A prominent example of this word is seen in Eph. 1:22-23 And God put all things under Christ's feet, and he gave him to the church as head over all things. 23 Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all [NET].
The two Greek words behind fullness a noun plērōma [4138] and a verb plēroō [4137]) appears in the NT over 100 times and is descriptive of a ship being filled with sailors, rowers, soldiers, and cargo. This same basic word is used again as a verb (“fills”) in verse 23. The tense of the verb as a present participle, shows continuous action. Christ filling the church with His own life is just one aspect of this.
Another aspect is that the church is also His fullness. In other words, in the same way that a head must be complemented by a body, hence Christ must have the church to manifest His glory. John Calvin once put this way: “This is the highest honor of the church that until He is united to us, the Son of God reckons Himself in some measure incomplete. What consolation it is for us to learn that not until we are in His presence does He possess all His parts, nor does He wish to be regarded as complete. Hence, in the First Epistle to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 12:12-31], when the apostle discusses largely the metaphor of a human body, he includes under the single name of Christ the whole Church.”
What a profound statement! The sovereign Creator, perfect and complete in Himself, prefers to regard Himself to some extent, as incomplete without His Church. It’s a really astounding thought to think about. So, what is Paul really conveying here? That continuous filling of the church by Christ is to result in the full expression of Christ in the church.
Rom. 13:10 reveals another interesting usage of plērōma: “Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law [NET].” The issue of concern in the last six of the Ten Commandments is the relationship we have with other people. Being filled with love, will automatically result in treating others right.
This word can also be translated as “domination.” In actuality, all the occurrences of the various Greek forms used in Ephesians fits this translation:
• Eph_1:23 [NET] —“Now the church, is His body, the [domination] of Him who [dominates] all in all.”
• Eph_4:10 [ESV] —“that He might [dominate] all things.”
• Eph. 4:13 [ESV] —“ to the measure of the stature of the [domination] of Christ.”
• Eph. 5:18 [ESV] —“be [dominated] with the Spirit.”
We could then, translate Eph. 3:19 this way: “That you may be filled up to all the dominance of God [NET].” What does it mean to be filled with God’s fullness? It means an emptying of self and a full dominance by Him. So, we can express it this way: To be filled with God’s fullness is to be dominated by His dominance.
Like many may be wondering, we may ask, “But is it really possible to be completely dominated by God? How can all our thoughts, impulses, values, and goals be completely dominated by God?”
Think of it this way. If we blow air into a balloon, it would be true to say, “The balloon is full of air.” But if we blow a little more air into the balloon we can still truthfully say, “It’s full of air, but it’s bigger size indicates it’s fuller.” We can, in the same way, be filled with His fullness today, but be much fuller tomorrow. It’s a continuous process. But what a tragedy it is when Christians, including preachers think they have grown enough or know enough! Constantly on the mind of every Christian should be,
[a] “Am I allowing ‘the fullness of God’ to fill me?
[b] Am I permitting His dominance to dominated me?”
Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The more we know the more are we conscious of our ignorance of that which is unknown.” Someone else briefly expressed it this way “Knowledge is the discovery of ignorance.”
Having considered the thought of God’s dominance, Let’s now consider the practical application of how we can be completely dominated by God?
First, reading His Word is a way to be dominated by God because reading Scripture itself unlocks the door of Christian growth. Daily devotional reading certainly demonstrates a desire for growth. Reading must be done with understanding and meditation upon what is read. Reading just one verse with understanding is much better than reading three whole chapters with no understanding at all. It’s good to have a note pad to write down lessons learned and God's blessings both given and promised. Whenever questions come up, write them down and ask your pastor to answer them.
Second, Submitting to the absolute truth of God’s Word as communicated in expository preaching and teaching is another way to be dominated by God. If this is not so in a your current church, find another church where it is. Scripture is very clear on this issue for no other so-called ministry will bring real growth.
Third, obeying what we read and hear is a way to be dominated by God. Apart from being destructive, it’s absolutely worthless to have knowledge without application. Knowledge by itself only produces arrogance, but if we factor in application, it makes us humble. As Paul said to the Christians at Corinth, “knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Cor. 8:1).
Fourth, spending time in prayer is another way to be dominated by God. Make no mistake about it, unless we pray, being consistent in [1] reading, [2] listening, and [3] applying will not happen. The fact of the matter is, without prayer, all three are impossible. Unless we spend time with God in prayer (1 Thess. 5:17), we will never understand what you read, we will never want to listen to preaching, and we will never apply anything simply because you’re not humbling ourselves before God. Through prayer is the way that we confess your sins (1 John 1:9), ask for wisdom (James 1:5), and pray for others (Col. 1:9; 1 Thess. 5:25).
Review and Meditation: According to Eph. 5:18 what are we to be filled with? How is Christ diety proved according to Col. 2:19. What is the stated promise of Rom. 15:14? According to 2 Cor. 7:4 what was Paul filled with in spite of his tribulation? What “grew” and “increased” according to Acts 12:24 and Acts 19:20, What is the challenge Peter gives to Christians in 2 Pet. 3:18?
The two Greek words behind fullness a noun plērōma [4138] and a verb plēroō [4137]) appears in the NT over 100 times and is descriptive of a ship being filled with sailors, rowers, soldiers, and cargo. This same basic word is used again as a verb (“fills”) in verse 23. The tense of the verb as a present participle, shows continuous action. Christ filling the church with His own life is just one aspect of this.
Another aspect is that the church is also His fullness. In other words, in the same way that a head must be complemented by a body, hence Christ must have the church to manifest His glory. John Calvin once put this way: “This is the highest honor of the church that until He is united to us, the Son of God reckons Himself in some measure incomplete. What consolation it is for us to learn that not until we are in His presence does He possess all His parts, nor does He wish to be regarded as complete. Hence, in the First Epistle to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 12:12-31], when the apostle discusses largely the metaphor of a human body, he includes under the single name of Christ the whole Church.”
What a profound statement! The sovereign Creator, perfect and complete in Himself, prefers to regard Himself to some extent, as incomplete without His Church. It’s a really astounding thought to think about. So, what is Paul really conveying here? That continuous filling of the church by Christ is to result in the full expression of Christ in the church.
Rom. 13:10 reveals another interesting usage of plērōma: “Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law [NET].” The issue of concern in the last six of the Ten Commandments is the relationship we have with other people. Being filled with love, will automatically result in treating others right.
This word can also be translated as “domination.” In actuality, all the occurrences of the various Greek forms used in Ephesians fits this translation:
• Eph_1:23 [NET] —“Now the church, is His body, the [domination] of Him who [dominates] all in all.”
• Eph_4:10 [ESV] —“that He might [dominate] all things.”
• Eph. 4:13 [ESV] —“ to the measure of the stature of the [domination] of Christ.”
• Eph. 5:18 [ESV] —“be [dominated] with the Spirit.”
We could then, translate Eph. 3:19 this way: “That you may be filled up to all the dominance of God [NET].” What does it mean to be filled with God’s fullness? It means an emptying of self and a full dominance by Him. So, we can express it this way: To be filled with God’s fullness is to be dominated by His dominance.
Like many may be wondering, we may ask, “But is it really possible to be completely dominated by God? How can all our thoughts, impulses, values, and goals be completely dominated by God?”
Think of it this way. If we blow air into a balloon, it would be true to say, “The balloon is full of air.” But if we blow a little more air into the balloon we can still truthfully say, “It’s full of air, but it’s bigger size indicates it’s fuller.” We can, in the same way, be filled with His fullness today, but be much fuller tomorrow. It’s a continuous process. But what a tragedy it is when Christians, including preachers think they have grown enough or know enough! Constantly on the mind of every Christian should be,
[a] “Am I allowing ‘the fullness of God’ to fill me?
[b] Am I permitting His dominance to dominated me?”
Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The more we know the more are we conscious of our ignorance of that which is unknown.” Someone else briefly expressed it this way “Knowledge is the discovery of ignorance.”
Having considered the thought of God’s dominance, Let’s now consider the practical application of how we can be completely dominated by God?
First, reading His Word is a way to be dominated by God because reading Scripture itself unlocks the door of Christian growth. Daily devotional reading certainly demonstrates a desire for growth. Reading must be done with understanding and meditation upon what is read. Reading just one verse with understanding is much better than reading three whole chapters with no understanding at all. It’s good to have a note pad to write down lessons learned and God's blessings both given and promised. Whenever questions come up, write them down and ask your pastor to answer them.
Second, Submitting to the absolute truth of God’s Word as communicated in expository preaching and teaching is another way to be dominated by God. If this is not so in a your current church, find another church where it is. Scripture is very clear on this issue for no other so-called ministry will bring real growth.
Third, obeying what we read and hear is a way to be dominated by God. Apart from being destructive, it’s absolutely worthless to have knowledge without application. Knowledge by itself only produces arrogance, but if we factor in application, it makes us humble. As Paul said to the Christians at Corinth, “knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Cor. 8:1).
Fourth, spending time in prayer is another way to be dominated by God. Make no mistake about it, unless we pray, being consistent in [1] reading, [2] listening, and [3] applying will not happen. The fact of the matter is, without prayer, all three are impossible. Unless we spend time with God in prayer (1 Thess. 5:17), we will never understand what you read, we will never want to listen to preaching, and we will never apply anything simply because you’re not humbling ourselves before God. Through prayer is the way that we confess your sins (1 John 1:9), ask for wisdom (James 1:5), and pray for others (Col. 1:9; 1 Thess. 5:25).
Review and Meditation: According to Eph. 5:18 what are we to be filled with? How is Christ diety proved according to Col. 2:19. What is the stated promise of Rom. 15:14? According to 2 Cor. 7:4 what was Paul filled with in spite of his tribulation? What “grew” and “increased” according to Acts 12:24 and Acts 19:20, What is the challenge Peter gives to Christians in 2 Pet. 3:18?
Fullness - (Greek plērōma )
Pronounced - play’-ro-mah
Pronounced - play’-ro-mah
ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ
"It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" - Jesus Matt. 4:4
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