If you were to ask almost anyone in the world if they desired to live a full life, the answer would undoubtedly be “Yes!” We like the experience of fullness in relationships, appetites, accomplishments and material wealth. Did you know that God has in mind for the Christian to experience His fullness? In Ephesians 4:13 the Apostle Paul indicates that it is God’s desire that His church be edified, “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” God wants you to grow to spiritual perfection (or completion) which He measures by the standard of Jesus Christ.
Coming to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ leads to another question; what is the fullness of Christ? This is a theologically rich question that I will attempt to answer as simply as I know how.
All that we can know of God’s fullness is what He reveals to us.
What He reveals to us is His glory.
His glory is His fullness.
God’s greatest revelation to us is in His Son Jesus Christ. John 1:14 says, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” When we see Jesus, we are beholding the glory of God (who is full of grace and truth).
Since God’s glory is His fullness, there is a necessity to understand God’s glory. Theologian and 15th Century Pastor Jonathan Edwards has helped me tremendously to better understand the concept of glory. Although no one this side of heaven will ever have a perfect understanding of God’s glory, Edwards breaks it down for us in three parts. God’s glory consists primarily in these three things:
1. His understanding
2. His happiness
3. His holiness