I became a Christian in my teenage years.  I won’t tell you my age… but I now have teenagers of my own.  Even after all this time of being a ‘Believer’ there are a lot of things in the Bible that I find hard to believe.  It’s not that I have an active unbelief toward these things.  It’s more that I am simply unable to comprehend their magnitude.  As a result, they aren’t included among the first things when I describe things I believe.

Take, for instance, this statement from the Apostle Paul:  “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ…” (Colossians 2.9-10; NIV)

Even though my heart burns within me as I read this statement, the implication remains somewhat of a mystery.  It just sounds so BIG.   So unimaginable.   So unbelievable.

I am comfortable with – and even believe – the theological concept that God Himself dwells within Christ.  Hebrews 1.3 tells us that Jesus is the perfect representation of the Father.  And, in many other places, the Bible tells us that Jesus and the Father are One (see Jn 14.10).  Though I may find it difficult to explain, I have a reference point for this.

But, how could it be possible that I have fullness in Christ if, at the same time, God is fully manifesting Himself in Christ?  It feels a bit incongruous.  He’s perfectly pure and I’m…. not.  Some days when I read this scripture I find myself wanting to buy into it wholeheartedly.  But, other times, I sit uncomfortably on a train of thought that leads me to doubt.

Is this tension and lack of clarity a sign of unbelief?   I don’t think so.  Quite the opposite.  Using the analogy of the fence (see posts), I think I’m discovering a fence I didn’t realise was there.  Or, maybe more likely, I’m coming up on what I thought was a boundary only to discover it is an entry-point into a new horizon of faith.

The clue that gave it away was the fact that my heart continues to burn when I read and consider this passage.  That tells me Holy Spirit is highlighting a truth – even if it is hidden.    I have often held onto the truth that God has chosen to make known the mystery of Christ in us (Col 1.27).  But recently Holy Spirit has been highlighting that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2.3).  My heart has been lit aflame with this idea and I have been seeking these treasures with zeal.  So, I will continue pursuing the hidden treasure of what it means for me to have been given fullness in Christ.

I cannot yet articulate all I’m sensing.  Nor do I know the extent of what lies on the other side of the fence I’m dismantling, but I’m praying that I will have sufficient courage to explore the fullness of these new realms.