professors of the true religion; but in true believers, who therefore constitute that church which is the body of Christ, and to which its attributes and prerogatives belong.
The main question which this verse presents for consideration is: In what sense is the church the ful- ness of Christ? There are, however, two other points which must be previously determined. In the first place, it is the church, and not Christ to whom the word fulness here refers. Some commentators adopt the following interpretation of the passage: ‘ Christ, the supreme head to the church (which is his body), the fulness, i. e. Christ is the fulness, of him that filleth all in all.” But 1. This interpretation violates the grammatical construction of the passage. 2. It rends the clauses very unnaturally asunder. 3. It assumes that the last clause of the verse, viz. ‘ who fills all in all,’ refers to God, whereas it refers to Christ. 4. The sense thus obtained is unscriptural. The fulness of the Godhead is said to be in Christ; but Christ is never said to be the fulness of God.
In the second place, the church is here declared to be the fulness of Christ, and not the fulness of God.— Some commentators understand the passage thus : ‘The church, which is the body of Christ, is the fulness of him who fills all in all, 1. 6. of God” But to this it is objected, 1. That the construction of the passage requires that the last clause in the verse be referred to Christ ; and 2. This interpretation supposes the word πλήρωμα fulness, to mean multitude. ‘The multitude