Fullness…

Fullness…

For in Christ all the fullness of the Godhead lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ~ Colossians 2:9-10

When we first think about the word fullness, our thoughts probably linger on the state of having eaten enough and feeling full … the state of being filled to capacity. But think about this definition: the state of being complete or whole.  As I think about this word in biblical terms, I am persuaded to lean towards the idea of completeness or wholeness. Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His Being. (Hebrews 1:3) He is both completely God and completely human. For God was please to have all His fullness dwell in Jesus. (Colossians 1:19)

In his Letter to the Ephesians, Paul captured this thought:

Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

But let us not miss the context of this fullness to which we have been called:

Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV)

And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Jesus to be head over everything for the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.

I believe that fullness should be understood in context of the Church, which is His Body. Though we are filled with His Spirit as individuals, fullness is achieved within the whole body of believers. It is the role of Church, and its members collectively, to complete the message and mission of Christ Jesus! He has sanctified and consecrated us for the good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10) Yes, in Christ we have been brought into fullness; but this fullness is realized as a community – each of us bringing our giftings and callings for the edification of all! For we are all members of His Body … which is the fullness and completion of Him.

Have a Blessed Day!

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ~ Romans 12:3-5