Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Parallel translations
- WEB which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
- BSB which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
- NKJV which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
- NASB which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
- NLT And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
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
The church is Christ's body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. It reveals the intimate union and glory of the church in Christ.
Overview
Paul calls the church Christ's 'body,' a profound image of living union with him as head. The phrase 'the fullness of him who fills all in all' is debated, but it points to the church's being filled and completed by Christ, who himself fills the whole universe. The chapter closes by exalting both Christ and the people joined to him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Col 1:18–19And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
- John 1:16And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
- Col 2:9–10For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
- Eph 4:12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
- Eph 3:19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
- Eph 4:10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
- 1 Cor 15:28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
- Col 1:24Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
- 1 Cor 12:12–27For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
- Col 3:15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
- Eph 2:16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
- Eph 5:23–32For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
- Col 3:11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
- Eph 4:4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
- 1 Cor 12:6And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
- Rom 13:5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Every spiritual blessing is 'in Christ,' the head over all things for the church, in whom Jew and Gentile are made one new man by his blood.
How Ephesians 1:23 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.