Christ: The Fullness Of God
Today, we are going to continue taking the Scriptures step by step and bit by bit. Colossians 2:8. Let us read from verse 5 to verse 10.
Colossians 2:5–10 KJV
“For though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”
Paul was looking forward to seeing a specific outcome in the lives of the Colossian believers: their good order and the steadfastness of their faith in Christ.
He says, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith.”
The emphasis is that the believer must be established in Christ.
In verse 8, Paul gives a serious warning:
«“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”»
If care is not taken, your faith can gradually become built on several things other than Christ.
Paul identifies some false foundations: the philosophy of men, empty deceit, the traditions of men, and the basic principles of the world. Then comes the critical clause: “and not after Christ.”
Our faith is meant to be built on one foundation—Christ.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:10–11:
“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Anyone who wants to build must build on the foundation that has already been laid.
Therefore, our emphasis must be on discerning the foundation of whatever anyone is bringing to us.
The Scripture tells us to test the spirits.
1 John 4:1 KJV
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
There is a spirit behind what every preacher, pastor, or teacher teaches. To test the spirit is to discern the foundation upon which that teaching is built.
You cannot write off a preacher simply because of one message or a short clip, and you cannot fully trust a preacher based on one sermon. We must listen holistically and observe consistency over time.
What is the foundation of the ministry?
Is it Christ, or is it philosophy, deceit, legalism, self-promotion, or something else?
There are preachers whose messages constantly draw attention to “self.” They talk about their fasting achievements, how long they pray, and the spiritual things they have accomplished. Fasting and prayer are good, but when these things are continually projected to draw attention to the person rather than Christ, the focus has shifted.
Many online preachers and teachers feed people spiritually, and there is nothing inherently wrong with listening to them. However, you must discern their foundation.
Whatever you continually expose your mind and spirit to will eventually shape you. The lens through which you see and live life is greatly affected by what you consistently allow into your mind.
Some ministries are built around worldly values. Sometimes greed is awakened from the pulpit. A preacher can deliver a message that puts people under pressure to run after money, making them feel that they are stagnant or backward. Eventually, someone may begin to steal from their workplace or alter figures because they believe they must “break through.”
Even when a preacher’s foundation appears to be Christ, the focus can shift when money becomes involved.
For example, when churches create awards for the “best giver” or “best partner of the year,” giving can become competitive and fleshly. People can begin to give, not because of love for God, but because they want recognition.
There have even been situations where churches had to return stolen money because the funds were traced to the church account. Generators and other items purchased with stolen money had to be returned.
The preacher must remain clear and focused on Christ, even when doing so comes with hidden costs and difficult prices to pay.
When Paul came to the Corinthians, he did not come with the excellency of human speech or wisdom.
1 Corinthians 2:1–5 KJV
Paul focused on Christ and Him crucified so that their faith would not be built on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
We must therefore be careful about what we continually expose ourselves to.
The Fullness of the Godhead Bodily
Now let us look closely at Colossians 2:9:
«“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”»
Paul connects this directly to the warning in verse 8 about foundations that are “not according to Christ.”
The meaning is profound: there is nothing you are looking for elsewhere that cannot be found in Christ.
No other foundation can give you access to the fullness of God.
All that God is dwells bodily in Christ.
To understand this fullness, we can look at (John 1:1–18.)
John 1:18
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son… he hath declared him.”»
The Passion Translation expresses the thought this way:
«“No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made Him plain as day.”»
No one has ever gazed upon the fullness of God’s splendor.
Throughout history, people have had encounters with God. They have experienced revelations, visions, and manifestations of God’s glory. There have been moments when it seemed God stepped into human circumstances in a remarkable way.
But none of those encounters can compare with what has been revealed in Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that no one has seen the fullness of God’s splendor except the uniquely beloved Son, who is in the bosom of the Father.
Christ has unfolded to us the full explanation of who God truly is.
This is the mission of Christ: to unfold the complete explanation of God.
The full explanation, expression, and manifestation of God are found in Christ.
Therefore, any faith built on anything else can never come close to the full explanation of who God truly is.
The Express Image of His Person
Hebrews 1:1–3 says:
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power…”
God spoke in times past to the fathers through the prophets in various ways and at different times.
But in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.
Christ is the conversation of God.
Christ is what God is discussing.
Christ is the center of attraction.
The Scripture describes Him as “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person.”
The phrase “express image” leaves no room for doubt.
When you see Christ, you have seen God.
He is the distinct, clear, and full image of the Father’s person.
Think about a child who is an exact image of his father. You see the child walking down the street and immediately recognize the resemblance. Even before the child tells you who his father is, his appearance has already declared his paternity.
That is the idea being communicated.
Christ is the express image—the exact representation—of the Father’s person.
Christ as the Core Curriculum
You cannot know God outside of Christ.
Our curriculum is not a vague pursuit of “knowing God” in general. If you begin there, you have already started from the wrong place.
You must begin with:
“I want to know God through Christ.”
You can only know Christ, and when you know Christ, you know God.
Christ is the dictionary of God.
When we are confused about a word, we open a dictionary to find its meaning and proper usage. In the same way, whenever we are confused about anything concerning God, the best thing we can do is sit down and learn Christ.
Learning Christ is knowing God.
Our learning is centered entirely around Christ. He is the subject matter.
If you want to learn about prayer, the best way is to learn Christ and see prayer through the lens of Christ. The focus is not prayer itself; the focus is Christ.
As Christ is revealed, you discover the correct pattern of prayer.
The Bible says:
1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV
«“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”»
We are not studying sanctification, righteousness, or wisdom as independent subjects detached from Christ.
As Christ is unfolded to us, we understand the true meaning of righteousness, sanctification, wisdom, and redemption.
We do not have a multitude of disconnected subjects to master.
Our focus is simple.
We are not in a hurry. We are not writing examinations, fixing school boards, or submitting academic projects. Titles are not the issue. The content of Christ is what matters.
Jesus is not merely a rabbi or a great teacher.
He is God revealed—the full explanation of God.
When Christ is unfolded to you, you are exposed to everything that truly matters.
Any attempt to learn these things outside of Christ is a mirage. It will never produce the correct explanation of God.
The Danger of “Zero-Unit” Courses
God has appointed His Son as the heir of all things, through whom He made the world.
Christ is the custodian of all things, and the fullness of God dwells in Him bodily.
Yet many believers major on the minor and minor on the major.
Think about a university curriculum. There are core courses and elective courses. Some courses may carry four, five, or six units, while others may carry one unit or even zero units.
You might study intensely and score an “A” in a zero-unit course, but when you multiply five points by zero, the result is still zero.
Meanwhile, scoring an “A” in a major course can significantly affect your grade point average.
Many believers expend enormous spiritual energy amassing knowledge in what can be described as “zero-unit” spiritual subjects.
They study philosophy, human wisdom, sensational topics, and highly specialized subjects that are not the central message of Christ.
They build large libraries around subjects that are not the main thing.
Some spend months studying demonology or attempting to understand the ranking and hierarchy of angels. They sweat, take notes, and fill notebooks with information about angelic operations.
But in the curriculum of God, these things are not the Head.
Christ is the Head.
These other things become the tail when they are pursued apart from Christ.
Paul describes such pursuits as producing a shallow and unstable foundation.
On Christ, the solid Rock, we stand. All other ground is sinking sand.
If you remove Christ from Christianity, you are left with empty and powerless religion.
The enemy does not necessarily mind you staying in church, as long as he can shift your focus away from Christ.
Holding Fast to the Head
Some people have been Christians for decades but have spent twenty years feeding on distractions.
They chase spectacular experiences, angel worship, legalistic rules, and other things while neglecting Christ Himself.
When Philip asked Jesus, “Show us the Father,” Jesus responded:
John 14:9 KJV
«“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”»
Philip was looking for something that was not lost.
He had been with Jesus, but he was still looking for the Father.
Think about trying to catch a catfish. If you try to hold it by the middle or by the tail, it can easily slip away. But if you hold the fish firmly by the head, you have secured the entire fish.
Many believers are trying to hold Christianity by the tail or by the middle.
They hold onto false humility, legalistic practices, the worship of angels, and other secondary things.
Paul addresses this in Colossians 2:18–19:
“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels…”
“And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.”
When you do not hold fast to the Head, you become spiritually malnourished and out of alignment.
The Passion Translation communicates the thought this way:
«“Don’t let anyone disqualify you from your prize…”»
It speaks of people pretending to be experts in things they do not understand, whose reasoning is meaningless and based on their own opinions.
Then it says:
«“They refuse to take hold of the true source.”»
But when we hold fast to Christ, His life supplies vitality to every part of His body.
He is the divine Head who gives the body life and causes it to grow by the supernatural power of God.
Every message you continually expose yourself to is an initiation. It shapes your mindset and changes your lens.
But when you hold fast to the Head, which is Christ, supernatural nourishment and life are supplied to you, causing you to grow with the increase of God.
The Holy Spirit’s Ministry Is Christ-Centered
Everything we need for salvation, life, wisdom, and eternal hope is found in Christ.
Even the primary ministry of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Christ to us.
The Holy Spirit does not have a separate, independent message for the Church.
Jesus said:
John 16:13–15 KJV
«“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak…
He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
All things that the Father hath are mine…”»
The Holy Spirit will not speak His own independent message. He glorifies Christ by taking what belongs to Christ and revealing it to us.
Whatever the Holy Spirit reveals is consistent with Christ.
The Holy Spirit understands the divine curriculum.
Therefore, if someone claims that the Holy Spirit is teaching something that is not Christ-centered or Christ-driven, that claim must be examined.
Many people rely heavily on subjective experiences of “God told me” rather than “it is written.”
Subjective voices have driven many people into error and have ruined lives.
“God told me” is not superior to what is written in Scripture.
The Holy Spirit will reveal what is consistent with Scripture—the things Jesus wanted us to know.
This is how we can stand on the same platform, speak the same language, and come to the unity of the faith of the Son of God.
The Unity of the Faith
Paul speaks about our ultimate destination:
Ephesians 4:13 KJV
«“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”»
True unity is not achieved simply by declaring that we have a “combined fellowship service” while believing completely different things.
If we are not centered on the knowledge of the Son of God, then we are not truly one.
True unity of the faith means that we are growing in the knowledge of the Son of God. It means that our faith is centered on the same Christ and that we are being brought into the same truth.
The goal is not merely that we gather in the same building.
The goal is that we come into “the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God.”
