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CHRIST, THE
FULLNESS OF DEITY (Col 1:19-20)
06/04/17 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. PLEASURE OF THE FATHER
(Col 1:19a) A. Hymn - Many
scholars have suggested that like Php 2:6-11 and1Ti 3:16, this section (Col
1:15-20) is a Christological hymn. Hymns of this type were more creedal in
nature than they were to be sung or quoted as poetry. B. Subject - There is some discussion
as to who or what is the subject of the “good pleasure” since none is
explicit in the Greek. But the context is solid enough to supply “God” (“of
the invisible God” - Col 1:15) and even the “Father” (“the Father who has…” -
Col 1:12) that most would agree. C. Good Pleasure - Therefore, it was
the Father’s good pleasure that the fullness of deity would dwell in Christ.
The Father was eternally well-pleased in the Son whom He repeatedly called
“beloved.” “Good pleasure” is the Greek word eudokêsen and
means well-pleased or (divine) favor. 1. The
Father was well-pleased in identifying the Son as the Christ (Mat 3:17; Joh
1:33-34). 2. The Father was well-pleased in displaying
the Son’s glory (Mat 17:5; 2Pe 1:17). 3. The Father was well-pleased in that the
fullness of deity dwelled in His Son (Col 1:19; 2:9). Only the Son of God,
the God-man, could accomplish the Father’s plan of reconciliation. For this
reason, the Father was well-pleased in the Son. II. PLEROMA IN CHRIST (Col
1:19b) A. Fullness - All the
fullness dwelled in Christ. The definition of the Greek word for “fullness”
is plêroma which means that which fills up to full measure or sum
total (Mar 6:43; Gal 4:4). B. Fullness of Deity - To what is the
fullness being referred? Some good commentaries have suggested various things
such as the “fullness of grace” (Peake, Meyer, Eadie, Alford) or “fullness of
salvation” (S. Lewis Johnson). But the context, cross references, and many
other good commentaries propose that it is the “fullness of deity”
(Lightfoot, Moule, Robertson, Wuest, Hendriksen, Geisler, MacArthur). 1. Context
- The deity of Christ had already been expressed in the context: “the kingdom
of the Son” (Col 1:13), “image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15), “by Him all
things were created” (Col 1:16), “He is before all things” (Col 1:17a), “in
Him all things hold together” (Col 1:17b), and to have first place in all
things” (Col 1:18). All of these infer the deity of Christ directly or
indirectly. 2. Cross Reference - Though not every
use of plêroma applies to Christ, Col 2:9 is an unmistakable reference
to the deity of Christ, “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells
in bodily form.” 3. If “fullness” in Col 1:19 does not refer
to the deity of Christ, then the lack of any other contextual clues makes the
interpretation somewhat ambiguous. 4. Theological Perspective - Though
the idea of full grace and full salvation are expressed in the next verse
(Col 1:20), they would not be possible without the full deity of Christ. a. Christ
could not be mediator unless He was deity (1Ti 2:5). b. Christ could not atone for sin unless He
was deity (Act 4:12). c. Christ could not be raised from the dead
unless He was deity (Rom 1:4). d. A mere man could not atone for sin. Only
God the Son who became a man could be man’s sufficient Savior (Php 2:6-8). 5. Gnostic
Plêroma - According to Gnosticism, the Eternal Spirit was considered to
be a complex of emanations, aeons, or attributes extending from the spirit
world to the material world. Altogether, these emanations or aeons comprised
the divine realm and were called the Entirety or the Plêroma (“Fulness”). The
Gnostic Christ, though an integral part in aiding mankind, was merely one of
the aeons or emanations. However, Paul declared that all the Plêroma of
the nature and attributes of deity dwelled in Christ. C. Dwell in Him - The
word for “dwell” is katoikeō which literally means a geographical
place in which one lives. Figuratively, it can be used to refer to the
dwelling of God or His attributes (Eph 3:17; 2Pe 3:13). But for the Son, it
means that His own deity has been eternally at home in His nature. In
addition, Christ’s inherent deity now dwells in His incarnation (Col 2:9). He
truly is the God-man, fully God and perfect humanity. D. J. Vernon McGee puts it this way, When
He was down here on this earth, the pleroma was at home in Jesus. He was 100
percent God not 99.44 percent, but 100 percent. That little baby that was
lying on the bosom of Mary over nineteen hundred years ago seemed so
helpless, but He could have spoken this universe out of existence. McGee III. PLACATION OF ALL THINGS
(Col 1:20a) A. Definition of
Reconciliation - It was the Father’s good pleasure not only for the fullness
of deity to dwell in the Son, but also that the Son would reconcile all
things to the Father through His death on the cross. Reconciliation is the
Greek word katallassō and is defined as a change, a change in
relationship, particularly from enmity to friendship (1Co7:11). The word in
Col 1:20 is apokatallasso and intensified with the addition of the
preposition apo. It would now suggest a complete reconciliation not
through gnosis, but through Christ alone. B. Meaning of Reconciliation -
Reconciliation is one of the great riches of grace just like justification,
redemption, forgiveness, and adoption. 1. Reconciliation
of all things (see below) is not Universalism (Joh 3:36; 1Jo 5:12). 2. Reconciliation provided a sacrifice for
the world, though only availed of by the elect (Joh 10:14-16). a. Though
in the sacrifice of Christ, God made provision for the world (cf. John 3:16;
1 John 2:2), all persons will not be reconciled to God in the saving sense of
being redeemed. The benefits of Christ’s atonement are applied only to the
elect, who alone come to saving faith in Him. MAC 3. Reconciliation
was through (“through Him” Col 1:20) the agency of Christ (2Co 5:18). a. Paul
emphasizes the agency of Christ with two insertions of the preposition dia
with the genitive (cf. Gal 1:1) in the same verse (“through Him… through
Him, I say”). 4. Reconciliation
was the plan of the Father (“to Himself” Col 1:20) in Christ (2Co
5:19) 5. Reconciliation changed the believer’s
status from enmity to a relationship with God (Rom 5:10). IV. PEACE THROUGH HIS BLOOD
(Col 1:20b) A. Made Peace - The
peace spoken of here is first applied to believers who have been reconciled
to God (Rom 5:1. The phrase, “having made peace” (eirênopoiêsas) is an
aorist participle that shows completed action. Christ made peace on the cross
and reconciliation is received at the moment of faith in the Savior. B. His Blood - The
blood of Christ is a reference to the death of Christ. The wages of man’s sin
is death (Rom 6:23), and Christ died as man’s substitute. Since the life is
in the blood (Lev 17:11), the body without blood is dead. Therefore, the
shedding of blood has especially been the sign for substitutionary atonement
both in the OT sacrifices (Exo 12:13) and in the precious blood of the Lamb
of God (1Pe 1:19). C. The Cross - The “cross” (stauros)
was the means of Christ’s death. Stauros literally means a wooden
stake, with an intersecting crossbeam in some form (Mat 27:32). It was a
Roman instrument of capital punishment for criminals. It also became a
metonymy for atonement in a “cross kind of death” (Php 2:8). The cross was
not mere martyrdom for Christ, but the place of atonement by the God-man (Col
2:14). D. Earth and Heaven -
Again, this is not a reference to Universalism, rather it is a reference, at
least in part, to bringing reconciliation and harmony to the adverse effects
of sin on earth and in heaven. 1. First,
it refers to the reconciliation between a holy God and those who place their
faith in Christ (Col 1:22). 2. Secondly, all creation including the
stars and the universe have been effected by sin brought into the world (Rom
8:20-21). For example, death and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics are
a result of the fall. A day of reconciliation and restoration will take place
for creation. 3. It could possibly include the idea of the
restoration of the subjection of everything to Christ, voluntarily or not
(Php 2:10). 4. It could possibly include the idea of the
restoration of judgment. Though the world was put in a savable position, many
will reject it and receive judgment (Joh 3:17-18; 1Jo 5:10). V. OBSERVATIONS AND
APPLICATIONS A. Populace Salvation
(Universalism) 1. Unitarian
Universalists - everyone will be saved regardless of religious beliefs. 2. Christian Universalists - everyone will
be saved through Christ at various times and ways. 3. (By Randy Alcorn) In reading “Lies We
Believe about God” (Paul Young, author of The Shack), at times I marveled at
all the precious truths the author is calling outright falsehood. For
instance, he claims all these are lies:
a. God is
good. I am not. b. God is in control. c. You need to get saved. d. Hell is separation from God. e. Not everyone is a child of God. f. Sin separates us from God. g. The Cross was Gods idea. 4. Negates
the teaching of Jesus 5. Negates the biblical view of sin 6. Negates the biblical view of God’s
righteousness 7. Negates the biblical view of God’s
righteous judgment B. Provision of Salvation 1. Christ
has provided salvation, but I marvel at how many people want to do everything
their own way, as if there is some great redeeming quality in that “I did it
My Way” a. For what
is a man, what has he got If not himself, then he has naught b. To say the things he truly feels And not
the words of one who kneels c. The record shows I took the blows And did
it my way Yes, it was my way d. The irony is to think of someone singing
those lyrics in hell. e. As opposed to coming to Christ
who has made provision for salvation now. C. Peace Made by Christ 1. Every
heart is looking for something What everyone is looking for is peace. 2. Peace is only found in Christ. a. External
peace will come about at Christ’s Second Coming b. Internal peace comes only through Christ 3. Christ
made peace between man and God (Rom 5:1) 4. Christ gives peace to those who are His.
(Joh 14:27) a. Joh
14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world
gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be
fearful. 5. Christ
promises peace for all eternity (Rev 21:4). a. Rev 21:4
and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be
any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the
first things have passed away. |
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Grace Bible Church · 4000 E. Collins Rd · PO Box #3762 · Gillette, WY · (307) 686-1516 |
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