Christ,
as the Fullness of God -
By
Arthur J Licursi
Col.
2:9-10 For in him
(Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all
principality (magistrates of the first
estate) and power (delegated
authorities):
From
this above we see that Christ, as the embodiment of God, in His fullness
as the head, the Sovereign above all spiritual “principality” (“magistrates”
of the first estate, Lucifer and his fallen angels, Isa 14:12) and
the “power” of human authorities (secular and religious) under
their evil influence. We see the Lord is above all.
As
Christians we share with others from our experience of the sovereign God
who has become “Christ alive” within us as our all-sufficient life
(Col 3:4a). We are sharing the security and joy we have by Christ as the
fullness of God, now indwelling our spirit and being one with us –
going with us wherever we go – overseeing and guiding our life from
within. It is He who orders and oversees the happenings of our
lives…for our eternal good. Romans 8:28-29 And we know
that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who
have been called according to his purpose. 29For
those God foreknew him also predestined to be conformed to the
likeness of his Son…
It
is He who empowers us to endure the trials and situations of life,
living through us as we endure every happening of our daily life (John
16:33, Philip 4:13). We as Christians should be able to share from our
daily experience and enjoyment of Christ as our all.
Christ
indwelling the believer is the full embodiment of the Tri-part God. We
enjoy God in His fullness by the experience of Christ’s
spontaneous Spirit of Life within us.
The
resurrected Christ, who now indwells the believers, is the embodiment of
the Godhead.
2
Cor. 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the
love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with
you all. Amen.
- We
enjoy Christ as the Father (Isa 9:6, John 14:9), as
the source of life and the unconditional lover of our soul.
Jesus said He and the Father are one; and also, He said if you had
seen Him you had seen the Father.
- We
enjoy the Son, who came as the substantial
expression of the love of God, and as the free gift of the grace of
God the Father. He then died for us according as the Father had
prescribed, as Scripture had prophesied, that we might partake of
redemption through the efficacy of His blood, and receive of His
very life to be our new life. He now is so near to every believer
who has received Christ, that He indwells their spirit (1John 4:13,
2Tim 4:22) as their very life (
Col
1:27, Gal 2:20).
- We
enjoy “the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus”
(Rom 8:2a) as being the reality of Christ within us, making
possible our communion with God who is spirit. Christ’s
Spirit of life in us is the spontaneous realization and
manifestation of our indwelling Lord. We now may enjoy Him by the
moving of His life within us, prompting, empowering and restraining
us.
Philip.
2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and
to do of his good pleasure.
Because
we, as an individual person of the soul, now have Christ within us
at our core – in our spirit (John 3:6, 1Cor 6:17), we also have God
as the Father in us. Because we are “in Christ”,
positionally (1Cor 12:13), we at the same time we have “the
Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2a) within us, subjectively
(Col. 1:27).
Romans
8:8-10 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But
ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that
the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10And
if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of
sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
From
Rom 8:10 (above) we see that the Spirit who moves within the believer
actually is Christ Himself. Day by day, we should conduct our
walk by maintaining our in union or oneness with Him; that is, in accord
with the moving of Christ the Lord within our spirit. We experience His
being one with us by His spontaneous prompting within, as our normal new
life, or by His restraining us from within. As we yield to this new
sense of Him within we are maintaining the union which is evidenced by
the peace that is “Christ’s peace” (John 14:27). Christ, who
indwells us, is now our peace, yet enjoyed and maintained only as we
abide in accord with Him. Col. 3:15 And let the
peace of God rule (guard) in your hearts …
and be ye thankful.
More
and more, our experience must be that in every aspect of our daily
living, wherever we may be, in whatever we may do, in whatever situation
or circumstance we endure, we are “one spirit” with the Lord
– as we simply remain (abide) in our union with Him who now is our new
indwelling life.
2
John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth (Gk. parabaino, runs
ahead on his own), and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ (as
their life, 1Jn 5:11-12), hath not (holds not to) God. He
that abideth in the doctrine of Christ (of Christ as their life),
he hath (keeps union with) both the
Father and the Son.
Our
union requires that we be so humbled that we submit our moment by moment
living to the innermost moving of Christ as our spontaneous life – “I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal 2:20). This
should not be a doctrine or theory; it must become our practical
Christian reality if we are to enjoy His rest and peace within.
Romans
8:5-6 For those who are according to (subject to) the
flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are
according to (subject to) the Spirit, (set their minds
subject to) the things of the Spirit. 6For
the mind set on (subject to) the flesh is death, but the mind
set on (subject to) the Spirit is life and peace,
Galatians
2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself for me.
Galatians
5:16 … Walk in (accord with) the Spirit,
and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
The
resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, who is now the Spirit (2Cor
3:17a), is the embodiment of the Triune God. This means that all the
riches of the Father are embodied in the Son, and the “Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2a) bears all the elements of the
divine life and nature within us. Thus, the resurrected Son of God is
realized in a full way as the Spirit, who is now one spirit with our
spirit.
1
Cor. 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one
spirit.
Maturing,
In Christ
In
our experience we must know what it is to be one spirit with the Lord.
If we experience and enjoy Christ as the embodiment of God, it is
because one day we received Him, and then we have learned to co-operate
with Him by trusting Him in all things. We must come to learn to trust
Him in all the difficult situations of life that He has ordered our way
for our good. Then, as we trust His spontaneous moving within us in
response to that situation, we shall have an assurance evidenced by the
peace of God that is in Christ. This then is the measure of the grown up
child of God (Rom 8:16) – now as a son of God (Rom
8:14). We then are touching the fullness of Christ who is our life.
It
is then that are becoming equipped to dispense the riches of this same
Christ to others, for their nourishment, enrichment and growth in
Christ. As we minister Christ to others in this way, they will grow in
Him. John’s gospel identifies Jesus Christ as the light of life, bread
of life, water of life. Growth comes by eating of Him who is life (1John
5:11-12). If others feed on this Christ whom we minister to them, as the
fullness of God, they will be encouraged, refreshed and grow to mature
in Christ.
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