Colossians 1:19

This brings us to the ninth and final identifying mark. Christ is a manifestation of the invisible God, the Sovereign Creator and head of the Chruch. The totality of power and authority rest in Him. In the Gnostic teaching of the first century, they distributed the divine powers of the Universe amongst various ones of a class of powers or beings conceived as emanating from the Supreme Being and performing various functions in the operations of the universe. Paul gathers them into Christ and says that He holds the “fullness” (Greek pleroma) of the entire Divine Nature.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul speaks of the kenosis, or emptying or veiling of the attributes and qualities of God when Christ walked on this Earth. He didn’t empty Himself of His Deity, He was always fully God and fully man. In this letter, Paul emphasizes the fullness of God that Christ contained. This is why it is important to study all of the New Testament writings to gain the balanced and complete instruction that God has for us. The balance between the fullness of God and the fullness of man in Christ is called the Hypostatic Union of Christ.[1]

The word dwell (Greek katoikeo) means to settle down in a dwelling, to remain fixedly in one place.[2] Only One who is Divine in all of its fullness could create a world, create the Church, be its Head, and reconcile the world to God. Paul has given us a good picture of the person of Jesus Christ, The God-Man worthy of all our praise and worship.

Prayer: Spirit of the Living God, give me the mind and heart to accept the teaching of the Word of God concerning our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I find it hard to comprehend how 100% plus 100% equals 100%. Yet, I take Your word that Jesus is 100% God while also being 100% Man. Because He is God, He can provide my salvation. Because He is Man, He can take my place. Take You Father for Your wonderful plan. Thank You, Jesus for taking my penalty and punishment, thank You Spirit for in-dwelling me. I have the great hope of eternal life with the Father because of this. Amen, and Amen.

________________________________________

[1] The Hypostatic Union is the term used in Theology to describe how God the Son, Jesus Christ, took on a human nature, yet remained fully God at the same time. Jesus always had been God (John 1:1; 8:58, 10:30), but at the incarnation, Jesus became a human being (John 1:14, Phil. 2:5 - 11). The addition of the human nature to the divine nature is Jesus, the God-man. This is the hypostatic union, Jesus Christ, one Person, fully God and fully man. 

[2] W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1996). Page 187.