Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
People will affirm Jesus as a good teacher, a nice guy, a moral person, a great son, but they won't let Him be God. Our verse today really speaks to the importance of Jesus Christ being God.
The Bible says in Colossians chapter 2, verse 9, "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body."
Understanding the Authentic
This is amazing when you look at this verse and when we think about the theme of Colossians, the Apostle Paul is wanting to paint a very clear picture of Jesus Christ. He's basically saying, I see what an authentic picture of something looks like.
It's just like those who study dollar bills. They look at an authentic dollar bill and they think, I know any deviation.
Here the Apostle Paul paints a big, clear picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, any deviation, any counterfeit will be quickly recognized.
Two Reasons Jesus is God
That brings us into this passage in Colossians chapter 2 , verse 9. Very simply, there are two reasons—two specific reasons—why we see, and how we see, that Jesus is God.
The context is in chapter 1, verses 15 to 23, when Paul talks all about the supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. This supremacy of Jesus works all the way through the book of Colossians.
Christ Is Fully God
As we look at our outline, I want to look at the first reason: Christ is fully God. In the verse: "In Christ lives all the fullness of God."
In the book of Colossians they were saying that Jesus Christ was a series of angelic spirits. Interestingly enough, I received a phone call recently where a lady asked me, "Somebody told me that Jesus Christ was Michael the Archangel. Is that really true?"
I politely told her, "No, that is not true."
Nowhere in the Bible are angels worshiped, but Jesus Christ is. Jesus Christ is fully God. He wasn't just a good teacher. People like to say that He's a good teacher. They like to say that He's a moral person, but they don't want Him to be God.
If He's God, then that means we have to view Him as somebody who has authority over our lives.
Christ Became Truly Man
Number two, Christ became truly man. "For in Christ all the fullness of deity dwells in a human body."
That's amazing. Christ became truly man. He's wholly man and wholly truly God. This is an amazing truth.
John chapter 1, verse 14 says, "And the Word became flesh."
Jesus Christ became flesh. We know that Jesus Christ was not just some mist in the sky. He was actually, truly God—fully God and fully man. One writer said this: "This is God in bodily humanity."
Living from Christ's Fullness
How relevant is this? Number one: Live from Christ's fullness. We see this all over the Bible—especially in the book of Colossians. Paul says in Colossians chapter 2, verse 10, "You are complete in Him."
John 15 says, "Apart from Me you can do nothing."
John 1, verse 16 says, "For of His fullness we have all received."
You and I can live from the fullness of Christ. By the way, we are very, very delicate people. We have incredible needs, and so no matter how great the needs that we have really are, we can live from the fullness of Christ.
Marvel Daily at God
I love what Sinclair Ferguson says: "Marvel daily at the God who came near." This is Jesus Christ, and He's God. Yet He comes to the earth and He dwells among us. He humbled Himself.
The Bible says in Philippians chapter 2, "He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross."
Marvel that God Himself, in the form of Jesus Christ, came near to us, was born, lived a perfect life, and died a terrible death, so that we could truly experience His fullness and experience the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ.
