-18.  We note in Ephesians that the Unity of the Spirit is kept `in the bond

of peace' whereas, following the passage just referred to in Colossians 3,

the apostle speaks of `the bond of perfectness'.  His desire is expressed in

Colossians 1:28 `that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus'; and

Colossians 4:12 `that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of

God', but `peace' and `perfection' are more nearly related than would at

first appear.  Paul was an Hebrew, and he knew that shalom `peace' gives us

shalem `perfect', `finish', `restore', `make amends'.  Peace is not simply

`quietness' but the consequence of `ending' or `finishing' the feud, by

`making amends' for the harm done.  Colossians 3:15 leads straight on to say:

`And let the peace of God rule in your hearts'

as though `peace' and

`perfection' were nearly related, as we have seen they

are.  The word `rule'

here is the Greek brabeuo.  Now in Colossians 2:18 `Let

no man beguile you of

your reward', the Greek word is katabrabeuo `Award the

palm against you' and

brabeion is the word `prize' in Philippians 3:14 and 1

Corinthians 9:24.  In

Colossians 3:15 the `rule' is the decision of an Umpire

and is related to the

prize, the crown and the overcoming.

What extravagancies have been indulged in by a false interpretation of

the words of Ephesians 5:18 `Be filled with the Spirit'.  We would note that

the immediate context goes on to speak of `psalms, hymns and spiritual songs'

which are referred to again in Colossians 3:16 where we read:

`Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and

admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs'.

Here we observe that `to be filled with the Spirit' is to let the Word

of Christ dwell in us richly, and turns us back again to Ephesians 5:18 to

see whether this can be so.  The following note is added to Appendix 101 of

The Companion Bible which we quote here.

`The verb to fill takes three Cases after it.  In the Active, the

Accusative of the vessel, or whatever is filled; and the Genitive, of

what it is filled with.  In the Passive, the Dative, of the filler; and

the Genitive, of what the vessel is filled with.  In Eph. 5:18 it is

the Dative, strengthened by the Preposition (en pneumati), denoting the

Holy Spirit Himself as being the one Who fills with other gifts than

In common parlance, if I should offer to `fill your glass With this

jug' you would not expect a conjuring trick, I should not attempt to cram the

jug into your glass; I should use the jug to fill your glass with water,

wine, milk, etc.  So in Ephesians 5:18 the Holy Spirit fills us; not with

Himself, but with the Word of Christ.

The words of Colossians 2:9 `For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the

Godhead bodily' are often taken as a proof text for the Deity of Christ.  The

Deity of Christ rests upon the solid testimony of the Scriptures and needs no

misapplication of Scripture to prove it or to bolster it.  We note that `all

fulness' dwells in Christ as `the Head of the Body, the church' (Col.

1:18,19), even as in Ephesians 1:22,23 we read:

`And gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church, which is

His body, the Fulness of Him that Filleth all in all'.