PowerPoint Presentation1
C
Day 7. 25 Aug.
19 “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.”
“19For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.”
Cf. John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
This Word both was with and was God. Very intentional distinction of unity made here by John.
Who is this Word who is God?
Jesus as He comes again in the Revelation the Father gave to St. John. Revelation 19:13 “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”
Two things:
The Greek word logos here means a lot of things. With St. John, when it’s used as a proper name it refers to Jesus.
Side note: Also…It’s Revelation, not Revelations when you’re talking about that book. The title is properly called “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Cf. John 1:14: “14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” John 3:16.
Christianity rests on the Deity of the Messiah. If He is not fully God than we’re idolaters and the JWs, Muslims and Mormons and many more are right about us.
What “fullness” is it that dwells in Christ?
First we should note that whatever this fullness is—that it dwells “bodily” in Jesus of Nazareth.
This, as we talked, is against the Gnostic heresy that He was not really a man.
What is the fullness?
Scriptura scripturam.
Cf: Colossians 2:9: “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” [NASB].
Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano
2
Remember when we made the distinction between Deity and divinity last time?
It’s important.
KJV of Col 2:9: “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
YLT of Col 2:9: “because in him doth tabernacle all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
The Greek word sometimes translated as Godhead here in Colossians 2:9 is the word θετης theotes (thay-ah-tace).
It can be translated as Godhead.
Strong’s (G2320) defines it as: “Deity. The state of being God, Godhead.”
This word is used of God
From all of Scripture we know that it means the Trinity, but it doesn’t imply this directly.
It is a feminine noun.
This is the word translated Godhead. It means Deity and should not be confused with divinity.
This is the only place this word is actually used in the NT.
There is a close synonym for it that sounds almost exactly alike, however.
The passage in Romans 1:20 in the KJV/NKJV, for example, that reads, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.” This word is very close to the one in Col 2 but it’s not the same. Here it’s θειτης theiots and means, “Divinity, divine nature.” The Greek (ι) iota is the only difference.
The NASB translates it as such.
The KJV also translates Acts 17:29 with the word “Godhead”, but it’s the Greek word θεος theios (thy-oss) and also means, “Divine nature.”
Many versions translate this as something like “divine nature,” others say “God” or “Godhead.”
So we have three words we’re talking of here to describe Christ’s Deity used in the NT. All come from the root word θες Theos:
G2320- theotes (pronounced thaye-ah-tace) from Colossians 2:9.
G2305- theiots (also pronounced thaye-ah-tace, from Romans 1:20.
G2304- theios (pronounced thy-oss) from Acts 17:29.
Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano
3
This is the general name of deities or divinities as used by the Greeks
This word is used of all three members of the Trinity.
Proving the Holy Spirit as Deity:
Acts 5:4b: “You have not lied to men but to God."
…To θες Theos.
Interesting note: St. Peter says, “Seeing that His divine [thy-oss Acts 17] power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature [thy-oss Acts 17] …”
God has given us of Himself directly.
We’re born of the Spirit.
This word is used here of God in the sense of the power that is His alone.
We do not have the fullness of the Godhead in us, but we have been born of God.
Christ, unlike us, does not merely house part of God.
He is God.
Again here we see that Christ is unique and preeminent.
Christ is literally the fullness of God. And He alone is such!
Not just divinity, but full Deity.
20 “And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
Not a Universalist verse!
What is a Universalist?
Some of them believe every religion is good to go.
Others believe that God will sort of overlook the wrongness of other religions because of what Christ has done.
None believe in an eternal hell.
Define annihilationism.
Did He reconcile Satan?
The non-elect?
How are we to interpret the following passage? “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:22.
Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano
4
If the “all” who are made alive in Christ are the same as the “all” who died in Adam then this is what the Universalists teach.
Do we need to categorize the “all” here in separate ways?
Remember Scriptura scripturam.
All died in Adam who are born of Adam. All who are in Christ, who are born in Christ, will live with Him.
This verse speaks of the cosmic work of Christ in redeeming even the very material universe.
See Romans 8:20-21, et al.
It also points us toward the ultimate defeat of sin, Satan, death and hell.
When will the final foe of death be fully vanquished?
When Scripture speaks of the final work of Christ in the world it says, “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:26.
Of course, we have this now in seed form in our salvation (John 11:26- he who believes in Me will never die…) but one day the perfect will come.
One day no one will die.
There will be peace in heaven throughout eternity over all of the curse because of the cross.
 
21 “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—.”
We were hostile against God!
Scripture never paints carnal man as innocent. It never paints them as neutral.
Adam and Ever were cursed from the start.
An underestimation of the effects of sin upon the human heart is the seat of a great many religious mistakes.
Sin manifests very differently in our hearts, but our hearts is the problem.
Ever heard a non-believer attempt to justify themselves before God and say something like, “But I just think God knows my heart,” ? He does. That’s your problem.
Our heart condition made us by nature children of wrath, alienated and hostile.
Think of Christ before that crowd on the day He was killed.
We may not all be so wicked as others, but—
Some are pleasant atheist grandmothers.
Some are satanic heavy metal rock stars.
Some are seminary professors.
5
You see it most when the demands of the gospel are put upon you. When God lays claim to you it’s then that it’s, “Fight, flight or get right.”
I read that He “reconciled you” that Christ bought you.
The similar offering made by the High Priest of the OT and the Great High Priest of the NT, Hebrews 4:14, 9:11.
There’s a tiny gospel of potential good news that Christ made salvation possible on Calvary, and then there’s a gospel of actual reconciliation that says it was purchased on Calvary.
 
23 “If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.”
Some read this as evidence that you can lose your salvation. They make the “if” conditional.
You cannot lose salvation.
Eternal life is, by definition, just that!
I think you can be wrong on this and still be saved, but I truly pity anyone who says so.
What a shallow gospel that would be!
The BFAM 2000 article 5: “All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end…”
The LBCF says it wonderfully. The Westminster Confession of 1646 section is in blue. Everything else was added in the LBCF of 1689, section 17.1:
“Those whom God hath accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, whence he still begets and nourisheth in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality; and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon; notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them, yet he is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven upon the palm of his hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity.” (John 10:28, 29; Philippians 1:6; 2 Timothy 2:19; 1 John 2:19; Psalms 89:31, 32; 1 Corinthians 11:32; Malachi 3:6).
Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano
6
Sometimes people need to be warned to avoid sin that they’re clearly toying with. As believers that may be it.
Others may need excommunication as heretics or non-repentant.
There is an endurance we must demonstrate if we’re to live worthy of this calling.
Do Christians need to hear this?
Are there false converts in the faith?
Are there people who will not, “…Continue in the faith” even though they begin with it?
Foolish virgins?
Tares among the wheat?
Goats?
Those on His left side and not His right on the last day?
John 2:18b-19 says, “even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”
Hebrews 6:4-6 also warns of those who may fall away and this can get some nervous, but then there’s Hebrews 6:9: “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.”
We must live evident lives of willing and obedient faith because that’s all Christ gives!
It is by grace we have been saved through faith.
James speaks of a dead faith as this:
James 2: 14: “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” 
The only way to not move away from the faith is to seek wholly after God.
Biblecia.com. Colossians Bible Study Notes. FBCH 2013-2014. Joseph Pittano
7
8
C