Christ as God's Fullness VS Christ as Rich Soil
Col
2:6-7
"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him"
Col
2:10
"You are complete in Him, who is the head of all
principality and power"
Col
2:19
"From whom all the body...grows with the increase
that is from God"
Phil 1:19 Abundant supply so we lack nothing
Item |
Christ as God's Fullness |
Christ as Rich Soil |
Definition |
All the
fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Christ, and Christ is the expression
of God's riches—not merely God's riches, but the expression of the riches of
what God is |
Christ as our
living land and rich soil, in whom we are rooted, enabling us to walk in Him
and absorb Him, so that we may grow by the elements absorbed from this soil |
Nature & Characteristics |
•
Static state of being • Emphasizes what Christ is in His fullness • Theological
ontological description • Eternal
unchanging fact • Complete
expression of divinity |
•
Dynamic supply system • Emphasizes Christ's functional role for believers • Practical
functional description •
Continuous ongoing experience •
Living vital supply |
Core Distinctions |
Perspective: From God's viewpoint of Christ Focus: Christ's identity and being Relationship: God and Christ's relationship Tense: Eternal fact Function: Reveals God's glory Emphasis: Christ's completeness and richness |
Perspective: From believers' viewpoint of Christ Focus: Christ's function and supply Relationship: Christ and believers' relationship Tense: Continuous experience Function: Supplies believers' growth Emphasis: Christ's supply and nourishment |
Examples |
• Incarnation: "The Word became
flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" • Divine Expression: Christ fully
expresses the image of the invisible God • Fullness Dwelling: All fullness dwells
in Him • Complete Expression: Christ is the
exact expression of God's being |
• Rooted and Built up: Believers rooted
in Christ like plants rooted in soil for growth • Absorbing Nourishment: Believers absorb
spiritual nutrients from Christ as soil • Element Supply: Christ contains
elements like death, burial, resurrection, life • Lacking Nothing: In this soil believers
lack nothing, being perfected and completed |
Rich Elements |
Content of Fullness: •
All fullness of the Godhead • Complete
expression of what God is • God's
history and mystery • Riches
of His Person and process • Unsearchable
riches |
Eight Elements of the Soil: 1. Circumcision Element: Power to put flesh to death 2. Burial Element: Causes us to be buried 3. Resurrection Element: Causes us to be resurrected 4. Life Element: Makes us alive 5. Blotting Element: Blots out ordinances written
against us 6. Victory Element: Overcomes evil spirits in the
air 7. Headship Authority: Head over
all principalities and powers 8. Complete Supply: Makes believers filled, perfected,
completed |
Related Scriptures |
Col 2:9 "For in Him dwells all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily" Col 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation" Col 1:19 "For it pleased the Father that in Him
all the fullness should dwell" Eph 1:23 "The church, which is His body, the
fullness of Him who fills all in all" John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and dwelt among
us, full of grace and truth" Eph 3:8 "The unsearchable riches of Christ" Col 3:10-11 Range of God's rich expression |
Col 2:11 "In Him you were also circumcised...by
putting off the body of the sins of the flesh" Col 2:12 "Buried with Him in baptism, in which you
also were raised with Him" Col 2:13 "God has forgiven you all trespasses,
having made you alive together with Christ" Col 2:14 "Having wiped out the handwriting of
requirements...nailing it to the cross" Col 2:15 "Having disarmed principalities and
powers...triumphing over them in it" 1 Cor 3:6,9 "I planted...you are God's field" |
Practical Applications |
Cognitive Level: •
Establish correct knowledge of Christ's divinity • Build
faith foundation of Christ's complete divinity • Understand
depth and height of Christology • Know
and worship Christ's fullness Worship Focus: • Worship
Christ as God's complete expression • Praise
God's fullness dwelling in Christ |
Life Practice: • Draw
supply from Christ in daily life • Learn
to walk in Christ • Build
solid spiritual foundation •
Experience the working of Christ's various elements Growth Exercise: • Continuously
draw life supply from Christ • Let
Christ's elements work in us • Root
deeper in Christ as soil |
Dealing with Negative Aspects |
Victory through Fullness: • Christ's
fullness overcomes all emptiness • God's
riches transcend world's poverty • Christ's
completeness overcomes human lack |
Soil's Killing Power: • Deal with flesh: circumcision element kills flesh • Deal with ordinances: blot out accusations against us • Deal with evil spirits: overcome principalities and powers in the air • Bury old man: buried with Christ in baptism |
Positive Supply |
Giving of Fullness: • We
are made full in Him • Filled
with all divine riches • Become
His expression of fullness |
Nourishment from Soil: • Supply
of resurrection life • Life-giving
elements make us alive •
Makes us filled, perfected, completed •
Thoroughly supplied, lacking nothing |
Integrated Relationship |
Foundational Position: Christ must
first be God's fullness before He can be our rich soil. His fullness is the
foundation and source of His ability to supply us. |
Experiential Pathway: Our absorption
from Christ as soil is the concrete way and practical method of experiencing
His fullness. |
Ultimate Goal |
God's Glory: Express God's
glory, manifest God's fullness in Christ, so that God receives complete
expression |
Believers' Growth: Believers grow
to maturity in Christ, built up as God's dwelling place, corporately
expressing Christ |
Summary
Points:
Complementary Relationship:
"Christ as God's Fullness" and "Christ as
Rich Soil" are not opposing concepts but complementary aspects:
- Fullness explains Christ's essential identity - He is the dwelling of the Godhead's fullness
- Soil explains Christ's functional role
- He
is the supply source for believers' growth
Complete Picture:
Together they present Christ as both the full God and the
supplier of believers' life, moving from static theological knowledge to
dynamic life experience, from objective truth facts to subjective spiritual
experience.
Practical Balance:
Believers should both know what Christ is in His
fullness, establishing a solid faith foundation, and experience what Christ
gives as soil, continuously growing in spiritual life, ultimately reaching
completeness and maturity in Christ.
*Please refer to the 2025
June Semi-Annual Summer Training, General Topic: Experiencing, Enjoying, and
Manifesting Christ (Part 3), Part 2: Knowing Christ as Our Model and Taking Him
as Our Model
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