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All the fullness of God
pp. 233 - 236
The church of the One Body is the great outstanding anticipation of the goal of the
ages. It is associated with Him under Whose feet are all things; it is associated with a
dispensation of the fullness of the seasons when all things are to be summed up in Him,
and it is itself called,
"The fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1: 23).
How are we to understand this statement? It falls into line with the last occurrence of
pleroma in Colossians, and for that matter in the N.T.
"For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2: 9).
The first occurrence of pleroma in Ephesians stands by itself (Eph. 1: 10);
the
remainder form a group that expand the theme thus:
A | "The church which is His body,
the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1: 22, 23).
B | "The whole family in heaven and earth . . .
that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith . . .
filled unto all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3: 14-19).
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 fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4: 8-13).
B | "For in 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 fullness dwell . . .
to reconcile all things . . . in earth and things in heaven" (Col. 1: 16-20).
A | "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
and ye are 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 Eph. 1: 22, 23 and Col. 2: 9, 10. The
church of the one Body is "the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" and the second
prayer of Eph. 3: is that the believer may be "filled with all the fullness of God".
Identical language Pan to pleroma "all the fullness", is found in Eph. 3: 19, Col. 1: 19
and 2: 9, and these passages cannot be separated and interpreted independently of each