"THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST"

Sermon by Pastor John Hollis

July 22, 2007

Text Colossians 1:15-28

This text is from the lectionary selections for today. It is a long reading and is filled with many great thoughts from which to choose a topic for discussion. In fact, I had a difficult time deciding which topic to choose. I finally decided that the "fullness of Christ" is a topic that may be often misunderstood. Hopefully in this lesson we can gain something that will benefit us.

We first note when reading this portion of Colossians that we have a description of Christ. Christ is said to be "the image of the invisible God." This would be an interesting study, since we are said to be conformed to the image of Christ. If we are conformed to the image of Christ, and he is the image of God, then we are also in the image of God.

Christ is the "firstborn of all creation," and "in him all things hold together." All things mean all things; not just some things are held together in him, but all things are held together in Him.

Christ is further described as being the "head of the body, the church" - the "congregation." This thought would be a wonderful study. How is he the head of the body? And what body is under consideration? Is it the fleshly body of Jesus? Is it the fleshly body that we call the church? Just what body is under consideration?

A further description of Christ is that "He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead." If he is the first-born from the dead, who would be the second-born from the dead? In other places he is said to be the "first fruits" from the dead. If he was the first fruits from the dead, what about the full harvest?

Christ is also in our text called the reconciler. Through him all things would be reconciled to himself, and he had "reconciled [them] in his fleshly body through death." In this reconciliation they would have Christ in them "the hope of glory."

Not only do we have a description of Christ and some of his work in this chapter, we also have mentioned Paul's work in Christ. "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body . . ." Paul says that God had given him a stewardship, "that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And we proclaim Him, admonishing every [person] and teaching every [person] with all wisdom, that we may present every [person] complete in Christ."

From what we have read in this first chapter of Colossians, we can readily see that all things are summed up in Christ. We turn to Paul's letter to the Ephesians and tie together what he has said in our text and what he writes to the "saints who are at Ephesus." " He has made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:9-12). Several things could be said about this reading, but keep in mind that it was in the fullness of times that all things were summed up in Christ. The summing up of all things in Christ is closely connected to his fullness.

Having said all of this, what about the fullness of Christ? What does it mean? What does it have to do with us today? If all the fullness dwells in him, and we are in his image, does this mean that all the fullness dwells in us? Notice: "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). Does this mean that God dwelt in the flesh? See John 1:1, 14.

Let us look again at Colossians 1:28. "And we proclaim Him, admonishing every [person] and teaching every [person] with all wisdom, that we may present every [person] complete in Christ." Every person complete in Christ. Does complete mean complete? Or does it mean only partially complete? What did Jesus mean when he said "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)? Paul uses the same word for complete that Jesus used for perfect. Again Paul said that Ephaphras "sends you [the Colossians] his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect [complete] and fully assured [made complete] in all the will of God" (Colossians 4:12).

The fullness of Christ, or the completeness of Christ, involves reconciliation. He would "reconcile all things to Himself." And "He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death." Paul speaks of this reconciliation in connection to the reconciled being a new creation. He wrote to the Corinthians, "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). This fullness of Christ - this completeness in Christ -- includes the new creation in Christ. All things are new in Christ. It is in this relationship that God does not count trespasses against the new creation.

Paul moves on to the thought that this reconciliation - this completeness - is the richness of glory. God had made known in those who were reconciled, namely the Gentiles, the "riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). In writing to the saints in Rome, Paul said, "What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles" (Romans 9:22-24). This calling of the Gentiles into the fullness of Christ made them also reconciled to God that they might also know the riches of his glory.

Paul argues that if by the transgressions of the Israelites the Gentiles were blessed in Christ, and if the world was blessed by their transgressions, how much more would their salvation mean to all. And Paul speaks to the Gentiles: "For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, 'The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.' 'And this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins'" (Romans 11:12, 25-27). And Paul explains this mystery to the saints in Ephesus; the mystery being that God had reconciled the Jew and Gentile in one body. (Ephesians 2:11-22).

This completeness - this fullness - is found only in Christ. "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow-citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22). When we can see the whole picture of how God, although he had to punish his people for their transgressions, also showed them mercy in Christ and how that all Israel - both Jew and gentile - will be saved, it is a beautiful picture. We can see the picture only if we see the fullness of Christ.

How does this fullness come? How do we benefit from it? It comes only through love, the love of God for us and our love for one another. Speaking of how he had made known to the Ephesians the mystery of God's extending his mercy to the Gentiles, Paul said, "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:14-19).

As Paul revealed to the saints at Ephesus the mystery of God in bringing into one body both Jew and Gentile, he also made known to them the breadth, length, height and depth of the love of God. Paul spoke of the breaking down of the law of commandments contained in ordinances and abolishing in his flesh the enmity that had existed for centuries between Jew and Gentile making of the two one new body. (Ephesians 2:14-16). This could only be done through their coming to know the fullness of Christ in the love of God and in their love for one another. Just as they owed a debt to God, they also owed a debt to one another.

Some have argued that if God's mercy has been extended to all and he overlooks our transgressions, then what are the rules? Well, Paul tells us that if there is no law there is no transgression. There may be no rules, but there is a debt to be paid. Listen to these words: "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8). "Ah!" the Jew may have responded, "there's the catch; I have to love that Gentile." And the Gentile may have responded in the same way, "I have to love that Jew." Listen again: "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10). We owe a debt to God to love him; we owe a debt to every other person to love them. Sometimes this is a debt that is difficult to pay. It involves the fullness of Christ.

James speaks to the action of those who would welcome the well-dressed to sit at the head table while the poorly-dressed should sit in the back of the room when he says "You have dishonored the poor man." On the other hand, "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as your self,' you are doing well" (James 2:1-8). The fullness - the completeness - in Christ comes through our paying our debt of love.

There is a never-failing remedy for our indebtedness. In the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians we find the remedy. Paul speaks of our being nothing without love. We may use angelic language, but without love it is just a great noise. We can work miracles and have all faith and knowledge, but if we love not, we are nothing. "And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." Paul goes on to describe how love always behaves, and he concludes, "But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." We may demonstrate faith; we may demonstrate hope; but if we fail to demonstrate love, we are failing in the most important aspect of our lives.

The fullness of Christ suggests to us that there is a full harvest to be gathered. Jesus said to his disciples, "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples" (John 15:8). Paul in his letter to the saints in Galatia contrasted the works of the flesh and the works of the Spirit, and he speaks of the harvest of the fruit of the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). God is glorified when his people bear much fruit. In Christ all the fullness dwells, thus in him the full harvest is realized. When we bear that fruit in our lives, there is no law against us. In other words, we are free from law. "For the law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there violation" (Romans 4:15). And again, ". . . but sin is not imputed when there is no law" (Romans 5:13). God gave the law for a purpose. "And the law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5:20). Who benefited from this grace? "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:18-19). Read all the fifth chapter of Romans, but pay careful attention to the above quoted passages.

What does all of this mean to us? We cannot overemphasize the fact that all things are summed up in Christ; in him dwells all the fullness, and we can have this fullness in him. When he came into the world, John the baptizer said of him, "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace" (John 1:16). And Paul said of him, "And He [God] put all things in subjection under His [Christ's] feet, and gave Him [Christ] as head over all things to the church [congregation], which is His body, the fullness of Him [God] who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23). "And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28). He is not all in some of us, or all in select ones, but is all in all of us.

Our text declared, "For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, . . . He has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death in order to present you before Him holy and blameless beyond reproach . . ." Because of Christ, we can stand before God blameless and beyond reproach. What a great blessing this is.

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