“And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.” Colossians 2:10
Dear Ones:
It was a terrible moment when Jesus died on the cross, having fulfilled the will of the Father by bearing not only the sins of all mankind, but also the just punishment for them. In a moment like that, the greatest manifestation of the love of God, man can but grasp only an infinitely small part of its importance, and significance. First of all, we know little of the love of the Father towards the Son, and that of the Son towards the Father. We shall only begin to know such love, where there revealed the total giving by one Individual to Another, because of the power to do so, and the worth of the One loved. David once wrote, “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.” (Ps. 73:25) How could he say such a thing, and make such a startling distinction between that which is in heaven and that which is in earth? It is because of the worth of the One in heaven, as opposed to that which is of this earth. He sees the Creator and Redeemer in His wisdom, power, perfect beauty and holiness. He then looks to the things of earth, and sees in the creation, imperfection and the effects of the ravages of sin. This does not mean that mankind does not have just a little worth in comparison with God. The giving by God the Father of the Son, to die for all mankind, is proof of the worth that He places, not only on mankind as a whole, but upon every individual. What is the great characteristic of worth, and the love associated with it? It is “completeness.” What is meant by this? God cannot deny in the smallest measure what He is. If for example, as Scripture declares, He is love, this means that He is perfectly love, and nothing less than love. In regard to the issue of Him being righteous, this means that He is perfect in His righteousness, with no fault or blemish. All that He does, thinks, wills, is right, perfectly so. In other words, He does not make mistakes, nor ever comes up short in declaring, accomplishing, and being that which is right. When Jesus died on the cross, He did so with a perfect love towards the Father. When He fulfilled all the demands of the law of God, in sinful man’s behalf, He did so perfectly. The work that He finished on Calvary was complete, in an absolute manner. It is this Sacrifice that demonstrates to us a perfect, unchanging love, every day. It is this work, or mission, that reveals to us that God has provided a PERFECT way for imperfect man to be forgiven of all his sins, and this completely. From the moment that Jesus uttered the words, “It is finished,” sealed by His death, an eternal and perfect work was accomplished, all from a heart that was perfectly loving. He died to save us all, but who will trust Him fully for so great salvation?
Paul’s words, “…and ye are complete in Him,” reveals to us that this perfect work and love, have been given to every believer, regardless of his understanding of them. The measure of the believer’s experience of this love and righteousness of God can only be known by the faith that God gives. He gives such faith to those who seek Him, who study His word of truth, and trust Him according to it. To be complete in Christ is to realize and grasp, as David put it, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” All has been provided in Christ for every need. Paul affirms this by writing, “And My God shall supply ALL your need according to His riches in glory.” (Philippians 4:19) By faith the fullness of Christ’s perfect life is made our own. It is therefore unto Him alone that belongs all the glory.
Dear Father, Open our eyes to see Thy perfection, with the faith to partake of the Lord Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad