Yesterday I shared I was reading through Colossians and saw a whole lot more places in the book that dealt with the richness of our completed position in Christ. Reading through it again today, I found nine more times the idea of our fullness in Christ, our completeness, our perfection in Him was mentioned, if not directly, buy allusion, or word play.
One passage in particular jarred me to a halt. Colossians 2:2. The richness (pun intended) of the passage is nearly overwhelming. The word play of Paul in describing the wealth that we have in the knowledge of the mystery of God is stunning. The original that is translated wealth and full assurance have similar root meanings, and the result of that wealth is true knowledge, which one could argue has a similar weight.
But the real punch comes at the end of the verse. All of our English translations have to add words to make the verse read well. It is a shame. The literal translation of the last part of the verse is, “…the mystery of God, Christ.” The unadorned mention of the savior receives the full force of all that comes before. Paul is telling us, emphatically, that the wealth, the fullness of the life he is describing to this church is Christ.
There is nothing more. We need nothing more. He is the wealth.
But the real punch comes at the end of the verse. All of our English translations have to add words to make the verse read well. It is a shame. The literal translation of the last part of the verse is, “…the mystery of God, Christ.” The unadorned mention of the savior receives the full force of all that comes before. Paul is telling us, emphatically, that the wealth, the fullness of the life he is describing to this church is Christ.
There is nothing more. We need nothing more. He is the wealth.
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