The New Testament word for "fullness" is pleroma. It
has two basic meanings:
- something that fills or completes, such as a patch in
(Matthew 9:16) or love in (Romans 13:10);
- fullness or the state or fact of being filled, such as the
completed number of saved Gentiles (Rom. 11:25) or the "full
measure" of Christ's blessing (Rom. 15:29).
To distinguish between these two meanings in the Bible is
somewhat difficult. Thus, we have to read the whole context of the
chapter, the verses before and after that verse where the phrase is
found.
The apostle Paul used this phrase "the
fullness of Christ" to describe a state of Christian maturity in
which believers are no longer "tossed to and fro and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men." Firmly rooted
in Christ, cannot be shaken.
For in Him dwells all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him,
Who is the Head of all principality and power. In Him you were
also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by
putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the
circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you
also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God,
who raised Him from the dead. Col 2:9-12
We are complete in Christ. Without Him, we are incomplete. He is
our Open Door to knowing and experiencing God. This knowledge of God
increases by the day. We learn something new about Him everyday, not
that God is always changing, on the contrary, "Jesus Christ is the
same yesterday, today, and forever." (Heb 13:8)
Someone commented me that I always "sing new songs." But the fact
is that many of these "new" songs are old goodies, some as far back
as 1950s. They are "new" because people do not know them even though
they existed. Similarly, there are many eternal attributes about the
character of God that we have yet to marvel at. Let’s start from the
very beginning
and that’s a very good place to start.
And this journey of knowing God never ends. It will continue
throughout all eternity. Infinite and unfathomable knowledge!
Our Lord Jesus Christ possesses the complete fullness of God's
divine nature and attributes. In Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. Jesus desires to fill us completely with Himself.
But do we want to be completely filled with Him in all of His
fullness? Whenever we come to God, He desires to fill us "FULL-TANK"
but the choice and decision is ours to make. "The spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).
Now I rejoice in what was suffered for
you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in
regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of His body,
which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission
God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness--
the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations,
but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to
make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this
mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all
wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy,
which so powerfully works in me. Col 1:24-29
Each Christian must therefore be willing to
accept whatever edification and suffering God may send to fill up in
the flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions.
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).