Twice in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the New American Standard Bible refers to the status of believers as “complete” because of Jesus. Here’s the first verse:
“We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ.” – Colossians 1:28
He called the recipients of his ministry teleios, an adjective meaning finished, complete, perfect, or mature. This was the aim of Paul’s apostleship. By preaching the gospel and teaching God’s Word, he sought to develop the souls of Christians to the uttermost.
And what is that?
We are complete in Christ when we embody and express His character. God wants us to be like His Son. Paul believed this and dedicated himself to discipling people so that in every aspect of life, they’d obey and exemplify Jesus Christ. He would be so proud to present such people to the Lord. “Look, Father, at these followers of Jesus! They’re just like Him!”
Paul never gave up; to the end of his life, he taught the gospel to everyone he could, every time he had the chance.
And here’s the second passage:
“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority” – Colossians 2:9-10
In verse 10, Paul used a verb, pleroo, to describe believers. It’s a common word, occurring 86 times in the Greek New Testament. (It’s also found 84 times in 83 verses in the Greek translation of the Old Testament.) This term has to do with fulfillment, realization, or completion.
Paul put this verb in the perfect tense, which means the completion of believers was a past event with ongoing effects.
When did this take place?
The apostle gives us a clue in verse 9 when he declares that God’s fullness dwells in Jesus Christ. The Greek word for “fullness” (pleroma) is a cognate of the verb in verse 10.
Let’s consider this for a moment. Jesus was divine in every way. He is God in the flesh, the Lord who became incarnate to save humanity from sin, death, and evil spiritual forces. It is in Him, in the incarnate Son of God, that we have received completion or fullness.
The moment someone trusts in Jesus for salvation, that person receives the fullness of the life of Christ through the Spirit. That Christian can look back to the past and say, “Yes, God filled me with Christ when I became a Christian.” Last week, last year, or ten years ago–it doesn’t matter. It’s a past event with ongoing impact. When Jesus comes to dwell within us, He begins a work of transformation that we still experience.
Completion in Christ is a past experience, a present reality, and a future hope. Through God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, we are filled with the presence of Jesus. We shouldn’t be surprised at the changes He’s brought about! We’re not who we once were, we’re changing daily, and we’ll continue to do so until we’re perfected in Him.
This is God’s work; we don’t need a checklist to track our progress. The grace that called us to Christ is the grace that makes us like Him.
And our Father won’t stop His good work until He’s satisfied.
Praise God!
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