Welcome to week five of my Preeminence of Christ study. This week, we focus on Colossians 1:19 and what it means that in Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for allowing me to write this, and for helping me along when I had no idea what to write. Thank You for leading me from Scripture to Scripture and for showing me the majesty of Your Preeminence. To You alone I give glory for these studies. Next week is our last week!
If you've missed the previous studies, here they are:
THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST – Week Five – Colossians 1:19
By: Becka Goings
Colossians 1:15-20:
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
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“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” ~~Colossians 1:19
I love how easily the Apostle Paul was able to pack rich, meaty doctrine within a few simple words. Colossians 1:19 might seem like a small fragment we read quickly in order to get to the end of our passage, but it’s little phrases such as this that teach us Christ was truly a man – and also truly God. He did not possess a likeness to God, He was not merely a shadow of Him, nor was He some kind of apparition. He was a flesh and blood man who possessed the fullness of God within Him. Christ had two natures in one body, humanity and divinity. In theology circles, this reality is called the hypostatic union. Christ was not merely God in a human shell, nor was He a man upon whom God rested. He was an actual man, like any other man, and yet, He did not cease being God.
Paul states the same doctrine in a slightly different way a little further along in the book of Colossians, in verse 2:9:
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”
In our first passage, he says “all the fullness”, in the second, he says “the whole fullness”. Let’s take a moment to dig in and study this. It should never cease to astound us. How can the infinite fullness of God “fit”, for lack of a better word, in a man? And how amazing is it that God stooped so low to become a man? The eternal God, so high above every other name in creation, who has made countless galaxies with billions of stars, now, fully and forever, fills the body of a man. This massive truth had to be communicated to the Colossians on Paul’s authority as an Apostle, considering the heresies that had crept into their church. If it overwhelms us now, two thousand years removed, imagine what it must have been like for the early church, many of whom might have seen Christ themselves or heard Him preach. They had, perhaps with their own eyes, beheld the Living God!
This very doctrine, that Christ is God, is the reason why Christianity spread like wildfire throughout the region. His resurrection from the dead ultimately proved who He was, and nothing could stop the spread of this tremendous news. God Himself had come down to earth for us! Imagine living your life, wondering if God hears you, sees you, or even cares about you. And then… you look and there’s Christ! You hear His words, you see His power, and you know beyond the shadow of a doubt God hears you, sees you, and cares for you more than anyone else ever could. This is glorious; this is beautiful. This is the most magnificent event to ever happen in human history!
Paul was deliberately explicit in his description of Christ’s deity, because this knowledge is foundational to having eternal life. Even Christ Himself said in John 8:24:
“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
This very doctrine, that Christ is God, is the reason why Christianity spread like wildfire throughout the region. His resurrection from the dead ultimately proved who He was, and nothing could stop the spread of this tremendous news. God Himself had come down to earth for us! Imagine living your life, wondering if God hears you, sees you, or even cares about you. And then… you look and there’s Christ! You hear His words, you see His power, and you know beyond the shadow of a doubt God hears you, sees you, and cares for you more than anyone else ever could. This is glorious; this is beautiful. This is the most magnificent event to ever happen in human history!
Paul was deliberately explicit in his description of Christ’s deity, because this knowledge is foundational to having eternal life. Even Christ Himself said in John 8:24:
“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
And also John 17:3:
“This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
“This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
If the Colossians didn’t understand that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, they could not have eternal life, as eternal life is knowing the one true God (John 8:24, 1 John 5:11, 1 John 5:20), and according to Jesus, that includes knowing “Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. You might say you have Jesus and that you’re even a Christian, but if you don’t believe Jesus is Almighty God, you have a different Jesus, one who is powerless and cannot save you from your sins.
He is not a “spiritual being”, He is not an angel, He is not created, and He’s not merely a good human teacher. No, in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. Let’s take some time to explore this fullness, and try to comprehend what this looks like in the life of Christ.
I’d like to read our week’s verse in another translation if I may. For the purpose of this study, we have been quoting Colossians 1:15-20 in the English Standard Version, or ESV. But I want to take a look at verse 19 in the NASB, the New American Standard Bible. The NASB is arguably the most accurate translation in English that we have to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. This is how the NASB translates Colossians 1:19:
“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him”
He is not a “spiritual being”, He is not an angel, He is not created, and He’s not merely a good human teacher. No, in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. Let’s take some time to explore this fullness, and try to comprehend what this looks like in the life of Christ.
I’d like to read our week’s verse in another translation if I may. For the purpose of this study, we have been quoting Colossians 1:15-20 in the English Standard Version, or ESV. But I want to take a look at verse 19 in the NASB, the New American Standard Bible. The NASB is arguably the most accurate translation in English that we have to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. This is how the NASB translates Colossians 1:19:
“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him”
I like this wording, because it is a little more personal than the ESV which reads:
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,”
From a writer’s perspective, the ESV wording sounds as if it was the “fullness” that was pleased, rather than God the Father. But the NASB makes it clear it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Christ. However, we kind of need both wordings here, because even in the NASB, you might be left thinking “fullness of what?” We know from the ESV, it is the fullness of God.
But what does this mean? What does it mean to have the fullness of God dwelling in Him? Certainly it means Christ had all of God’s attributes, although veiled in flesh. He did not cease to be God when He became a man, rather, He set aside the radiance of His glory as God to be totally dependent upon the Father, taking on the form of a servant, as Paul says in Philippians 2:7. However, this does not mean Christ set aside the fullness of God. Hear what Puritan John Gill has to say in his commentary of Philippians 2:7:
“Nevertheless emptied himself"; not of that fulness of grace which was laid up in him from everlasting, for with this he appeared when he was made flesh, and dwelt among men; nor of the perfections of his divine nature, which were not in the least diminished by his assumption of human nature, for all the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily; though he took that which he had not before, he lost nothing of what he had; the glory of his divine nature was covered, and out of sight; and though some rays and beams of it broke out through his works and miracles, yet his glory, as the only begotten of the Father, was beheld only by a few; the minds of the far greater part were blinded, and their hearts hardened, and they saw no form nor comeliness in him to desire him; the form of God in which he was, was hid from them.”
We know from the Apostle John that Christ was “full of grace and truth”.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” ~~John 1:14
John has also told us:
“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” ~~John 1:16
John’s words in verse 16 are curious, “grace upon grace”. But they are a lovely picture of what the Lord gives to His children. This phrase implies that John might have gone on and on about it; grace upon grace upon grace upon grace… One grace right after another. I love this, because Paul tells us in Romans 2:5 that those with hard and impenitent hearts are storing up wrath for themselves, and yet, John says from Christ’s fullness, we all receive grace upon grace. We’re literally the opposite of the children of wrath who store up wrath – we are the children of grace, storing up grace!
This also gives the beautiful picture that Christ is a fountain, ever-full of grace, pouring it out in abundant measure to those who belong to Him. Using the metaphor of the fountain, we are immediately reminded of our Lord telling us in John 7:38 about rivers of Living Water flowing from the hearts of those who believe in Him as the Scriptures have said. And this, I believe, is what it means that in Him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell: Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit.
You might think we talk about the indwelling Spirit all the time. Why is this so wonderful?
This particular truth is so stunning because until Christ Himself, no other man or woman in the history of the world ever had the Holy Spirit filling them. In the Old Testament, God had many servants whom His Spirit would come upon, but did not fill. It’s obvious that with Christ being God, He would be the One in whom the Spirit of God would literally dwell. Now, we are not to look upon Christ as being indwelt with the Spirit in the same way as a believer to whom the Spirit is sent, no, the Spirit proceeds from the Father (John 15:26) and is in eternal fellowship with Christ in the Godhead of the Trinity. Therefore Christ’s relationship with the Holy Spirit is due to their shared, united deity.
Luke 4:1 says:
“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness”
John has also told us:
“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” ~~John 1:16
John’s words in verse 16 are curious, “grace upon grace”. But they are a lovely picture of what the Lord gives to His children. This phrase implies that John might have gone on and on about it; grace upon grace upon grace upon grace… One grace right after another. I love this, because Paul tells us in Romans 2:5 that those with hard and impenitent hearts are storing up wrath for themselves, and yet, John says from Christ’s fullness, we all receive grace upon grace. We’re literally the opposite of the children of wrath who store up wrath – we are the children of grace, storing up grace!
This also gives the beautiful picture that Christ is a fountain, ever-full of grace, pouring it out in abundant measure to those who belong to Him. Using the metaphor of the fountain, we are immediately reminded of our Lord telling us in John 7:38 about rivers of Living Water flowing from the hearts of those who believe in Him as the Scriptures have said. And this, I believe, is what it means that in Him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell: Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit.
You might think we talk about the indwelling Spirit all the time. Why is this so wonderful?
This particular truth is so stunning because until Christ Himself, no other man or woman in the history of the world ever had the Holy Spirit filling them. In the Old Testament, God had many servants whom His Spirit would come upon, but did not fill. It’s obvious that with Christ being God, He would be the One in whom the Spirit of God would literally dwell. Now, we are not to look upon Christ as being indwelt with the Spirit in the same way as a believer to whom the Spirit is sent, no, the Spirit proceeds from the Father (John 15:26) and is in eternal fellowship with Christ in the Godhead of the Trinity. Therefore Christ’s relationship with the Holy Spirit is due to their shared, united deity.
Luke 4:1 says:
“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness”
This is immediately following Christ’s baptism, and we’ll touch on that in a moment. But I wanted to show you the beauty within this verse that tells us how intimately Christ and the Spirit worked together. Notice what it says here. Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” and also “led by the Spirit”. This wasn’t merely as He was being led into the wilderness, but this was a reality in the life of Christ. He was full of the Spirit and He was led by the Spirit every single day.
Now, remember our NASB translation of Colossians 1:19? Let’s read it again:
“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him”
Now, remember our NASB translation of Colossians 1:19? Let’s read it again:
“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him”
The reason why we are looking at the NASB version is because of what the Father says at Christ’s baptism. Let’s take a look. The passage is Matthew 3:16-17.
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Here we have Paul’s words in Colossians contrasted with the Father’s words in Matthew. Both testify that God was pleased in Christ, and that in Him abided the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Matthew passage is God’s own testimony of Christ’s true identity. We know that if we have the testimony of the Most High God, there is none who can condemn, for it is God who justifies (Romans 8:33). Christ did not need to be justified in the same way we are justified before the Father, however, the Father’s testimony gave a weighty glory to Christ’s testimony of Himself. Hear what Christ had to say about this in John 8:17-18:
“In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”
“In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”
These words were spoken to the Pharisees, who tried so hard to condemn Christ and catch Him doing anything that would break the Mosaic Law. But Christ turns the tables on them and reminds them of their own Law, (of which He wrote, I’d like to add), that the testimony of two people is true. Christ has His own testimony and He also has the testimony of God the Father. That is jaw-dropping when you come to think about it. Yahweh Himself testified that He was well pleased in His beloved Son. But these unfortunate Pharisees rejected the testimony of the Father, and therefore, their sentence was pronounced from the mouth of Christ in John 8:21:
“So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
“So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
This is sobering. I cannot think of any other terror I fear more than hearing these words spoken to me by the Lord of Heaven and earth. Even the Apostle John made mention of the testimony of the Father in 1 John 5:9:
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.”
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.”
The point has been made from Scripture. God the Father has testified of the truth of Christ, and if anyone rejects that Christ is the Son of God and therefore God Himself in the flesh, he calls the Father a liar and does not have eternal life (1 John 2:22-23, 1 John 5:10).
What fascinates me about the account in Luke after the baptism of Christ, is another phrase about the Spirit in Him found a few verses down in Luke 4:14:
What fascinates me about the account in Luke after the baptism of Christ, is another phrase about the Spirit in Him found a few verses down in Luke 4:14:
“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee”
Not only was Christ filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit, He returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Here was the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry, being fully equipped by the Father. This filling, leading, and power of the Spirit is all the fullness of God.
Shortly after his passage on the deity of Christ in Colossians, the Apostle Paul goes on to say something astounding in Colossians 1:26-27:
“that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Shortly after his passage on the deity of Christ in Colossians, the Apostle Paul goes on to say something astounding in Colossians 1:26-27:
“that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Let’s stop here and consider these three marvelous words: Christ in you. This was the mystery of God – hidden for ages but revealed now to us. God’s ultimate plan for Messiah was to multiply Messiah’s fullness to fill His church, by fully and wonderfully indwelling each of His children! The Jews had been waiting for God’s promised Messiah ever since God first prophesied the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head in Genesis 3:15. But they were looking for an earthly king to restore and reign over a powerful, prosperous Israel.
God’s plan, however, was much grander than they could ever imagine. He would make a peculiar people for Messiah, a people solely set apart for Him, who would have Messiah Himself dwelling within them through the power of His Holy Spirit. Have you ever thought long on this, Christian? The God of Glory has made His dwelling place not only in the heavens, but also in the hearts of men and women!
Consider Isaiah 57:15:
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
God’s plan, however, was much grander than they could ever imagine. He would make a peculiar people for Messiah, a people solely set apart for Him, who would have Messiah Himself dwelling within them through the power of His Holy Spirit. Have you ever thought long on this, Christian? The God of Glory has made His dwelling place not only in the heavens, but also in the hearts of men and women!
Consider Isaiah 57:15:
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
This is the meaning of verses such as 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 6:19 – our bodies are quite literally the temple of God. This is not a metaphor, but reality. This mystery that Paul speaks of is what theologians call union with Christ. By the indwelling of the Spirit of God, all believers have direct and personal access to the Lord Jesus Christ without limits. The Spirit is in Him, and He places the Spirit in us so that we can be one just as He and the Father are one. In Christ’s High Priestly Prayer of John 17, our Lord prays these words in verses 22-23:
“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
What a magnificent prayer from our Savior. What is this “glory” He has given us?
The Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit.
It is the Spirit who allows the Body of Christ to be united to each other in one body, and He also unites us to Christ in an eternal bond that cannot be broken. Nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39), nothing can pluck us from Christ’s or the Father’s hand (John 10:27-29), and we are sealed by the Spirit Himself from the moment we first believed (Ephesians 1:13).
It is the Spirit of Christ who is our hope of glory as the promise of our future inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). It is also the Spirit who identifies the sons of God, as according to Romans 8:14, all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Just as Christ was filled and led, so too are His children.
This union we have with Christ by His Spirit is further fleshed out in Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
It is the Spirit of Christ who is our hope of glory as the promise of our future inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). It is also the Spirit who identifies the sons of God, as according to Romans 8:14, all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Just as Christ was filled and led, so too are His children.
This union we have with Christ by His Spirit is further fleshed out in Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Paul lays it out – he was crucified with Christ; his old life died on the cross. Yet, here’s the mystery: he still lives. But it’s not him, it’s Christ! In other words, our old lives have died, and our lives are now lived by Christ Himself through us. As the King James Version puts it: “I live, yet not I.”
Union with Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit makes the Christian life possible. Anyone who tries to live a holy and Christlike life apart from Christ’s Spirit will miserably fail. Why? Because holiness and Christlikeness comes from a heart reborn by the Spirit of God. All other attempts at replacing a heart of stone with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26) are counterfeit. Every peace apart from the peace of God is a false peace. Every strength apart from God’s strength is merely weakness. There is no supply for the unbeliever when they cannot go on, no well of grace to overflow from Christ. Without nourishment from God, they remain empty and desperate, trying to fill that void with a sea of vanity – sadly, to their own demise.
But here is the stunning glory of this mystery in union with Christ. If you’re taking notes, jot this down. Highlight this next Scripture and circle it in your Bibles. Write Colossians 1:19 as a sister verse in the margin and memorize this if you can. Let’s all take a deep breath, and read Ephesians 3:14-19:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Union with Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit makes the Christian life possible. Anyone who tries to live a holy and Christlike life apart from Christ’s Spirit will miserably fail. Why? Because holiness and Christlikeness comes from a heart reborn by the Spirit of God. All other attempts at replacing a heart of stone with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26) are counterfeit. Every peace apart from the peace of God is a false peace. Every strength apart from God’s strength is merely weakness. There is no supply for the unbeliever when they cannot go on, no well of grace to overflow from Christ. Without nourishment from God, they remain empty and desperate, trying to fill that void with a sea of vanity – sadly, to their own demise.
But here is the stunning glory of this mystery in union with Christ. If you’re taking notes, jot this down. Highlight this next Scripture and circle it in your Bibles. Write Colossians 1:19 as a sister verse in the margin and memorize this if you can. Let’s all take a deep breath, and read Ephesians 3:14-19:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Christian! Do you know what this means? Do you understand the depth of the glorious majesty we have been given in the gift of God’s Holy Spirit? Can you grasp the weight of what He’s bestowed upon us, we who were once His enemies? How am I not laid out on the floor day in and day out by this realization, that we can likewise be filled with all the fullness of God? This is a miracle unto itself!
What we have to remember, however, is that our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and therefore has a measure of the Spirit by deity that we do not possess. We cannot ourselves perform miracles, but the Spirit can do so through us should He will it. Let us always remember that miracles by the Spirit is not the point, nor the glory, of possessing the Spirit of Christ.
The glory of the indwelling Spirit is conformity to and union with Christ.
What we have to remember, however, is that our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and therefore has a measure of the Spirit by deity that we do not possess. We cannot ourselves perform miracles, but the Spirit can do so through us should He will it. Let us always remember that miracles by the Spirit is not the point, nor the glory, of possessing the Spirit of Christ.
The glory of the indwelling Spirit is conformity to and union with Christ.
One of the greatest miracles the Holy Spirit has ever wrought is literally recreating a sinner into a saint. Those who are reborn by God are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you are Christ’s, your new heart is a miracle of God. Being transformed into the image of Christ is a miracle of God. If you’re a soul winner, you are performing miracles. If you have brought a brother or sister to Christ, God has done a miracle through you. Never believe it is a small thing to lead a sinner to Christ. It cost the Father the life of His only begotten Son, and it is a tangible miracle performed by the Holy Spirit in your life.
Last week, we took a look at Ephesians 1:22-23, but then, we studied verse 22. Today, I want to take a closer look at verse 23. Let’s read:
“And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
Last week, we took a look at Ephesians 1:22-23, but then, we studied verse 22. Today, I want to take a closer look at verse 23. Let’s read:
“And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
We know from last week’s study that Christ is the head of the body, which is His church. But what I love about this particular verse is that the Apostle Paul says His body is “the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” We know by God’s omnipresence that He is everywhere. There is not a place in this entire universe we can go that He is not there. God fills all places at all times. This is the meaning of the phrase “fills all in all”.
Notice, however, the special distinction given to the church, His body. She is the “fullness of Him”. God On High fills all in all, and yet, His church is the fullness of Him.
Brethren, we as believers, are the fullness of Christ. His Spirit indwells hundreds of thousands of believers all over the world. What mind-blowing glory is this? His fullness is worldwide! Imagine this – we know from Psalm 24:1 and Isaiah 6:3 that the whole earth is full of His glory, and yet… after the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has now filled the earth with a much greater glory – His own Spirit filling His body, the beautiful and glorious church!
Dear ones, as if these truths weren’t enough, let me give you one final truth to ponder for the rest of the week, perhaps for the rest of your lives. According to Ephesians 1:13-14, we’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and He is the guarantee of our inheritance. The Spirit isn’t our inheritance, He is only the guarantee of it. How much more, then, is our full inheritance in Christ? To have Him fill us perfectly and completely, to be made impeccably in His image, to resemble Him with a body like His, and to shine forever like stars in the city of our God?
Oh, my family in Christ, I daresay the way to be filled with all the fullness of God is to long and often ponder these heavenly realities, and to keep our minds and hearts set upon the unending joy that is ours through union with Christ. We must focus our gaze to Heaven and march on to obtain that glorious crown.
There is only one thing left to say.
Notice, however, the special distinction given to the church, His body. She is the “fullness of Him”. God On High fills all in all, and yet, His church is the fullness of Him.
Brethren, we as believers, are the fullness of Christ. His Spirit indwells hundreds of thousands of believers all over the world. What mind-blowing glory is this? His fullness is worldwide! Imagine this – we know from Psalm 24:1 and Isaiah 6:3 that the whole earth is full of His glory, and yet… after the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has now filled the earth with a much greater glory – His own Spirit filling His body, the beautiful and glorious church!
Dear ones, as if these truths weren’t enough, let me give you one final truth to ponder for the rest of the week, perhaps for the rest of your lives. According to Ephesians 1:13-14, we’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and He is the guarantee of our inheritance. The Spirit isn’t our inheritance, He is only the guarantee of it. How much more, then, is our full inheritance in Christ? To have Him fill us perfectly and completely, to be made impeccably in His image, to resemble Him with a body like His, and to shine forever like stars in the city of our God?
Oh, my family in Christ, I daresay the way to be filled with all the fullness of God is to long and often ponder these heavenly realities, and to keep our minds and hearts set upon the unending joy that is ours through union with Christ. We must focus our gaze to Heaven and march on to obtain that glorious crown.
There is only one thing left to say.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
~~Colossians 3:1-4
Amen.
1. The two natures of Christ, both human and divine, is known by theologians as the _____________ union.
2. True or False? If you do not believe that Jesus Christ is God, you will die in your sins.
3. What is the meaning of the “fullness of God”?
4. Union with Christ by the power of the _______ ________ makes the Christian life possible.
5. The glory of the indwelling Spirit is ______________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
Have you ever thought or believed that Christ fully laid aside His divinity to become a man, rather than His humanity being filled with all the fullness of God?
Have you ever thought that our bodies being the temple of God was more of a figure of speech or a metaphor than a reality?
Have you ever taken a moment to think about your union with Christ, and that He is the one living your Christian life through you – I live, yet not I?
How does knowing that you can be filled with all the fullness of God affect your heart and soul for the glory of Christ?
How often have you thought on the weight of your heavenly inheritance in Christ, of which the indwelling Holy Spirit is the guarantee?
1.) Colossians 2:9
2.) John 8:24
3.) John 17:3
4.) 1 John 5:11
5.) 1 John 5:20
6.) Colossians 1:19 (NASB)
7.) Colossians 1:19 (ESV)
8.) Philippians 2:7
9.) John 1:14
10.) John 1:16
11.) Romans 2:5
12.) John 7:38
13.) John 15:26
14.) Luke 4:1
15.) Matthew 3:16-17
16.) Romans 8:33
17.) John 8:17-18
18.) John 8:21
19.) 1 John 5:9
20.) 1 John 2:22-23
21.) 1 John 5:10
22.) Luke 4:14
23.) Colossians 1:26-27
24.) Isaiah 57:15
25.) 1 Corinthians 3:16
26.) 1 Corinthians 6:19
27.) John 17:22-23
28.) Romans 8:38-39
29.) John 10:27-29
30.) Ephesians 1:13-14
31.) Romans 8:14
32.) Galatians 2:20
33.) Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
34.) Ezekiel 36:26
35.) Ephesians 3:14-19
36.) 2 Corinthians 5:17
37.) Ephesians 1:22-23
38.) Psalm 24:1
39.) Isaiah 6:3
40.) Colossians 3:1-4
Amen.
STUDY QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. The two natures of Christ, both human and divine, is known by theologians as the _____________ union.
2. True or False? If you do not believe that Jesus Christ is God, you will die in your sins.
3. What is the meaning of the “fullness of God”?
4. Union with Christ by the power of the _______ ________ makes the Christian life possible.
5. The glory of the indwelling Spirit is ______________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
Questions for Personal Reflection
Have you ever thought or believed that Christ fully laid aside His divinity to become a man, rather than His humanity being filled with all the fullness of God?
Have you ever thought that our bodies being the temple of God was more of a figure of speech or a metaphor than a reality?
Have you ever taken a moment to think about your union with Christ, and that He is the one living your Christian life through you – I live, yet not I?
How does knowing that you can be filled with all the fullness of God affect your heart and soul for the glory of Christ?
How often have you thought on the weight of your heavenly inheritance in Christ, of which the indwelling Holy Spirit is the guarantee?
Colossians 1:19 – Session Five – Song Playlist:
- Rise Again (Bonus Track) – City Harvest Church – My Beloved Album
- Rest in Jesus – Robert Pierre – Nothing Without You Album
- Alive in Me – JJ Weeks Band – As Long As We Can Breathe Album
- Grace – Steve Fee – Grace Single
- Grace on Top of Grace – Fellowship Creative – Eclipsed Album
- Praise to You – The Vigil Project – Vigil (Series #1) Album
- Holy (Wedding Song) [Live] – UMobile Worship – Our God is Faithful (Live Worship from the University of Mobile) Album
Scripture References for Further Study:
1.) Colossians 2:9
2.) John 8:24
3.) John 17:3
4.) 1 John 5:11
5.) 1 John 5:20
6.) Colossians 1:19 (NASB)
7.) Colossians 1:19 (ESV)
8.) Philippians 2:7
9.) John 1:14
10.) John 1:16
11.) Romans 2:5
12.) John 7:38
13.) John 15:26
14.) Luke 4:1
15.) Matthew 3:16-17
16.) Romans 8:33
17.) John 8:17-18
18.) John 8:21
19.) 1 John 5:9
20.) 1 John 2:22-23
21.) 1 John 5:10
22.) Luke 4:14
23.) Colossians 1:26-27
24.) Isaiah 57:15
25.) 1 Corinthians 3:16
26.) 1 Corinthians 6:19
27.) John 17:22-23
28.) Romans 8:38-39
29.) John 10:27-29
30.) Ephesians 1:13-14
31.) Romans 8:14
32.) Galatians 2:20
33.) Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
34.) Ezekiel 36:26
35.) Ephesians 3:14-19
36.) 2 Corinthians 5:17
37.) Ephesians 1:22-23
38.) Psalm 24:1
39.) Isaiah 6:3
40.) Colossians 3:1-4
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