What is the meaning of Colossians 1:19-20, For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell; and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
God created man in His image and gave man dominion
In order to understand Colossians 1:19-20 we must go back to the creation. After God created man in His image, He gave man dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
There was a spiritual unity between God and man. God walked with man and had a relationship with man. There was peace between man and God until the devil interfered.
The devil approached man in the form of a serpent and tempted man with a half-truth; a subtle lie. His subtle lie worked to persuade man to believe his words and act upon his words. By acting upon the words of the serpent, man disobeyed God’s commandment.
As a result of man’s disobedience to God, death entered and man fell from his position as son of God (this applies to both males and females) and ruler over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28, 3, Luke 3:38).
The natural and spiritual hierarchy disrupted
From the moment, that man disobeyed the commandment of God and sinned, the natural and spiritual hierarchy in the heavens and on earth became disrupted and changed and the peace and relationship between God and man was broken.
Man was no longer a son of God and ruler over the earth. Instead, the fallen archangel Lucifer, who is also called the devil and satan, who was cast out of heaven on earth due to his rebellion, had robbed the dominion of man with his lie.
Now the devil became the ruler of the world and took the place of God and became the father of fallen mankind.
But luckily God had a plan to restore what was broken and disrupted.
God’s redemptive plan for humanity
God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ. So that, no one should be lost and condemned on the Day of Judgment. Everyone, who would believe in Jesus the Christ, would be saved and by faith and regeneration in Him have eternal life (John 3:16).
And so God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth to destroy the works and the power of the devil and to bring peace on earth. Jesus brought peace by redeeming fallen man from the power of the devil and reconciling fallen man back to God.
Jesus came to restore and take back what the devil had stolen and disrupted in heaven and on earth.
What does it mean having made peace through the blood of His cross?
Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, through the blood of His cross, all things in heaven and on earth were reconciled to God. Through Jesus Christ, God dealt with the sin problem that separated mankind from God and kept them in bondage of the devil through their flesh, in which the sin nature dwells.
And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven (Colossians 1:20)
Jesus restored the spiritual hierarchy and took legally back what the devil had stolen from man in the garden of Eden.
Jesus gave all authority and power to the believers, who had become the new creation, by His blood and regeneration in Him, and are His Body, the Church.
Everything was completed by -and in Jesus Christ, who was (and is) the image of God, the Firstborn of every creature and the Head of His Body; the Church.
After the perfect work of redemption on the cross, by the blood of Jesus and by faith and regeneration in Him, man was reconciled with God.
People could walk again with God and have a relationship with God instead of communicating with God via prophets, priests, etc., like in the Old Covenant.
What does the redemption in Jesus Christ mean?
Jesus Christ redeemed fallen man from his sin nature (the old man) through regeneration in Him and made man righteous and restored man’s position.
If you are born again in Christ and belong to His Body (the Church), you have been made holy and righteous and are reconciled with God. Not because of your works or by following a set of laws, rules, precepts, ordinances, education, courses, etc. but because of the grace of God; through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and His blood.
Jesus Christ in Whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwells, is the Mediator between man and God. He shed His blood and reconciled (and still reconciles) the people, who believe in Him and become born again in Him, to God.
Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:8-10)
There is no other way to be saved and to be reconciled with God than through Jesus Christ, the Son of God and by His blood. All the fulness of the Godhead bodily dwells (permanently) in Him. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Jesus said unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me (John 14:6)
There is no other way! There are no other ways, means, methods, technics, steps, and procedures that can make a person holy and righteous and restore what was broken and disturbed through the fall, and reconcile a person with God.
God has made a way through the cross and the blood of His Son to take away the enmity between God and fallen mankind and restore the peace between God and man.
All fulness dwells in Jesus Christ
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief (made Him sick): when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:10-13).
And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, Which is His Body, the fulness of Him that fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23)
(Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things (Ephesians 4:9-10))
For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell (Colossians 1:19)
All fulness of the Godhead bodily dwells in Jesus Christ. He has made everything complete in Him. Therefore, everything you need in life is in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of fallen man, and High-Priest of the New Covenant, which is sealed with His own precious blood. But Jesus is not only Redeemer and High-Priest of the New Covenant.
The Father highly exalted His Son
Because God the Father has highly exalted His Son Jesus Christ and put Him above the angels, and given Him a Name, which is above every name, and seated Him at His right hand and appointed Him as King in His Kingdom.
He gave Him all power and authority in the heavens and on earth. He has put all things (angels, powers, authorities, principalities, rulers, etc.) under His feet and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fulness of Him that fills all in all. (a.o. Acts 2:32-36; 5:31, Philippians 2:9-10, Colossians 1:13; 3:1, 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15-16, Hebrews 1; 8:1-2, 1 Peter 3:22)
The fulness obtained in Jesus Christ
All fulness of the Godhead bodily dwells in Jesus Christ, and through Christ everything is fulfilled. If you are born again and have become a new creation and belongs to His Body; His Church, then you have been made complete in Him and all the fulness of the Godhead bodily that dwells in Christ dwells in you (a.o. John 17).
John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that comes after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:15-17)
For in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:9-10)
For He whom God hath sent speaks the words of God: for God gives not the Spirit by measure unto Him. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:34-36)
The Church is the Embassy of the Kingdom of God
The Church is the Embassy of the Kingdom of God and the spiritual reign of Jesus Christ on earth, in which all the fulness of Christ dwells. As long as the Church stays in Christ and obey the Head, the Church has all authority and all power.
God gave everyone, who is born again in Christ and became a new creation and is reconciled with God and belongs to His Body, power and authority to become sons of God (both males and females).
God gave His sons knowledge, wisdom, authority, and power, to walk in the fulness of Jesus Christ and represent, preach and bring the Kingdom of God on earth, and to stand in the spiritual war against sin and the devil and destroy his works.
It’s the will of God, that His sons (both male and female) persevere and stand and stay obedient to Him and live holy lives devoted to Him.
It is the will of God that they live holy lives and redeem sinners, who are taken captive by the lies of the devil and live in bondage of the kingdom of darkness, by preaching the truth; the gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross, and the blood and call them to repentance. So that, many sinners be saved and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ from all their sins and iniquities and through regeneration in Christ be made holy and righteous and reconciled with God and walk in His will.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
