When we are rooted in Christ as the soil, the first thing to take place is that we are made full in Him (2:10). The phrase “made full” implies a great deal and requires an amplified translation in order to bring out its real significance. The Greek word implies completion, perfection, satisfaction, and full accomplishment. In Christ as the soil we are filled, completed, perfected, satisfied, and thoroughly supplied. We have pointed out that the first element of the soil is the fullness of the Godhead. As we absorb into our being the rich nourishment from the soil, we enjoy this fullness. Then this fullness makes us full, completes us, perfects us, satisfies us, accomplishes everything for us, and thoroughly supplies our every need.
At this point, we need to consider further the meaning of fullness. What is the fullness spoken of in 2:9? As Colossians 1 indicates, the fullness is the expression of God. This expression is related to the image of God (1:15). As the image of the invisible God, Christ is both the Firstborn of all creation and also the Firstborn from among the dead (1:15, 18). The Godhead is expressed first in the old creation and then in the new creation, the church. Because all things were created in Christ, through Christ, and unto Christ, and because all things subsist together in Christ, there is the expression of the Godhead, the divine Being, in the old creation. The new creation is the church, the new man, in which Christ is all and in all (3:10-11). The fullness of God is thus the expression of God in the old creation and in the new creation. This expression of God, the fullness of the divine Being, is the image of the invisible God. We have pointed out previously that in 1:15 the phrase “Firstborn of all creation” stands in apposition to the expression “image of the invisible God.” This indicates that the Firstborn of all creation is equal to the image of the invisible God. Christ is expressed in the items of the old creation. The same is true of the new creation, since Christ is the Firstborn from among the dead. Christ, the Beloved of God, is the image of the invisible God expressed in the old creation and in the new creation. This expression is the fullness of the Godhead.
This fullness is inexhaustible. Such an inexhaustible fullness is the first element of the rich soil in which we are rooted. God has planted us into a rich land. The first aspect of this land is the fullness of the Godhead, the expression of God in the old creation and in the new creation. Thus, the fullness implies the expression of God in the old creation and in the new creation. Having been planted into such rich soil, we absorb nourishment from the soil. The first element of the riches of the soil is the fullness. In this fullness we have been made full. Thus, we are short of nothing.
Paul wanted the Colossian believers to realize that since they had been made full in Christ, they had no need to worship angels. Christ was the Head of all rule and authority, and angels were just one item of God’s creation. In the fullness we are made full, complete, and perfect. Everything necessary is accomplished, and we are supplied and satisfied. Oh, this fullness is all-inclusive. It includes righteousness, justification, holiness, sanctification, and whatever we may need. Having been planted into this fullness, we should simply absorb nourishment from it. As we do so, we shall find that we have no lack. The experiences of crucifixion and resurrection are in the fullness. Praise the Lord that we may enjoy the universal, eternal, extensive, all-inclusive fullness! This fullness dwells in Christ bodily. Since Christ is the good land in which we have been rooted, we have been rooted in this fullness; in it we have been made full, complete, and perfect. We have no need whatever.
Before we were rooted in Christ as the good land, we did not have anything positive. Instead, we were involved with the flesh, the ordinances, and power of darkness. But now that we have been rooted in the good land, the fullness has become ours, and we are supplied with every positive thing. In this all-inclusive and extensive fullness, we have everything. We have God, we have an uplifted humanity, and we have divine attributes and human virtues. Do you need life? It is found in this fullness. Do you need love or patience? They also are included in the fullness. Because this fullness is all-inclusive, it accomplishes everything for us, it fully satisfies and supplies us, and it makes us full, perfect, and complete. How rich is the soil in which we have been rooted! It supplies us with everything, and we have no lack. We have the all-inclusive, inexhaustible fullness. In this universe there is such a thing that Paul in Colossians calls the fullness. This fullness dwells in Christ bodily. In Him, the embodiment of the fullness of the Godhead, we are made full.