All right, let's read this text
of the Scripture, Colossians 1, 19 through 22. For it pleased
the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell, and having
made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile
all things unto himself. By him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unprovable in his sight. Flip to chapter 2 and verse 9,
please. And here we read, For in him
dwelleth all the fullness, of the Godhead bodily. Now, during
the course of our study in Colossians, Paul has crowned Christ, as it
were, with many crowns and hath heaped upon Him many honors and
much glory and much dignity, calling Him the very image of
God, the Creator and the Preserver of all things, the head and the
life of the church of God, and now will heap yet upon Christ
another high honor which is twofold. In chapter 1 verse 19, the good
pleasure of God that in Christ should all fullness dwell. And in chapter 2 and verse 9,
in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Now we will see the same expression
in a little different way. from the apostle. For in him
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead." And then notice the
word bodily. So that in 119 it is all fullness,
and in chapter 2 and verse 19 it is the fullness of the Godhead. And yet let us consider two things
here in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 9. A, look at the word
Godhead here in this verse. You'll find this word, if I'm
not mistaken, three times in the New Testament, at least in
the King James Version of the Scripture. In Acts 17, 29, when
Paul declared to them on Mars Hill, Since your poets have said
that we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that
the Godhead is like gold or silver or stone graven by art or men's
hand. You'll find it again in Romans
chapter 1 and verse 20. In condemning paganism, Paul
speaks of the eternal power and Godhead. Here in Colossians chapter
2 and verse 9, the fullness of the Godhead. There's a slight
variation in those three words that we just referred to in the
New Testament. But we could express each place,
I believe, honestly, the divine nature or the divinity. Speaking of the divine nature
or of the divinity or the deity, the word in Acts 17.29 is twice
more in 2 Peter 1, 3 and 4, and in
verse 3, His divine power, and in verse 4, divine nature. So there are that word again. And then B, you will notice that
Colossians chapter 2 and verse 9 includes the word bodily. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead, all the divinity, all of the deity of our blessed
and wonderful Lord, and bodily. In Him, in bodily form, in other
words, in the incarnate Son, in the Son who became incarnate
and dwelt bodily, then the fullness of God dwelt in Him. Now let's
focus for the time being on the Word fullness there, that the
fullness of the divinity or the deity, the divine nature or the
divine essence resides in Him, in the person, the God-man person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's tell or remind ourselves
that these texts have to do not just with the Godhead prior to
the incarnation, or as to their eternal existence only, but of
the incarnation of the Son in flesh, when God was manifest
in the flesh, for the fullness is said to dwell in Him bodily. And then we might need again
to remind ourselves the reason why Paul so highly is exalting
the Savior in this book of Colossians and to this people. And it is
because of the false view that they held there concerning the
person of Christ, spiritual things and sin and such like. And what
then is meant by Paul saying foolish? The fullness of the
Godhead dwells in Christ. This must be answered properly
in order that we might have a proper view of the person and the work
of our Savior. First, let me suggest that it
does not mean that the Father has emptied Himself of that great
essence and divinity. That would be an impossibility. Then it does not mean that he
has shifted it from himself unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Since
all three members, all three persons, in the Godhead share
the Divine Essence, and that its fullness is said to dwell
in the Incarnate Son does not, on the other hand, require us
that the Father has divested Himself of the fullness of Essence
and of Deity. And it is not the doctrine of
Sabellianism in our modern-day, one-day Pentecostalism in our
day. This they say that there was
three manifestations, but only the one person in the deity or
the divine person. The name of Sibelius in the third
century, those taught that there is no trinity in the Godhead,
that there are not three persons. that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
are but three manifestations of one and the same person. They charged Trinitarian with
being tritheist, if you are familiar with that part of history. They
charge us that we are preaching tritheism, our three gods. And even today we hear this coming
out of the mouth of one, this preacher, who is thundering out
that we must put away our three gods and return unto the one. Now, another thing to consider
is what has been called the kenosis, or the kenotic theology, based
on that great passage in Philippians chapter 2, verse 7, where it
is written that Christ in His incarnation made Himself of no
reputation, is how it is in the King James, which most agree
could be translated, emptied himself. He emptied himself.
And some use this as a part of their text or their proof text
that Paul teaches that in the incarnation, the son, the second
person, divested himself of his divine attributes altogether. I know a Baptist preacher who
taught this very same doctrine. And this would be the same as
saying that he lay aside his deity as if it were no more than
a garment, a thing that is impossible with regard to the divinity of
the Godhead. John Gill noted on Philippians
chapter 2 and verse 7 that he did not lay aside the fullness
of grace nor the perfection of his divine nature, and Gill said,
and I quote, which were not the least diminished by his assumption
of human nature for all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily,
unquote. Now while the Lord in His incarnation
became or assumed what He was not before, yet He remained all
that He was from eternity. so that men saw in him not the
form of God, but the form of a servant or the form of a man. For he appeared among men in
the form of a man, his human body born of a woman, and took
upon him the likeness or the form of man. And while it is
not possible for the Son to divest Himself of the divine nature
or even of His divine attribute, yet it was possible for Him to,
in a measure, veil or hide the glory of the divine essence. And still, as Gil said, some
rays and beams of it broke through upon this occasion or that. even
though, he rightly said, such was beheld by a chosen few. Not but a few ever saw these
great glimpses and effluences of the glory of our Lord. John
1.14, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, literally
tabernacled or dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten from the Father. Besides, remember
His transfiguration in Matthew's account, chapter 17, Mark chapter
9, Luke chapter 9, a wonder beheld only by a privileged three, Peter
and James and John. And the Lord let loose then a
blast of His great glory. Matthew 17 and 2 said, His face
shone as the sun, and His raiment was white as light. Mark adds
in chapter 9 and verse 3, His raiment became white, exceeding
white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can white them. Not possible to make them any
more pure or white. Luke 9.29. as he prayed, the
countenance or the appearance of his face was altered. That
is, it was changed. And his raiment was white, and
it was glistening or gleaming. And those three had the privilege
of seeing that on that particular day and occasion. Now, we're
not to conclude that such glory emanated from the garments of
the Lord. It's not that they came out of
the garment. not the material raiment which
he wore, but from himself, from his person, from his very being. He was the source of the great
outshining and of the efflugent of glory. One said he was irradiated. It was once ablaze and a dazzling
celestial glory, as it were. And these pillars of the church
saw it. as Paul calls them, nit-dazzle
them. For not only did they behold
the transfiguration of the Lord, but in Luke 9, 34 and 35, a cloud
overshadowed them. And out of that cloud there came
a voice literally saying, This is my beloved Son, hear Him. Just think, if you will, the
man of sorrow. the one in whom there was no
beauty that men might desire him. He known only as the carpenter's
son, known as the Nazarene, whose visage was more marred than the
sons of men, as Isaiah 52.14 said. yet transfigured himself
before the eyes of the leading apostles and followers. They were eyewitnesses of his
majesty, as it is referred to. Peter would write, 2 Peter 1,
16-18, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. When he received
from God honor and glory, Peter recalled, and a voice from heaven
from His excellent glory in the holy mountain. Just to add this,
the transfiguration of the Lord was a strong, undeniable affirmation
of the deity of the Lord to that inner circle of men and the pillars
of the church. Their minds could never forget. These things could never be wiped
out of their mind or their remembrance. Well, let's go back to Colossians
and Paul's declaration that in the incarnate Christ there dwell
the very fullness of God. Paul declares it twice, as we
read, in chapter 119, chapter 2, and verse 9. And in looking
closely at these two texts side by side, it will be seen that
each declaration is used or given in order to enforce something
that has just been said. In Colossians 1.19, it confirms
the right of Christ to have the first place. Chapter 1, verse
18, the last part. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. First, we need to read verse
8 of chapter 2. This is a solemn warning. It is a very, very sincere and
important exhortation that the apostle is giving. Beware, be
on guard, keep your lookout, take heed, look well, for there
is a danger that lurks seeking to spoil you. and to make a prey
of you and to rob you." Again, let me give you the expanded
paraphrase of this from J. B. Lightfoot, verse 8, chapter
2 of Colossians. An expanded paraphrase I'm quoting. Be on your guard. Do not allow
yourself to fall prey to certain persons. who would lead you captive
and to hollow and a deceitful system, which men call philosophy. And they substitute the traditions
of men for the truth of God. They enforce an elementary, mundane
ordinances fit only for children, to paraphrase. And the end of
verse 8, these things are not according to Christ. They do
not proceed from or out of Christ. In other words, what they teach
is not the gospel of Christ. What those visitors and those
intruders were teaching was not the gospel of Christ. None of
it was according or out of or through Christ. But let's break
down verse 8 as we have looked at it, noting the things these
false teachers were seeking to impose upon the people there. Number one is philosophy. This was a favorite word, favorite
thing among the Greeks. They were lovers of philosophy. They equated it with a high sort
of intellect. And the Greeks regarded philosophy
and wisdom and wise saying. Paul says it is, pay it no court,
give it no respect. He likens it to vain deceit. in verse 8, and enticing words
in verse 4. It has no spiritual value. Paul sees nothing in it to compliment
or to honor Christ. He viewed it as having no reality. John Eady, one of my favorite
commentaries, wrote, it is out and out delusion a tissue of
airy figments, nor should they espouse the tradition of men. They should not rank the traditions
of men on a par or above are equal with the revelation of
God which He has made in Jesus Christ and is preached in the
gospel. Know something, if we read the
words of the Lord in the gospels concerning the tradition and
the commandments of men, yes, our Lord made frequent mention
of them, we are led to conclude that the Lord had in mind what
one expositor called, and I'm quoting, that tangled mass of
oral teaching which age after age the Jews had unwarrantedly
engrafted on to the written law." And he added something else.
It shoved aside the Word of God. They lost sight of the spirituality
of worship by adding what one called, quote, a host of trifling
injunctions, unquote. Time would fall us fail us to
mention all of those that have come about during the course
of history. Paul warns of one more evil. Notice he calls it the rudiments
of the world. Margin has it as element. Paul uses the word again in Colossians
chapter 2 and verse 20. He also uses it twice in the
epistle unto the Galatians where in chapter 4.3 and 4 and 9, it
is translated elema. And in 2 Peter 3, 10 and verse
12, rendered elema. While in Hebrews chapter 5 and
verse 12, it is rendered first principle of the oracles of God. That is, the elementary principles
of our teaching. Now Paul concludes, all of these
things are not after None of these things are according unto
Christ in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 8. He is saying of
the teaching of those who did trouble them with error, that
Christ was neither the author nor was Christ the substance
of their teaching, for it depreciated the value of Christ and of the
gospel. undervalued his person and his
mediation and his atonement. While in chapter 2 and verse
9, Paul tells them why they are to beware and avoid the things,
in verse 8, that false teachers were pressing and pushing upon
them. And that is because The whole
fullness of God dwells in Christ. This is true of Him, even in
the incarnation. For again, Paul says, bodily. When we put the two verses together,
Colossians 1,19 and 2,9, it is likely that Paul says those things
in relation to those vain view of the false teacher that they
held of our blessed Lord and Savior. Paul in 119 uses a word
that according to J.B. Lightfoot, was a technical term
favored by the Gentile, or rather by the Gnostic, which was pleiorama,
or plenitude. And they believe that out of
the plenitude, these various emanations came, or these various
emanations were sent forth by successive evolutions out of
that. And Paul goes head to head with
them on this matter. Contrary to their belief, He
declares in no uncertain and no unambiguous term that the
plurama or the plenitude, the fullness of Deity dwells only
and fully in the incarnate Son of God. While they might put
Jesus among a host of spirits, that they recognized or honor,
Paul says that the entire plenitude dwelled in Jesus Christ, the
entire fullness of the Godhead in Him. And this plenitude or
this fullness is a theological term. What he denotes is the
totality of the divine power and attributes were resident
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And what Edy called the entire
assembly that constitutes the deity, all of it without exception,
dwelling in Christ. It is in the whole fullness,
not a cycle, but by divine perfection, not a single cluster of divine
properties, not some isolated glory or a handful of resources,
but the whole of the plenitude of divinity dwelled in Him. There has been this contention
over the plenitude of fullness, whether it refers to the substance
which fills up or the receptacle which is filled and contains
it. Some understand it to mean that
which is completed, or the entire number or quality The complete
perfection of absolute divine fullness and deity. That which
is complete in all of its fullness. Yes, the totality of it. And we see this there, three
things in connection with the fullness that is said to dwell
in our Lord. First of all, we notice that
there is an errorless tense about this. It was so. It did not become so as to his
exaltation, but at his exaltation, but it was so and had been so. And then B, there is a permanence
about this, a permanence about it as seen in the word dwell. Robertson in his word studies
and pictures in the New Testament call this first aorist active
infinitive. And I had to look that up. meaning
to make one's abode or home. Or we could say the fullness
dwells, or the fullness has its permanent abode, so that then
the thought of both past and continued resident is included
in the fullness that dwells in him. And then see, In Colossians
2 and verse 9, Paul includes the word bodily, corporally,
if you will, bodily wise. This does not mean this fullness
first occurred in connection with the Incarnation or when
as yet the logos or the word was unfleshed or pre-incarnate. The eternal Word was with God
in the beginning and was God. And this bodily wise in chapter
2 and verse 9 is an addition to chapter 1 and verse 19. For through this fullness dwelt
in the Son from all eternity Yet even in the incarnation,
when the Son of God assumed the form of a man, even in His taking
a body and assuming human nature, and even being born of a woman,
the fullness of God yet dwelt in Him as the God-man. God dwelt in flesh. God manifests in the flesh, and
still without consuming the body of Christ on one hand, nor deifying
it on the other, and without co-mingling together with the
body of the Lord. Think about what Paul writes
in 1 Timothy 3.16, without controversy, that is,
beyond all doubt, by common confession, a thing confessedly held great
is the mystery of godliness or of deity. He, that is God, was
manifest in the flesh. The mystery of godliness or piety
is the opposite of the mystery of iniquity that we read about
in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Remember Matthew 1, 23, The child the Virgin brings forth,
having been conceived by the Holy Spirit, shall be called
what? Immanuel, which rightly interpreted
is God with us. A member of the Godhead has put
on flesh, that is, has been incarnated in human nature. The Word was
made flesh, not turned into flesh, but the Word assumed flesh. Let's
close by reminding ourselves that any new doctrine and any
who present themselves as religious teachers or spiritual guides
or advisors are best judged by their view and by their estimation
of Jesus Christ. We would say to them, What think
ye of Christ? I always ask the Mormons and
the Jehovah Witnesses that when they come to the door. What think
ye of Christ? What is your doctrine in regard
to Christ? What, if not after or according
to Christ, falls into the category of worthless rudiments of the
world? empties speculation, any that
would rob Christ of His deity, or put Him even among created
beings, or insists that He had the potential to sin, are dangerous
teachers and leaders to the people of God. In Him, first in eternity,
then in His incarnation. The fullness of the Godhead,
or divinity, dwells in Him, as seen by allowing men to fall
down and worship Him, and pray to Him, and forgiving men their
sin. Evidence is of the deity of our
blessed Lord. Hallelujah. In Him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily.