…and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.
Summary: Being brought to fullness in Christ is like going to the spiritual candy store and getting to eat all you want.
Paul begins his sentence with the words, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form …” and ends them with today’s passage, “…and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.”
Have you ever seen a fountain where water flows into a bowl and then overflows into another bowl? Sometimes, there will be three bowls, each flowing into the other.
The picture Paul’s words paint is similar to the fountain. The fullness of God flows into Christ, and Christ flows into those who believe in him.
So what does that mean?
If we were potholes, being “brought to fullness” would mean that a repair crew had come by and filled us up with asphalt.
If we were empty swimming pools, it would mean that someone brought water to fill the pool.
If we were a car with an empty gas tank and no passengers, people would fill our tank and climb in. Going for a drive is what cars were made for!
Being “brought to fullness” depends on what you are and what fills you.
With people, this can be a lot of different things! There are, however, needs we have that are common to everyone. Galatians 5:22-23 comes to mind.
Imagine being filled with love. What would that feel like? As humans, we occasionally know love in fits and spurts. As children of God, we are filled with love that overflows (1 Thessalonians 3:12).
Being filled with love, it is easy to imagine being filled with joy! For all the talk about suffering and persecution, there is always the qualifier that such things do not matter because of being filled with the love of Christ and the joy of knowing him.
Anxiety and fear are signs of our lack of peace. When we know Christ, he gives us the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). There is no better sleep aid than knowing God is watching over you and has you in his arms.
There are other needs we have as well. We need patience for the people in our lives who drive us crazy. We need a measure of kindness so that we have something to share with others. All of us need goodness, that quality of life that pleases God.
Because these needs are ongoing and not just an occasional need, we need faithfulness. We need a constant supply of Christ’s love and all the things that go with it.
Anyone who has ever spoken harshly to a loved one knows the pain that it causes, both to the one we hurt and to our conscience. This speaks to a need for gentleness and self-control. As Christ fills us, he fills us with these qualities as well.
This is not a complete list but more of a sampling of what it means to be brought to fullness in Christ.
Application: Receive the gifts that Jesus has for you.
Food for Thought: How does having the fullness of Christ change the way people see us?
If we talk like Christ and act like Christ and live for Christ, people just might see Christ in us. If we look at others the way Christ does, we will treat them in a way that glorifies Christ – or makes Him known.
Matthew 5: 13 – 16: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Thank you, Rich!
I like the way you phrased your answer: “… people just might see Christ in us.” We live in a busy world with a lot of distractions. Even if people notice something is different, they might miss the meaning of what is different. Yet over time, I think people do notice the difference! And that is a nice thought! 🙂
When I now think about the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, I also remember how I once thought that these were qualities that everyone “possessed” to some degree. Now I think that the true form of these are qualities are given to us by the Spirit. I think that the purest from of those qualities can only come from the Spirit. But I also think these are capabilities created in us by God, and brought to true life through Christ. Sort of like God created us with vessels for holding these qualities. We tend to put impure liquids in those vessels. Bad gas, the engine runs, but..eh…its not running at full potential, and its not running clean. The Spirit fills the vessels with a distinctive quality. I can recognize it in other believers when I see it; I can recognize the difference in my expression of these qualities as they flow outward.
How does having the fullness of Christ change the way people see us?
I think others see the quality of Christ within us. Their reaction to it is another story; some see it as a source and are drawn to it and want to draw from it, others see it as a threat and actively reject it and sometimes try to poison it. But the Presence is attentive, and it is unshakable and limitless if we cling to the One that provides it.
Thank you, Chris!
You remind me of John 15:5 —
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.“
How does having the fullness of Christ change the way people see us?
Believers must practice getting out of the way and allowing Jesus Christ in us to minister to the world around us, through us. Jesus calls all His people to deny themselves. This is more than just denying one’s self of personal comfort, pleasures or possessions. It is giving up Self-gratification. Self-indulgence. Self-centeredness. Self-interest, Self-satisfaction. Self-love. Self-devotion. Denying self goes against our grain. It’s not what this world, this culture is about.
1.) God has chosen the foolish things of this world to shame the wise, the weak to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27
His chosen are no longer of this world, just as Christ is not of this world, John 17:16
We have become different beings, spiritually alive, no longer subject to the power of our flesh, viewed with skepticism and anger as the power of Christ in us convicts others of their ungodly living in this world.
2.) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. Romans 8:10
The power of the flesh of believers has been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. The life we now live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. Galatians 2:20
Jesus Christ has come to dwell in each believer, our one task is to get out of His way and allow His power to be the power seen in our lives.
If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny their dead flesh, take up their cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
Luke 9:23-24
Thank you, Ron!
You’ve given us a powerful insight and a practical application for why the battle between “self” and Jesus is real.