Ephesians 3:19 speaks of the “fullness of God” which believers can know and experience. This is a profound and mysterious concept that has been explored and debated throughout church history. At its core, it refers to the entirety of God’s being, character, and divinity being made available to Christians through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
To unpack this phrase, we must first understand what Paul means by the “fullness” of God. In Greek, the word is “plērōma” which indicates something that is full, complete, or filled up. It is related to the word “plēroō” meaning to fill or make full. The idea is that God in His entirety fills all things and believers can partake of that spiritual fullness by knowing Christ intimately (Colossians 2:9-10).
This fullness of God refers to His supreme divinity. It encompasses all of His attributes – love, grace, wisdom, power, mercy, justice, creativity, knowledge, presence, glory. As an infinite Being, God possesses these qualities without limit. His fullness surpasses our ability to comprehend, yet He makes it available to those who follow Jesus. It also points to the Trinitarian nature of God – Father, Son, and Spirit in perfect relationship, dwelling in unity.
How then can mortal humans partake of such an infinite fullness? We must look to Jesus, who perfectly reveals the fullness of God to humanity (Colossians 1:19). By taking on flesh, He made God’s fullness accessible and brought it near. As Colossians 2:9-10 declares, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.” Those who place their faith in Jesus are united with Him by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Though we cannot grasp the fullness of God entirely, we can begin to partake of it relationally as we draw close to Jesus.
This profound fullness is a dynamic experience that transforms believers. We do not comprehend or possess it instantly. Rather, we press on continually to “know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). Even the greatest saints merely taste a small fraction of God’s infinite being. Yet Scripture promises that we can be “filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19) as we yield ourselves fully to Christ’s lordship. The more we adore, worship, and commune with Jesus, the more His fullness permeates our lives. As this happens, our human capacities are enlarged and we are “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 4:13).
God’s fullness is too vast for words, yet the Bible utilizes many metaphors to describe this spiritual reality for believers including:
- A boundless ocean we are immersed in yet never exhausted (Ephesians 3:18)
- A divine wind filling our sails and empowering service (Acts 2:2)
- A treasure chest overflowing with gifts and blessings (Ephesians 1:3)
- A feast for hungry souls (Psalm 36:8)
- An overflowing cup of joy and pleasure (Psalm 16:11)
- A fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 2:13)
As wonderful as these word pictures are, we must not forget that the fullness of God is ultimately a person – the Lord Jesus Christ. To know Him is to know the fullness of God. As we walk in intimacy with Him, His attributes and beatific presence permeate our lives. His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and other fruits of the Spirit become tangibly real within us (Galatians 5:22-23). Experiencing more of God’s fullness leads to fuller life.
This fullness of God in Christ has many profound implications for believers:
- We have ceaseless access to the spiritual resources found only in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
- No spiritual need exists that cannot be met in Him; His grace is truly sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).
- We are completes in Christ, lacking nothing (Colossians 2:10).
- His divine power equips us for godly living and service (2 Peter 1:3).
- We can continually grow in experiencing more of His love, joy, peace, etc. (2 Peter 3:18).
- All our human capacities are enlarged and expanded by His indwelling life.
- We are being filled with the very life of God! (2 Peter 1:4).
However, Scripture warns that we can limit or grieve God’s fullness working within us. Pride, unbelief, cherished sin, ignorance of spiritual realities, or trying to live independently of Christ restrict what God wants to do in our lives. As we yield wholly to Jesus as Lord and cultivate our relationship with Him, we position ourselves to experience more and more of His glorious divine fullness. We must maintain an attitude of humility, dependency, and openness on this lifelong journey.
In summary, the fullness of God refers to His entire divine being with all its attributes available to believers through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. It is an infinite treasure that we taste and see over a lifetime of following Christ. There is always more of God’s love, joy, peace, power and presence to experience. May Ephesians 3:19 inspire us to press on continually to know the breadth, length, height and depth of Christ’s love and explore the unsearchable riches of God’s fullness available to us in Jesus.