The Fullness of the Message to Laodicea

It is written about Jesus in Colossians 2:9: "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form." Those who read the Bible repeatedly read this verse and know it by heart. Let's focus on the expression "fullness of Deity" and understand what this means. The fullness of something implies complete perfection, to which nothing can be added and nothing needs to be removed.

God originally made everything perfect, and if there had been no sin, we would now be inhabiting the most perfect world and would be clothed in the fullness of Deity bodily.

Deity is the unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, in which Each fulfills His mission by agreement, remaining an independent Person possessing omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, and self-sufficiency.

One of the best explanations of such a mission we can see in 2 Corinthians 13:13: "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

In the person of Jesus Christ, the entire fullness of God was embodied bodily, and He represented the perfection of the Divine Plan of Salvation, to which nothing could be added, and the Divine unity within Himself, from which nothing could be removed.

The fullness of Jesus' Deity was revealed to the world in His earthly life. His character was unblemished and pure, despite the sinful environment. His love for truth and fallen people remained unconditional, unchanged, genuine, and constant, skillfully combining mercy for the sinner and justice toward sin. The Savior's wisdom was revealed to the world in impeccable teaching, containing not a single error, including toward people who were close to Him. In Christ, the true character of God was comprehensively revealed to us and an example for imitation was given.

In the message to Laodicea, the Faithful Witness rebukes me for my lukewarm state but also offers a way out through counsel, assuring me that I will become a victor.

It is difficult for me to understand what victory the Lord has in mind, but since He calls those who heed His counsel and let Him into a relationship with themselves victors, the best thing is to accept everything He offers and expects.

In Revelation 3:18, we see a symbolic description of what will make each of us passionate and grant us complete victory. In these symbols, upon deep study, one can discern the love of God the Father, the righteousness and grace of Jesus Christ, and wisdom in communion with the Holy Spirit. In subsequent verses, there is a call to constancy and daily close communion with Christ during my best personal time.

The fullness of the message to Laodicea lies in the fact that I cannot choose just one thing from what is offered and develop to perfection in that. I need to buy everything and reach character perfection in each gift.

If I decide that love or faith will be the most important goods in our trade, but do not see the need for Christ's righteousness and baptism in the Holy Spirit, one can imagine what kind of faith and love I will achieve.

If I decide to comprehend righteousness by faith, delve into the depth of this science, but do not have love and trust in God and do not comprehend the fullness of the wisdom of the Salvation Plan in other matters, whose righteousness will I ultimately be endowed with?

If I take the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and study only this topic, without paying attention to the drawing of this Very Spirit to righteousness and love by faith in Jesus, what spirit will possess my mind and will?

We are surrounded on all sides by such one-sided teachings and movements where a part of the truth for the present time is enthusiastically offered, but the fullness of the entire message is ignored.

Unfortunately, various false teachings are trying to infiltrate our ranks, through which the enemy of the soul desires to assure us that God the Father is one and does not need a Mediator, or that Jesus is a creation, or that the Holy Spirit is a force that proceeds from God. There are also entire denominations that preach baptism in the Holy Spirit but violate God's Law given by God Himself. And all this is already breaking into our church through individual people into my consciousness under the guise of some good for all of us.

But delusion will never become truth and will never replace the fullness that the Faithful and True Witness offers.

The Lord will not allow me, by buying something from Him, to not receive everything else. He does not divide Himself into parts, as if one thing is more important than another, but entrusts Everything in one package.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit desire to dwell undividedly in me in all Their fullness, without any limitations on Their part, as it is in Christ Jesus. Although this sounds very solemn and beautiful, such fullness turns out to be very tender and respectful toward me. Deity considers my choice and expression of faith and will and does not violate these boundaries without my consent. Amazing love!

Moreover, the Lord Jesus, selling me His Heavenly goods and seeing my zeal in buying them, decides to personally come to me and in personal communion guide me in the language of revelations on how to live with what I have acquired and how these Purchases plan to use me. He shows me His unchanging love in our communion with Him and endows me with this same agape, establishing my character in it through various life situations. And I am no longer afraid to love my neighbors but see in such an attitude the invisible manifestation of God's fullness, where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit establish and root me in Themselves, and Themselves in me.

Without Jesus, it is impossible to understand and accept all this. Only He opens this door numbered "Revelation 3:18," which no one will close.

The Bible also describes one personality who from the day of creation was clothed in the fullness of perfection but neglected this privilege, became proud, and became an enemy of God and then an enemy of the human soul. Now all the power, wisdom, and beauty of this anointed cherub work against God and His people and lead the entire world to destruction. This fallen angel perfectly understands what the Faithful Witness offers me and does everything possible to divert my gaze from this message or offer me to buy just one thing from what Jesus advises. Unfortunately, the enemy of the soul has succeeded in his deceptions, but the Lord does not cease to call us to Himself and waits, waits very long for the moment when we will hear Him and respond.

I have often heard the verse from Revelation 3:20 out of context from the message itself. The Lord stands at each person's heart and knocks, wanting to enter. So it is, but in the light of the message to Laodicea, He comes in this way only to those who have entered into trading relationships with Him. Why come to someone who ignores your counsels and does not follow them? Will the groom bother his bride when he hears her clear "No" and complete indifference to his claims?

By giving me All of Himself, Deity desires to have all of me, not dividing me into spirit, soul, and body, but receiving the entire human, with all his time and all his sins and characteristics.

And the Lord also desires that we hear this message and enter into it voluntarily.

Reflection Questions for this Chapter

1. Please read Romans 8:32; John 1:16; James 1:4; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:18-19; Colossians 1:18-20; 2:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Revelation 3:18-20 in light of this chapter.

2. What did you understand from this chapter?

3. What other Bible verses came to your mind?

4. What would righteousness and love look like without the power of the Holy Spirit?

5. What would all of God's gifts look like without love?

6. How can one understand God's fullness in oneself and determine if it is present?

7. What happens to those who reject all of God's fullness and choose just one thing?

8. Does the Faithful Witness from Revelation 3:18 offer something for our choice and taste, or does He want us to acquire everything in a package?

9. If I do not understand how to determine the fullness of Deity in my life, will this be a grief to me?

10. Will the Lord endow everyone indiscriminately with Himself, or does He choose a special people?

11. What is needed to acquire everything Christ counsels?

12. Can a perfect person filled with all the blessings of Heaven fall under temptation? (1 Corinthians 10:12)

13. Does the Lord know how to preserve His children among all kinds of temptations?

14. Are you joyful in understanding God's beautiful plan for all of us?

15. What should I do if I do not understand how to obtain God's fullness?