Knowing our King | Colossians 1:19

Colossians 1:19-20

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

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

The word in this verse that grabs my attention is "fulness." That is what is said to dwell in Christ, and not just fulness but "All Fulness." He has already told us in verse 15 that Christ is the image of God but now he is telling us that not only is he the image or likeness of God but in him dwells all fulness. I believe it is in the same line with what is said in Chapter 2:9 "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

The Word fulness is translated from the word 'pleroma' and is used 17 times in the scripture. The first time it is used is in the book of Matthew chapter 9, speaking of the old garment that had a hole in it and you put in a new cloth to "Fill it up." What a wonderful illustration of the meaning of this word. To fill in a gap totally. It is used again in Romans 13:10 When Paul penned this inspired line "Love is the fulfilling of the Law." Perfect love, as displayed in Christ, who fulfilled the Law because of his perfect love for God and man. Not one jot or tittle of the law had any gap left but was totally fulfilled." Christ was the fulness of the Law, He said "I came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it." And the fulness of all things filled the law full by his perfection of love and holiness. These are the 2 great scriptural illustrations of the fulness of Christ but they are only 2, and what are 2 in comparison to "all?" The wells of the truth in this chapter are too deep and eternal to ever exhaust or even conclude upon. Sometimes we have to settle with the wonder and majesty of the statement that is made, "In him" "All fulness dwells." An astronomer looks through his telescope and studies the details of things far greater and bigger than himself. One day he studies a detail of a certain star but all the while knowing there are billions of others not yet touched by his eye or understanding, and yet when his eye is removed from the telescope he can look to the sky above him and refresh the wonder and majesty that drove him to the study of the stars in the first place. We look into the scriptures today and see one detail of our Lord but He is eternal and we will only see what our eyes can behold and our hearts can handle. Sometimes it would do us good to step back and refresh the wonder and majesty of things too big for us to understand, then with hearts refreshed by the wonder and majesty of our Lord we are driven back to the study of our eternal Lord. I can never see or contain all the fulness of him who is the fulness of all things but my heart can be filled to the brim by him who is the fulness of all things, and tomorrow there will be just as much for my eyes and heart to behold as there was the day before. Today I've seen him as the fulness of the law, tomorrow I can see him as the fulness of creation, and the next the fulness of me or the fulness of the church. He has filled in all the gaps and there is nothing left wanting, he is fulness and he has fulfilled me! The fulness of all things has filled in all the gaps of my heart and he is not a hollow shell of a man spoken about in the history books but He is the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God, He is the fulness of the Godhead!

Is your heart empty? Are there gaps that the pleasures of this life have left behind? Let me introduce you to the fulness of all things, Jesus Christ. Like he filled the law to the brim by his perfect love and holiness, He can fill your heart to the brim, and not one area will be wanting. Has the fulness of all things fulfilled you?