C

`He ... ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill

all things ... unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the

stature of the fulness of the Christ' (Eph. 4:8-13).

B

`For by Him were all things created ... all things were created by

Him, and for Him ... He is the Head of the Body, the church ... for

it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell ... to

reconcile all things ... in earth, or things in heaven'

(Col. 1:16-20).

A

`For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are

complete (filled to the full) in Him, Which is the Head of all

principality and power' (Col. 2:9,10).

Here is a very complete conspectus of this mighty theme, point answering

point with such precision, that no approach to one corresponding member can be

undertaken without due consideration of the other.  This, the reader will

perceive, is fraught with immediate consequences.  It forces a comparison

between Ephesians 1:22,23 and Colossians 2:9,10.  The passage in Colossians 2:9

has been taken as one of the proof texts of the Deity of Christ.  The doctrine

of the Deity of Christ constitutes one of the four tenets of the Trust of the

Berean Forward Movement, yet we believe it to be a mistake to use Colossians 2:9

as a proof of that wondrous doctrine.  The Church of the One Body is `the

fulness of Him that filleth all in all', but such a revelation does not justify

the thought that the Church is Divine.  The prayer of Ephesians 3 is that the

believer may be `filled with (or unto) all the fulness of God' and if to be

filled with all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, proves the Deity of Christ in

Colossians 2:9, what does Ephesians 3:19 teach of the believer?  Identical

language, pan to pleroma `all the fulness', is found in Ephesians 3:19,

Colossians 1:19 and 2:9, and these passages cannot be separated and interpreted

independently of each other.  The `fulness' of Christ dwells `bodily' in the

church, even as the `fulness' of the Godhead dwells `bodily' in Him.

Philippians does not contain the word `fulness', but it reveals the blessed

condescension of the Lord that alone made the `fulness' possible, for the word

is always used with a redemptive meaning.  The words of Philippians 2:7 `But

made Himself of no reputation' are literally `He emptied Himself'.  As our

Mediator, He emptied Himself, so that as our Mediator He might become our

fulness.  The same thought underlies the words of Hebrews 1 and 2.  He was made

a `little lower than the angels', and as a result He was `made so much better

than the angels' (Heb. 2:7; 1:4,5).

There are moreover many contextual links that bind these references

together as one whole.  In Ephesians 1:21-23 the stress is upon the Headship of

Christ as the risen and ascended One, with all things under His feet, the Church

which is His Body being the fulness of Him Who in His turn filleth all in all.

In Colossians 1:15-20 the two creations are brought together, with Christ as

`Firstborn'in each (Col. 1:15,18), with Christ as pre-eminent in

each (Col. 1:17,18).  Things in heaven and earth were

His creation (Col. 1:16) and they are the objects of reconciliation (Col. 1:20).

When we come to Colossians 2:4-23, we have left the positive revelation of

truth, and have entered into the sphere of conflict with error.  For our present

purpose we will give the opening and closing members of this great