The Fullness of Christ

Some years ago, "Christ is the answer" was a popular Christian slogan in the U.S. Christians would often say, "Christ is the answer! Just have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and He will solve your problems." But such an aswer doesn't truly address people's real problems, and the reason is because it implies a truncated view of Christ and the Gospel. Having "a personal faith in Jesus Christ" implies an emotional or mental acceptance of certain very appealing historical facts about Jesus as the Christ, born of the Virgin Mary and crucified for our sins. This is all true, well and good... as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough.

What's the problem with this truncated view of Christ and the Gospel? For most such people who merely "have a personal relationship with Jesus" this means having an almost exclusively individual, autonomous religious life with little or no down-to-earth, firm allegiance to any spiritual authority other than one's own understanding and experience. But what do the Scriptures tell us about this? Let's take a look:

"For by Him [Christ] were all things created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through Him, and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together. He is the Head of the Body, the Church, Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him; and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of His cross." (Col. 1:16-20)

Notice here the context of the phrase "all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him" - that all authority: "whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers" are subordinate to Christ, Who "is the head of the Body, the Church." So all authority including the Church comes between us and Christ. Thus the notion of simply a personal relationship directly with Christ leaves out the authority He Himself has put in place. Let's look at a few other Scripture passages: "For in Him [Christ] all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, and you have this fullness in Him, Who is the head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:9-10). The word "you" here is the familiar plural form: St. Paul is writing "to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae" (Col. 1:2), to the members of the Colossian church collectively: "All of you together have the fullness of Christ." It is a group experience, not an individualistic relationship. Where does this fullness abide? -

"What is the exceeding greatness of His [God the Father's] power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of His might which He worked in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come? He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him [Christ] to be Head over all things for the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:19-23).

So the fullness of Christ is to be found in "the Church, which is His Body." That's where it's at, folks. Let's get with it!

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 04 Jan. 2015.)