19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
19 to know the love of Christ
The love of Christ for the believer is at the core of what the Christian should know about Him. “Know” in the Greek means to know by experience. It is an application word.
which passes knowledge;
Knowledge of Christ’s love surpasses all other knowledge. There is nothing that exceeds it. The word “passes” comes from a combination of two Greek words: to throw and beyond, giving the idea of transcend. There is no way to fully experience the love of Christ; it is too big, too vast, too extensive. We can grasp something of it but not grasp it fully.
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
“Filled” carries the idea of fill to the full. This kind of filling with the fullness of God implies total commitment to this filling. God wants us to be fully like Him. If we allow ourselves to be filled with God, we cannot be filled with self at the same time.
Note that this expression says that we are filled unto the fullness of God, not with His fullness. We cannot put the universe in a boxcar. We cannot possibly be filled with all the fullness of God. The idea is of goal and not achievement in its completeness. Therefore, this phrase does not mean that the believer can encompass the whole fullness of God. The word “with,” in the phrase “with all the fullness of God,” means with a view to, denoting a goal. We can find the fullness of God only in Christ. It is in our position of being “in Christ” that we are complete (Co 2:9-10).
The giving of strength by the Holy Spirit makes possible the indwelling of Christ in us experientially. This leads to “the fullness of God.” Knowing the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, directs us to the fullness of God.
Since God is infinite, we cannot be filled with infinite fullness of God. The fullness here has to do with the dominance of God in our lives.
This fullness is ours already at the point of salvation. However, we need to experientially apply positional truth to experience (which is the argument of Ephesians). Knowing this helps believers to love each other.
PRINCIPLE:
We love because God gives us love first.
APPLICATION:
God gives to us before He expects anything of us. He gives us love and expects us to love others. Knowledge of Christ’s love for us transcends any other kind of love. If we have a good grasp of His love for us, it will have a divine impact on us.
Human love loves to get; biblical love loves in order to give. Human love comes from romanticism, appearance, and even commitment to others, but even that is a far cry from Christ’s love. His love does not depend on how others love Him. Human love operates on reciprocity. God’s love is one-way love, regardless of how others feel or what they do. This kind of love does not stop loving if it is rejected by others. This world system cannot comprehend Christ’s love; it is an enigma to the world.
Believers are to grasp an experiential knowledge of the love of God so that they can be filled unto the fullness of God. This is a fullness that God gives to those who live in fellowship with Him.
Hi Grant,
The amplified version describes this verse very differently (that you are flooded with God Himself, through all your being).
Will you please shed some light for me – when you receive the Holy Spirit at conversion, and the Holy Spirit is fully God, do you not receive the fullness of God, being the temple of the Holy Spirit? How is that different than what is being explained in this verse (filled with all the fullness of God)?
C, it is important to be careful with amplified or paraphrased versions such as the Amplified because they are not true translations. They give further explanations (interpretations) than the actual Greek or Hebrew texts. This a confusion between the essence of God in His deity and the function of God in His indwelling Holy Spirit (i.e., his presence in the believer). Everywhere presence cannot be put into a local, finite human being.
Grant, thank you for responding to all my questions 🙂
You don’t know how much you have helped me!
What is a good translation other than KJV that I can use, also a recommendation of a study Bible?
C, a more literal translation is the New American Standard Version, which was used by many Bible students throughout the 20th century. In this century, most have chosen the English Standard Version. Almost all NT scholars criticize the NIV because it is poorly translated in so many places. Both the NAS and the ESV are more literal translations and attempt to represent the text accurately.
C, there are many good study Bibles. Ryrie is a good one that has been around for a number of years.