrase of Epistle to the Romans 11:36—εἰς αὐτόν (“to Him”)—is not merely the final element in Paul’s triadic expression; it is the interpretive key that gives ultimate coherence to the whole. If from Him establishes origin and through Him establishes means, then to Him establishes purpose. It answers the question that presses beneath all others: Where is everything going?
The answer is neither abstract nor impersonal. It is not simply toward an end, but toward Him. The final purpose of all things is not a state, a condition, or even a perfected creation considered in itself—it is God. The personal, living, self-sufficient God is the end toward which all reality moves.
Goal, Fulfilment, and Completion
The phrase εἰς αὐτόν carries a richness that extends beyond simple direction. It conveys the ideas of goal, fulfilment, and completion. It is not merely that all things are moving in God’s direction; it is that they find their intended completion in Him.
This guards against a reduction of purpose to mere termination. The end of all things is not simply where history stops, but where meaning is realized. Creation does not merely arrive at God—it is fulfilled in relation to Him. Its design reaches its intended expression; its potential finds its proper realization.
As Herman Bavinck notes, God is not only the beginning of all things but also their highest good and final rest.¹ This language of “rest” is not inactivity, but completion—the satisfaction of all that was intended in creation. It echoes the deep biblical motif that the restless movement of existence finds its resolution only in God.
Here, the insight of Augustine of Hippo is especially illuminating: “You have made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”² While Augustine speaks of the human heart, his insight reflects a broader metaphysical truth. All created reality, in its own order, is oriented toward God as its fulfilment.
Thus, εἰς αὐτόν is not merely directional—it is consummative. It speaks of the moment when all things are brought into right relation with God, when purpose is no longer obscured but fully realized.
The Direction of All Existence
If God is the goal and fulfilment of all things, then it follows that all existence is inherently directional. Creation is not static; it is dynamic, moving along a divinely established trajectory. Time itself becomes the arena in which this movement unfolds.
This challenges any notion of reality as random, cyclical, or self-contained. The biblical vision is linear and purposeful: history has a beginning in God, is sustained by God, and is moving toward God. There is, therefore, an inevitability to this direction. The universe is not wandering aimlessly—it is being drawn, governed, and guided toward its appointed end.
As John Calvin affirms, God not only ordains the beginning of all things but also directs them to their appointed end according to His sovereign will.³ This means that the direction of existence is not contingent upon creaturely cooperation. It is established in the eternal counsel of God.
Yet, while the direction is fixed, the experience of that movement differs profoundly. For creation subjected to futility, this movement may appear obscured, resisted, or delayed. For humanity in rebellion, it may be denied or distorted. But none of these alter the underlying reality: all things are moving toward God.
For the believer, this directional truth becomes deeply personal. Life is no longer interpreted as a series of disconnected events, but as part of a coherent movement toward divine purpose. Every moment, every trial, every act of grace is situated within this larger trajectory. To live by faith is, in essence, to live in conscious alignment with the direction of reality.
Conclusion: The End That Interprets the Beginning
The phrase εἰς αὐτόν does more than describe the end of all things—it reinterprets their beginning and their present. If all things are to Him, then their origin from Him and their sustenance through Him must be understood in light of that final purpose. The end is not an afterthought; it is the defining reality that gives meaning to all that precedes it.
In this sense, the final purpose is also the ultimate revelation. What God intends at the end discloses what He has been doing from the beginning. Creation, providence, and redemption are all oriented toward this one goal: that God might be all in all.
For the redeemed, this truth is not merely theological—it is existential. To know that one’s life is to Him is to be freed from the tyranny of lesser ends. It is to be gathered up into a purpose that cannot fail, because it is grounded not in human striving but in divine intention.
Thus, εἰς αὐτόν stands as both declaration and invitation. It declares the destiny of all things, and it invites the believer to embrace that destiny now—to live, even in the present, toward the One who is the final purpose of all.
Endnotes
Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 2: God and Creation, trans. John Vriend (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 594.
Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, trans. Henry Chadwick (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), I.1.1.
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Henry Beveridge (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2008), I.xvi.