For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.
Parallel translations
- WEB For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,
- KJV For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
- NKJV For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
- NASB For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
- NLT For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In Christ the entire fullness of deity dwells bodily. Christ is fully God in human form.
Overview
Paul declares that 'all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily' in Christ. 'Godhead' names the divine nature, and 'bodily' affirms it dwells in the incarnate Son, not in angels or rituals. This is a cornerstone text for the deity and incarnation of Christ in historic Christian doctrine.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Col 1:19For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,
- John 1:14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 10:30I and the Father are one.”
- 1 Tim 3:16By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.
- John 14:9–10Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
- John 10:38But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”
- 1 Jn 5:20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
- John 14:20On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
- Titus 2:13as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
- Isa 7:14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
- Col 2:2–3that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ,
- John 17:21that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
- Matt 1:23“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
- Luke 3:22and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
- 2 Cor 5:19that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
- 1 Jn 5:7For there are three that testify:
- John 2:21But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The image of the invisible God, firstborn over creation, in whom all things hold together and all the fullness of God dwells bodily — supreme over every power.
How Colossians 2:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.