For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell [Col. 1:19].

9. “It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.” The fullness is the pleroma. That is one of the most important words in this epistle. Over in Philippians it was the kenosis. That is, it emphasized that Christ emptied Himselfe and became a servant; He emptied Himself of the glory that He had with the Father. He didn’t empty Himself of His deity—He was God when He came to this earth. The pleroma, the full fullness of God, dwells in Him.
When He was down here on this earth, the pleroma was at home in Jesus. He was 100 percent God—not 99.44 percent, but 100 percent. That little baby that was lying on the bosom of Mary over nineteen hundred years ago seemed so helpless, but He could have spoken this universe out of existence. He is Man of very man; He is God of very God. That is who He is.
We can outline these verses from another perspective. I would like to do this for you in order to add to our understanding of this portion of Scripture.

1. Christ’s relationship to the Father—verse 15
2. Christ’s relationship to creation—verses 16–17
3. Christ’s relationship to the church—verses 18–19
4. Christ’s relationship to the cross—verse 20


McGee, J. V. (1991). Vol. 48: Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Philippians/Colossians) (electronic ed.) (135–136). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.