For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:9-10 NIV
These verses are a potion of Paul’s message of spiritual fullness in Christ. In verse nine Paul emphasizes Jesus as fully God and fully human stating that Christ embodies the fulness of the Deity. With verse ten, Paul continues this thought. Here, he teaches that Christ brings believers to fullness. That is to say, as Christ did in the fullness of Deity, those who believe and faithfully follow Christ express the spiritual quality of total surrender to the will of God. Spiritually reborn and dead to the flesh, we emulate our Savior’s obedience to our heavenly Father.
Jesus accomplished the reconciliation of sinful mankind on the cross at Calvary. As he took on the sins of the world and paid for them with his blood, he made peace between repentant sinners and our holy Father in heaven. Placed in a tomb and risen from the grave, Jesus overcame death itself.
After his resurrection, Jesus revealed to his disciples the power that God the Father granted him. As we read in Matthew 28:18, “Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. WEB” Paul emphasizes this point in the latter half of verse ten.
Jesus Christ is Lord
Paul also addresses the authority of Christ in Philippians 2:8-11 which reads, “And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. WEB”
Jesus, as the Son of Man and the Son of God, is the fullness of Deity. He is God in the flesh. As such, he has the authority to heal our bodies and forgive our sins. Jesus demonstrated this power as he displayed his authority before the religious leaders of his day and he healed a paralytic man. We read of this event in Matthew 9:6 which says, “‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ then he said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, and take up your mat, and go to your house.’ WEB”
The Glory of God in Christ
By faith in him, Jesus has the authority to make repentant sinners joint heirs in the kingdom of heaven. However, to receive this eternal blessing requires obedience to the word and will of God. As Jesus taught in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. WEB” To live in Christ is to submit to the commandments of God as Christ did. As the fullness of Deity in the flesh, Christ demonstrated perfect obedience to the will of our heavenly Father. In Christ, we strive to do the same.
The spiritual fullness that believers enjoy comes as a gift by the grace of God. Our salvation comes by the sacrificial love of God in Christ. In the authority God imparted to our Savior, Jesus gives each believer the glory that God bestowed upon him. Therefore, God credits our faith as the righteousness of Christ. As Jesus said in John 17;22, “The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one. WEB”
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for the righteous example of your Son. Thank you for my salvation in Christ. Guide me to do your will here on earth. The glory is yours as expressed in the fullness of Deity by Christ. Help me to live and love like you. In Jesus name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: Spiritual Blessing
