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The Church In Fullness

"And all things were placed under his feet and to him was given the head above all things the church, which is the body of him the fullness of the one, all things in all filling."1  

 Christ is the head, kephalĂ©, "head, corner."  Head speaks of chief supremacy of the authority given Christ by the Father; King, Lord, Master, Teacher, Rabbi, High Priest... Such speaks also of the "corner" the Church is built upon, a foundation laid on the apostles and prophets with Christ being the "corner"  of the church or cornerstone, which is a "head" stone or foundation stone which guides the rest of the foundation. The body or the Church is the fullness of Him, but what does this fullness look like? 

 The body of Christ, the Church, is "the fullness of the One, all things in all filling all." If we are to be the fullness of Christ and transformed to the image of Christ then this image is the fullness of Christ. But what could best describe this fullness ? If we could tangibly equal qualities to the fullness of Christ what would we give such a fullness? wisdom and prudence? maybe faith? what about love?

 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace and truth."4

 John knew, it was the completion of the promise, the Word of God, the fulfillment of the mystery of the gospel hidden in Christ since the beginning. The Word was with God and was God and came in fullness of Grace and Truth. These words for full and fullness, plērēs and plērōma, have at their core, the meaning "to be filled, complete." We use the term "be filled" in Christ. Such is to say be filled in his fullness.

"Moreover, to know the surpassing knowledge, the love of Christ, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God."5

 Paul writes it is through faith Christ dwells in our hearts, being rooted and founded in love.6 This is the fullness of Christ, the head of the Church, this fullness is to be in the Church, if we are a Light shining forth the fullness of Christ. This fullness comes by faith, in the understanding of surpassing knowledge of the love of Christ. By such understanding we comprehend the width, height, depth, and length of His love. Truly without Love our faith is nothing, nothing is to not have faith at all, thus faith without love is impossible. 

"For the fullness of him we all have received, moreover, grace upon grace."7

The fullness of Him we receive is grace upon grace, "Even we being dead, fallen away, Christ made us alive, By Grace you have been saved."7 It says I am saved by Grace! now it comes through faith by hearing the Word. The Word is truth therefore the fullness of him is grace and truth; "For by Grace we are saved through faith..."8 Faith comes through hearing the Word, if Jesus is the Word and the author of faith and the Word is truth and Jesus came in fullness of grace and truth then we are saved, completed, filled, in fullness of Jesus, Grace and Truth. 

"by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility."9 

I can boldly approach the throne of Grace, and receive Grace and mercy because of my faith in Christ and because of the Grace given. I live not by the letter of the law but by the living way of the Spirit. It is by Grace I stand before God. I am not under the law of commandments and decrees. The flesh and the mind is at enmity against God, hostile toward him, so God broke down the wall, the hostility, to make a new creation, two have become one, where there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. The Jew is one circumcised of the Spirit, saved by grace, by faith the descendant of Abraham. He is the Church, the body of him in the fullness of the one, all things in all filling, the Church in Fullness is filled with the fullness of Christ, Grace and Truth.

Everything Comes Alive



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