In this series of messages we will use four chapters to consider the fullness of God and another four chapters to consider life, truth, the church, and the gospel. Many newly saved and baptized brothers and sisters may not have a clear understanding of the phrase the fullness of God. It is easier to understand God’s power, authority, and greatness. It may also be easier to understand God’s mercy, His abundant grace, and His deep love. A believer may also have a partial understanding of some deeper matters, such as God’s holiness, righteousness, salvation, and redemption. However, even believers who have been studying the Bible for years find it difficult to understand the fullness of God. After many years of studying the truth and consulting the works of renowned writers throughout the centuries, I discovered that even Bible expositors have different views of this term, and their understanding is generally not according to the pure divine revelation in the Scriptures.
The Bible was written in human language. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Greek. These were then translated into other languages. A language is a means of communication. It is easy for a person who reads the Bible, whether in the original text or a translation, to have a natural understanding of the Bible if he only understands it literally. This is a common mistake among Bible readers. For example, the Bible speaks about faith. The Chinese translation of faith literally means “a believing, trusting heart.” This definition is accurate according to a natural understanding, but it is not accurate according to the revelation in the Bible.
When some people read the word faith in the Bible, it is easy for them to understand it as a kind of determination and resolution from a strong will. Hence, they use the example of Columbus to explain faith. They say that during the time of Columbus very few people believed that it was possible to cross the ocean and find land, but Columbus had “faith.” Hence, even after he sailed across the ocean for a long time, was in many storms, and his sailors conspired to kill him, Columbus firmly believed that they would find land and proposed that they sail on. He was unshaken in his faith and therefore kept saying, “Sail on!” According to our natural understanding, that was an example of Columbus’s faith, which was the result of a strong will. His faith together with his courage became an effectual resolve. However, this is not what the Bible means when it speaks of faith.