| In Him - The Fulness of God |
Colossians 2:9 For in Him [Christl dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily.
The statement in Colossians 1:9: "For it pleased the Father that in him
should all fulness dwell;" speaks of the fulness which our Lord possessed
when He was on the earth in His humiliation. Though He had laid by His
eternal glory, yet the glory of Deity was still His own down here. But
the fulness mentioned in Colossians, chapter 2, in the verse cited above, is
that fulness that dwells in Him bodily now, that is, in Him as the risen
and glorified Man. In Him, who died for our sins, was buried, rose again
the third day, and ascended upon High in His glorified incarnation body,
now dwells the fulness of the Godhead.
That which dwells in our glorified Lord belongs also to His own-- All
believers in Him are one with Him; they possess His life and His
Spirit; they are dead with Him, risen with Him, and seated in Him. They
belong to Him, and He belongs to them.
For this reason we are told: "And ye are complete [filled full] in Him, who
is the Head of all principality and power"(vs. 10). Our completion, our
perfection, therefore, is Christ Himself, the fulness which is in Him. It is
not some Christian experience, some special self-surrender; it is not
anything that we do or experience, but it is Christ Jesus. Our
identification and union with Him is our Christian perfection.
This must be known, however, in a practical way. In the epistle which is
the sister of Colossians, we find this prayer:
"That ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Ephes. 3 :19). This is
a practical thing. We can be filled with the fulness of God, the fulness that
dwells in Christ. To possess such fulness requires the hand of faith. We
must appropriate what belongs to us, what is in the Lord Jesus Christ as
our Head. Out of His fulness we can receive daily grace upon grace. All
this we only do feebly. There are many interruptions in our Christian lives,
many lapses, many failures. Yet these failures and lapses do not in the least
affect our position in Christ, which has been given to us by the grace of
God.
But there is a day coming when indeed we shall be sharers of His fulness
and glory. It is the day for which the Church of Christ waits, the day in
which we shall be like Him, the day in which we shall see Him as He is.
Then shall we be filled full, not only in Him, but with Him, and we shall
possess that glory which He received and which He so graciously has given
to us (John 17 :22). It is the day for which He waits in glory. He waits for
the travail of His souL And when finally He clothes His blood-bought
saints with His own fulness and glory, He will be satisfied and will rest
in His love.
~ Written by Dr. A.C. Gaebelein
Modified and updated for the web by Cobblestone Road Ministries
Related Reading:
Till He Come by A.C. Gaebelein
What Wait I For? by CHM
Christ Is All in All By D. L. Moody
JESUS THE GREAT "I AM" - Jesus Christ Is God!
In Him - The Treasures Of Wisdom and Knowledge
Godhead bodily.
The statement in Colossians 1:9: "For it pleased the Father that in him
should all fulness dwell;" speaks of the fulness which our Lord possessed
when He was on the earth in His humiliation. Though He had laid by His
eternal glory, yet the glory of Deity was still His own down here. But
the fulness mentioned in Colossians, chapter 2, in the verse cited above, is
that fulness that dwells in Him bodily now, that is, in Him as the risen
and glorified Man. In Him, who died for our sins, was buried, rose again
the third day, and ascended upon High in His glorified incarnation body,
now dwells the fulness of the Godhead.
That which dwells in our glorified Lord belongs also to His own-- All
believers in Him are one with Him; they possess His life and His
Spirit; they are dead with Him, risen with Him, and seated in Him. They
belong to Him, and He belongs to them.
For this reason we are told: "And ye are complete [filled full] in Him, who
is the Head of all principality and power"(vs. 10). Our completion, our
perfection, therefore, is Christ Himself, the fulness which is in Him. It is
not some Christian experience, some special self-surrender; it is not
anything that we do or experience, but it is Christ Jesus. Our
identification and union with Him is our Christian perfection.
This must be known, however, in a practical way. In the epistle which is
the sister of Colossians, we find this prayer:
"That ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Ephes. 3 :19). This is
a practical thing. We can be filled with the fulness of God, the fulness that
dwells in Christ. To possess such fulness requires the hand of faith. We
must appropriate what belongs to us, what is in the Lord Jesus Christ as
our Head. Out of His fulness we can receive daily grace upon grace. All
this we only do feebly. There are many interruptions in our Christian lives,
many lapses, many failures. Yet these failures and lapses do not in the least
affect our position in Christ, which has been given to us by the grace of
God.
But there is a day coming when indeed we shall be sharers of His fulness
and glory. It is the day for which the Church of Christ waits, the day in
which we shall be like Him, the day in which we shall see Him as He is.
Then shall we be filled full, not only in Him, but with Him, and we shall
possess that glory which He received and which He so graciously has given
to us (John 17 :22). It is the day for which He waits in glory. He waits for
the travail of His souL And when finally He clothes His blood-bought
saints with His own fulness and glory, He will be satisfied and will rest
in His love.
~ Written by Dr. A.C. Gaebelein
Modified and updated for the web by Cobblestone Road Ministries
Related Reading:
Till He Come by A.C. Gaebelein
What Wait I For? by CHM
Christ Is All in All By D. L. Moody
JESUS THE GREAT "I AM" - Jesus Christ Is God!
In Him - The Treasures Of Wisdom and Knowledge
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