Full of grace.
Full of grace.
G. Campbell Morgan on God’s fullness in the person of Christ.
Paul’s letter to the Colossians is an opus of Christology, the likes of which are unrivaled by any piece of writing in humanity’s history. The opening salvo alone (Col. 1:3–23) is worthy of volumes upon volumes of study and exposition. In Chapter 2, the apostle continues his perusal and proclamation of the all-surpassing worthiness of Christ alone. “For in him,” he declares, “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). All that the Father is from before the foundations of the world is embodied in Jesus. As G. Campbell Morgan asserts, he was the wondrous and winsome “unveiling of Deity” (2:239). Morgan goes on to say:
We behold Him “full of grace,” full of tenderness, full of gentleness, full of pity, full of all that winsomeness and attractiveness that made Him dear to children, and to needy men, and to sinning souls. We behold Him full of grace, full of grace to children, gathering them into His arms, putting them into the midst of His disciples; full of grace toward the afflicted, forevermore moved with compassion in the presence of any limitation. No cripple ever crossed the vision of Christ without Christ feeling the pain of all the cripple’s limitation. Full of grace toward sinners. Take the New Testament and read it once more, and see if you can find one harsh thing He said to a sinner. Harsh things to oppressors and to sinners in that particular respect; but to someone take in an act of sin, overwhelmed with the burden of sin, never an angry word. Full of grace, full of winsomeness, full of beauty. (2:239–40)
The fullness of God’s heart was on display every single moment Jesus was on the earth. Even now, in glory, he stands as our Intercessor and Advocate (1 John 2:2), still exhibiting before the balcony of heaven the infinite depths of his grace. May your lives of faith be continually enamored by the fullness of God as seen in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace to you, friends.
Works cited:
G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit: The Preaching of G. Campbell Morgan, Vols. 1–10 (Fincastle, VA: Scripture Truth Book Co., 1954).
Thanks for that. I find it incredibly significant the way that Paul explicitly and repeatedly connects the fullness of God with the Grace extended to us in Christ, as here in Colossians 1, 'For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.' It would be interesting to know the connection between the development of these thoughts in Colossians and John's '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.' Some of what you posted from Morgan seems as if he was thinking of John's prologue, I was wondering if he makes that connection explicitly? I wrote this for a friend a few years ago against the use of Colossians to promote the kind of self-righteousness that confuses itself with sanctification, https://comfortwithtruth.substack.com/p/sanctification-two-filthy-johnshtml Anyway great stuff. Much appreciated.