Colossians 2:9 Meaning and Explanation
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The whole fullness of God lives in Jesus, and it lives there in a real body.
The Context of Colossians 2:9
Paul writes this to guard the Colossians from teachers who treated Christ as one rung on a ladder of spiritual beings, urging the church to seek God somewhere beyond Him. Paul answers that there is no beyond. God is fully present in Jesus.
What Does Colossians 2:9 Mean?
Paul stacks his words to leave no gap. All the fullness of God is here, the entire measure of it. The Godhead itself dwells in Him, the whole divine reality. And it dwells bodily, in the real human Jesus who was born, who grew tired, who could be touched. The God we thought we had to climb past the world to find has instead come all the way into it, taking up residence in a body like ours. Everything God is, lives in Him.
This is the deepest comfort of the Christian faith. We do not have to assemble God out of fragments or hope we have found the right path among many. In Jesus the fullness already dwells, and that fullness has a human face. The One who made the heavens can be met in the carpenter from Nazareth. To know Him is to know God completely, lacking nothing.
Colossians 2:9 in the Original Language
pleroma (πλήρωμα), 'fulness' -- the complete sum, the entirety with nothing left out or missing.
How to Apply Colossians 2:9 Today
When we wonder where to find God, this verse points us to one place. We do not search past Jesus for something fuller. All of God dwells in Him, in a real and human life, near enough to know and to love.
Frequently Asked Questions About Colossians 2:9
What does Colossians 2:9 mean?
The whole fullness of God lives in Jesus, and it lives there in a real body.
What is the context of Colossians 2:9?
Paul writes this to guard the Colossians from teachers who treated Christ as one rung on a ladder of spiritual beings, urging the church to seek God somewhere beyond Him. Paul answers that there is no beyond. God is fully present in Jesus.
How can I apply Colossians 2:9 today?
When we wonder where to find God, this verse points us to one place. We do not search past Jesus for something fuller. All of God dwells in Him, in a real and human life, near enough to know and to love.