Jesus is the Fullness of God (Col. 1:19)
This sermon was preached on 19/12/2010
Whenever we describe a person we usually do so by saying who he is and what he does. When we are dealing with an historical person, the verb tense changes and we consider who he was and what he did. In Colossians 1:19-20, Paul reminds his readers as to who Jesus is and what he is doing. The words in verse 20 may seem clear enough in their meaning, but we may find verse 19 difficult to understand, with its reference to divine fullness.
It seems probable that ‘fullness’ was an idea in use among the Colossians. They wanted to have the fullness of God in their lives. Since God was so great, they thought different messengers were needed to bring his fullness to them. So they imagined a long list of possible angels who could help them get these blessings from God. This suggestion is not too surprising because angels have often been God’s messengers, both in the Old and New Testaments. The problem with the Colossian notion is that it demeaned Jesus and made him lower than God.
One of the many biblical verses that teaches the deity of Jesus is Colossians 1:19. His deity is seen in the phrase ‘all the fullness of God’. As we noted, the word ‘fullness’ means completeness and extensiveness. Paul is stating that all of God is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus has God’s abilities, performs God’s actions and shares God’s aims. This was true when he was conceived in Mary’s womb, when he was born and humanly helpless, when he was a child, when he lived in Nazareth, when he engaged in his three years of public ministry, when he was on the cross, when he was resurrected, now in his exaltation and on into the future. Jesus never became divine, he was always God. Paul here is stressing that the one who was born in Bethlehem was fully divine.
We know that the way in which we read a passage like this will affect how we respond to it. What are some ways that people use to read this verse? Some read it with curiosity, wondering what such unusual language signifies. Others read it with contempt, assuming that Paul’s words are only myths. Still others read it with confidence, because they have an understanding of Christian theology. And another set of people will read it with consecration, because they realise that the only appropriate response to Paul’s description of Jesus is dedication. Each of us is in one of these four groups: we are curious or contemptuous or confident or consecrated.
There are many other verses that stress the deity of Jesus. Jesus reminded his disciples that those who saw him saw the Father (John 14:9). The apostle John writes that he and his fellow-disciples saw the glory of the Unbegotten Son when they saw Jesus performing divine actions and heard him teach profound truths – they realised that he gave out of his fullness to them and to others (John 1:14-16). Paul begins his letters by stating that Jesus is as much the source of grace and peace as is the heavenly Father. The first chapter of the Book of Hebrews highlights several ways that reveal Jesus is fully God. In the Book of Revelation, the river of life flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). We should approach these verses with admiration of and dedication to Jesus.
Why does Jesus have this fullness?
Here are three suggestions. First, he has this fullness in order to achieve great purposes. After all, his actions are divine actions. Paul has already shown that Jesus, before he became a man, had created all things and upheld all things. After he became a man, without ceasing to be God, Jesus has this fullness in order to be head of the church (as Paul states in the previous verse), and he has this fullness in order to be the Reconciler (as Paul mentions in the next verse). So Jesus has the fullness of God in order to accomplish great things.
Second, Jesus has the fullness in order to bring pleasure to God. Here we have a reference to the eternal purpose of God – he does what brings him pleasure. When he was on earth, Jesus always did what pleased the Father, even when living as one who was also a real man. And Jesus will continue to please the Father throughout the endless future because of the divine fullness which dwells in him.
Third, Jesus has the fullness in order to help empty sinners. This aspect is seen in the connection of this verse to the previous one which says that Jesus is the head of the church. He possesses all that God has in order to bless sinners whom sin has emptied of all capabilities and resources. As the apostle John wrote, ‘We have all received out of Christ’s fullness.’
Aspects of his fullnessThe range of provisions found in Jesus for us is very wide and we can only focus on a few of them. One way of doing so is to arrange these provisions under his three offices of prophet, priest and king.
Jesus, as our prophet, teaches us the will of God for our salvation and does so by enlightening our minds concerning the teachings of the Bible. He comes to us by the Holy Spirit who takes the things of Christ and reveals them to us. Understanding the Bible in this way is not dependant on our intellect, nor is it a merely academic appreciation of possible views. As Jesus teaches us who he is and what he has done, we not only understand it, but we respond in worship and love. Further we will want to know more and will delight to have his instruction throughout our lives. We will come to the Bible prayerfully and expectantly in order to discover more about God’s gracious purposes.
Jesus as our priest helps us. A priest in Israel had to offer sacrifices for sin and show sympathy with the worshippers, encouraging them by assuring them of God’s provision and abilities. An example of this is Eli’s words to Hannah when he encouraged her about her longing for a son from God (1 Sam. 1:17-18). Jesus has offered the needed sacrifice and he always urges us to consider what he has done when we are concerned about our sins. The best, indeed the only means of finding consolation and pardon with regard to our sinfulness is to consider the sufferings of Jesus on the cross. Yet we need other aspects of his comforting sympathy and Jesus is always full of rich comfort and consolation. He can provide peace, assurance, guidance, fruit etc.
Jesus as our king protects us from our enemies and rules over us by his commandments. We have powerful enemies, determined to get us to disobey God’s commandments and sin. Some are external to us (the devil and the world), others are internal (sin and its desires), but more often than not they combine against us. Only Jesus can defend us, and we are to be strong in the Lord when tempted by Satan; we need the weapons of the Spirit that Jesus provides in order to be kept from falling. In one way, the Christian life can be summarised as follows: our spiritual enemies attempt to get us to sin, Jesus as our King enables us not to do so and instead he helps us to keep his Word.
Within these three areas of prophet, priest and king, Jesus reveals the limitless fullness that he possesses as God. Paul knew that grasping this was essential for the Colossians if they were to live in a holy manner. The same is true for us.
Applications
First, Jesus can meet the needs of everyone personally. Since he is divine, he has sufficient spiritual resources to provide for each of us exactly what we need at any given time. And he also knows how to give his grace in a manner that suits all of us.
Second, Jesus meets the needs of everyone exclusively. No-one else can meet our needs. We cannot even imagine that Jesus can meet 99%, so we can then use others for the remaining 1%. No, Jesus is the exclusive Saviour, not merely at the beginning of the Christian life, but all the way through it. And he will be the endless source of heavenly provision in the eternal world as well.
Third, Jesus can meet the needs of everyone simultaneously. This application has two sides to it. On the one hand, Jesus can meet the needs of all his followers at the same time (there are no queues at the throne of grace, composed of person waiting their turn). Millions of his people on earth, as well as those in heaven, receive from him at the same time. On the other hand, each of them can receive a wide range of spiritual blessings simultaneously. Each may have an awareness of certain needs, but Jesus sees all that they require and gives that to them. Our prayers for divine help are never limited to our perceptions.
Fourth, Jesus can meet the needs of everyone permanently. This is perhaps the biggest challenge we face because we are bombarded with reports of new techniques and new discoveries about how to live the Christian life. There is only one way to live it, and there will never be another way, and that is by depending fully and always on Jesus.
Fifthly, there are no valid excuses for failing to receive from Jesus. His grace is available and all we have to do is ask for it. Our failures are our own faults, but the wonderful reality is that our faults can be forgiven by Jesus.
It seems probable that ‘fullness’ was an idea in use among the Colossians. They wanted to have the fullness of God in their lives. Since God was so great, they thought different messengers were needed to bring his fullness to them. So they imagined a long list of possible angels who could help them get these blessings from God. This suggestion is not too surprising because angels have often been God’s messengers, both in the Old and New Testaments. The problem with the Colossian notion is that it demeaned Jesus and made him lower than God.
One of the many biblical verses that teaches the deity of Jesus is Colossians 1:19. His deity is seen in the phrase ‘all the fullness of God’. As we noted, the word ‘fullness’ means completeness and extensiveness. Paul is stating that all of God is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus has God’s abilities, performs God’s actions and shares God’s aims. This was true when he was conceived in Mary’s womb, when he was born and humanly helpless, when he was a child, when he lived in Nazareth, when he engaged in his three years of public ministry, when he was on the cross, when he was resurrected, now in his exaltation and on into the future. Jesus never became divine, he was always God. Paul here is stressing that the one who was born in Bethlehem was fully divine.
We know that the way in which we read a passage like this will affect how we respond to it. What are some ways that people use to read this verse? Some read it with curiosity, wondering what such unusual language signifies. Others read it with contempt, assuming that Paul’s words are only myths. Still others read it with confidence, because they have an understanding of Christian theology. And another set of people will read it with consecration, because they realise that the only appropriate response to Paul’s description of Jesus is dedication. Each of us is in one of these four groups: we are curious or contemptuous or confident or consecrated.
There are many other verses that stress the deity of Jesus. Jesus reminded his disciples that those who saw him saw the Father (John 14:9). The apostle John writes that he and his fellow-disciples saw the glory of the Unbegotten Son when they saw Jesus performing divine actions and heard him teach profound truths – they realised that he gave out of his fullness to them and to others (John 1:14-16). Paul begins his letters by stating that Jesus is as much the source of grace and peace as is the heavenly Father. The first chapter of the Book of Hebrews highlights several ways that reveal Jesus is fully God. In the Book of Revelation, the river of life flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). We should approach these verses with admiration of and dedication to Jesus.
Why does Jesus have this fullness?
Here are three suggestions. First, he has this fullness in order to achieve great purposes. After all, his actions are divine actions. Paul has already shown that Jesus, before he became a man, had created all things and upheld all things. After he became a man, without ceasing to be God, Jesus has this fullness in order to be head of the church (as Paul states in the previous verse), and he has this fullness in order to be the Reconciler (as Paul mentions in the next verse). So Jesus has the fullness of God in order to accomplish great things.
Second, Jesus has the fullness in order to bring pleasure to God. Here we have a reference to the eternal purpose of God – he does what brings him pleasure. When he was on earth, Jesus always did what pleased the Father, even when living as one who was also a real man. And Jesus will continue to please the Father throughout the endless future because of the divine fullness which dwells in him.
Third, Jesus has the fullness in order to help empty sinners. This aspect is seen in the connection of this verse to the previous one which says that Jesus is the head of the church. He possesses all that God has in order to bless sinners whom sin has emptied of all capabilities and resources. As the apostle John wrote, ‘We have all received out of Christ’s fullness.’
Aspects of his fullnessThe range of provisions found in Jesus for us is very wide and we can only focus on a few of them. One way of doing so is to arrange these provisions under his three offices of prophet, priest and king.
Jesus, as our prophet, teaches us the will of God for our salvation and does so by enlightening our minds concerning the teachings of the Bible. He comes to us by the Holy Spirit who takes the things of Christ and reveals them to us. Understanding the Bible in this way is not dependant on our intellect, nor is it a merely academic appreciation of possible views. As Jesus teaches us who he is and what he has done, we not only understand it, but we respond in worship and love. Further we will want to know more and will delight to have his instruction throughout our lives. We will come to the Bible prayerfully and expectantly in order to discover more about God’s gracious purposes.
Jesus as our priest helps us. A priest in Israel had to offer sacrifices for sin and show sympathy with the worshippers, encouraging them by assuring them of God’s provision and abilities. An example of this is Eli’s words to Hannah when he encouraged her about her longing for a son from God (1 Sam. 1:17-18). Jesus has offered the needed sacrifice and he always urges us to consider what he has done when we are concerned about our sins. The best, indeed the only means of finding consolation and pardon with regard to our sinfulness is to consider the sufferings of Jesus on the cross. Yet we need other aspects of his comforting sympathy and Jesus is always full of rich comfort and consolation. He can provide peace, assurance, guidance, fruit etc.
Jesus as our king protects us from our enemies and rules over us by his commandments. We have powerful enemies, determined to get us to disobey God’s commandments and sin. Some are external to us (the devil and the world), others are internal (sin and its desires), but more often than not they combine against us. Only Jesus can defend us, and we are to be strong in the Lord when tempted by Satan; we need the weapons of the Spirit that Jesus provides in order to be kept from falling. In one way, the Christian life can be summarised as follows: our spiritual enemies attempt to get us to sin, Jesus as our King enables us not to do so and instead he helps us to keep his Word.
Within these three areas of prophet, priest and king, Jesus reveals the limitless fullness that he possesses as God. Paul knew that grasping this was essential for the Colossians if they were to live in a holy manner. The same is true for us.
Applications
First, Jesus can meet the needs of everyone personally. Since he is divine, he has sufficient spiritual resources to provide for each of us exactly what we need at any given time. And he also knows how to give his grace in a manner that suits all of us.
Second, Jesus meets the needs of everyone exclusively. No-one else can meet our needs. We cannot even imagine that Jesus can meet 99%, so we can then use others for the remaining 1%. No, Jesus is the exclusive Saviour, not merely at the beginning of the Christian life, but all the way through it. And he will be the endless source of heavenly provision in the eternal world as well.
Third, Jesus can meet the needs of everyone simultaneously. This application has two sides to it. On the one hand, Jesus can meet the needs of all his followers at the same time (there are no queues at the throne of grace, composed of person waiting their turn). Millions of his people on earth, as well as those in heaven, receive from him at the same time. On the other hand, each of them can receive a wide range of spiritual blessings simultaneously. Each may have an awareness of certain needs, but Jesus sees all that they require and gives that to them. Our prayers for divine help are never limited to our perceptions.
Fourth, Jesus can meet the needs of everyone permanently. This is perhaps the biggest challenge we face because we are bombarded with reports of new techniques and new discoveries about how to live the Christian life. There is only one way to live it, and there will never be another way, and that is by depending fully and always on Jesus.
Fifthly, there are no valid excuses for failing to receive from Jesus. His grace is available and all we have to do is ask for it. Our failures are our own faults, but the wonderful reality is that our faults can be forgiven by Jesus.
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