Christ's Fullness

Christ’s Fullness

Colossians 1:19

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 

The fulness that is in Christ Jesus is for His church, that He might be all and in all to His people, who is their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, and life, (I Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 3:4; I John 5:7, 11). 

What created intelligence is capable of comprehending the fullness of the creator? And especially the creator of this, our vast and visible universe? It is little we know of our visible universe, and what know we of the invisible? We know it is, but we are unable to apprehend it by our visual and auditory faculties. And what we see of far distant worlds was long ago real in that world, and is only discernible to us in our world at present, and may not now exist in the world where it was earlier. So that natural faculties fail in our perception of the material universe, and what shall be said of the immaterial world of spirits? Our God is a Spirit, a perfect, pure, immaterial, immense Spirit, incomprehensible to any but Himself; He is “the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). The things that we know of God are those things that He has been pleased to reveal by His Word to us. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him (John 1:18). Our God has come to us out of the invisibility of His Godhead in the Person of Jesus Christ, the only visible Jehovah, for “the Word was made flesh and dwelt amount us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth,” (John 1:14). And we were given a view of “the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God” “in the face of Jesus Christ” (I Timothy 1:17; II Corinthians 4:6; John 14:9). And “in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,” (Colossians 2:9). The human nature of Jesus Christ is the true tabernacle of the Triune Jehovah (Hebrews 8:2; 9:11; John 2:19) for in the Person of Jesus Christ; God purchased His church with His own Blood, (Acts:20:28). Were these things not true the princes of this world could “not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Corinthians 2:8).

God the Son, coming to us “in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin” (Romans 8:3) makes it plain that He came to “save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21; I Timothy 1:15; Luke 19:10), for “both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified” (Hebrews 2:9) must be all of one nature, for He took not on the nature of angels but He took on him the seed of Abraham,” (Hebrews 2:16). “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead,” (I Corinthians 15:21). One of the chief offices of Christ Jesus in the mediation of the everlasting covenant of grace is that of Great High Priest; that office requires that He who executes the office must be a man, for it is written “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:” (Hebrews 5:1). “For such an high Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;” (Hebrews 7:26). “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:14-16). “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man,” (Hebrews 8:1-2).

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest of the everlasting covenant of grace, and the Testator of the New Testament; His blood is God’s own blood (Acts 20:28), and perfection is by His Priesthood (Hebrews 7:11-21; 10:14). The blood of Christ Jesus, God-man, is “the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Hebrews 13:20), and Christ’s blood is the “blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). It is the Godhead of Jesus Christ that adds infinity to all that He undertakes in His Mediation of the everlasting covenant of grace. His Godhead acting in His perfectly Holy Humanity brings forth the exceeding glory of His finished work; wherein He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified, that is, those who were chosen in Christ, and set apart in Christ, before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4; Jude 1; I Corinthians 1:2). It is the person of Jesus Christ, God-man, that is vested with the priesthood of the everlasting covenant, it is the infinite dignity of His most glorious person which brings forth the perfection of all He undertakes in His person through both His natures. “Every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer,” (Hebrews 8:3). Therefore the Son of God offered His perfectly holy and sinless humanity (Luke 1:35) for the perfection of His church, whom He perfected in that offering.    

“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell,” (Colossians 1:19). It has been stated earlier in this article that the fullness that is in Christ Jesus is for His church, His beloved spouse. All fullness is in Christ Jesus in His Godhead and this fullness is according to the essential essence of His Godhead. This fulness is underived, it is of Himself, of His Deity, and this fullness is incommunicable to any creature. The fulness that is in Christ Jesus for His church is that fulness of which all believers have received, “grace for grace” for saith John the Apostle “And of his fulness have all we received, and Grace for Grace,” (John 1:16). Believers are saved by grace, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8) and this grace was given the children of the covenant, before the world began, for it is written “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” (II Timothy 1:8-9). It is grace wherein we stand Justified by the righteousness of God. “Therefore being Justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God,” (Romans 5:1-2; 1:16-17; 3:21-24). It is the grace wherein we stand, accepted in Christ Jesus: “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,” (Ephesians 1:6). Believers have received of the fullness of grace in Christ Jesus to stand in state of grace, wherein “sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under Grace, (Romans 6:14). In Christ Jesus is the fulness of all grace for the children of God, justifying Grace, pardoning Grace, sanctifying grace, redeeming grace, electing grace, predestinating grace, keeping Grace, regenerating Grace, all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3) and all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Peter 1:3). There is the grace of faith, that is, the willingness and ability to believe the truth of the gospel, this is freely given by the grace of Christ, worked in the heart of sinners by the Spirit of Christ, there is the grace of love, by the Spirit of Christ, and all the fruit of the Spirit by the grace of God in Christ. “All the promises of God in him are yea, and in him A-men, unto the glory of God by us. (II Corinthians 1:20), and this by His grace. All believers have in and of the kingdom of God, is in the fulness of Christ and must be received from the fulness of Christ Jesus our Lord. See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the true gospel preached at www.13thstbaptist.org  webcasting live at listed service times.  

A.J. Ison