The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 19

nnd Romana; 1Lnd the Mme Rnswer holds notes), This plenitude qualifies him 1111 good in e11<'h Mee, Tiz. that the Rpostle plenipotentiary in his work of reconciliation. ~P""ks ronoen11·ng Chri,•t a11d tM Church, Ver. 20.-And (was pleCLsed) through him and his thoughts mo"e within the circle of to reoonoile all things unto him (vor, 16; their mutual relations, grounded as these Eph. i. 10; Heb. ix. 26; x. 12, 13; Ps. are in the Christian constitution of the ii. 7, 8). Not "through Christ-unto tlie univenie itself. C.-od's good pl-eaeure (Eph. Father,'' I\S Meyer, Alford, Ellicott, Light- i. 5, 9) lay within and behind Christ's foot contend. This involves rending choice and B<'tion (John viii. 29); but it "tho Father" as subject of ver, 19 (see was hi~ OtM good plemure too (John x. 30). note). There is nothing in the grammar So in John x. 18 (comp. n.leo Eph. v. 2 aud of this verse to suggest n referenco of the Gal. ii. 20 with Rom. v. 8 and viii. 32) the same pronoun to two different persons. initi.Rti"e of Christ in the work of redemp- And the analogy of ver. 16 appears decisive tion is recognized along with that of the (see note) : "Through him and unto him Fat.her. "He emptied himself" (Phil. ii. 7); all things were created and reconciled" and again "was pleased " that "all the (De Wette, Conybee.re, Hofmann). So fnlness" sbonld be his: comp. Eph. iv. S-11 Chrysostom: •• Lest thoa ehouldest think (quite consistent with 1 Cor. xii. 28), Heb. thAt he undertook the office of a minister i. 3 b, where Christ appears regally assuming only, he so.ith • unto himself.' And yet he his own J!lory. "All the fulness" is not elsewhere says that he reconciled us • to precisely " the fnlness of the Godhead" of God.' " English idiom prefers the reflexive ah. ii 9. Had the more definite expression "himself" in each a sentence (so in ver. 19); preceded. it would have been fair to interpret but it is not necessary in Greek (A, Butt- this more general one by its aid. PlerorTUJ mann, • N. T. Grammar,' p. 111, English is a word so l"!Lried and elastic in Panl..iDe tm.ns.). Elsewhere 1Ca.Ta.Mda-a-r., ("reconoile") usage (see Rom. n. 12; xiii. 10; Gal. iv. 4; ie construed with ,rpbs or simple dative; Eph. i. 10, 23; iii. 19 ; iv. 13) that it can here with <is in correspondence with ver. ecarcely have hardened soddenly into "a 16, and implying, in contr11St with 61.s recognized term in theology, denoting the ("through"), tM end for whicli rather than totality of the Divine Person BI1d attributes" tl6e person to whom one ie reconciled (ver, (Lightfoot). No earlier exe.mple of each 18 b; o.lso Rom. xiv. 9; 2 Cor. v. 15; 1 Cor. a usa.ge is famished. To import it here is iii. 23). Brought be.ck a.gain to peace with to make the Epistle speak the language God, we are brought into the kingdom of of the second century. "All the fulness" hie Son (vers. 13, 14). The rebels are llSC?ibed to •• the Son of God's love" as mo.de to " kiss the Son.'' He wins be.ck "Head over all things to the Church," hie kingdom in them. And so the design of alike "Beginning of the creation of God " creation as his dominion ie answered at Inst. and " Firstborn oat of the dead," embraces "Reconcile"(" reconciliation") in New Tes- that entire plenitude of nature and of power tament usage implies previous resentment residing in him since the time that he in him to whom the offender is reconciled escended to the right hand of power (eh. (see Cremer'& 'Lexicon,' and Meyer on Rom. iii. 1; 1 Pet. i. 21; Heb. i. 3, 4; v. 9; v. 10). For such resentment in Chrut, comp. Tii 28), and in "irtne of which he "beoomes eh. iii 13; 1 Cor. viii 12; Luke xix. 27 ; in fill things pre-eminent." Ka.-oucE<d Acts x:rvi. 14; Bev. vi. 16; Ps. ii. 12. denoi;e,ia"fixeddwelling"(ch. ii9; Eph. K,mr.M4D'a-o, is "to take into fe.vonr or iii 17): but is aorut in tense here (present allegiance," and, with ad, "to take back in eh. ii. 9) along with wa6'"1a-• (" wu int.o fe.vonr.'' This reconciliation to Christ pleased")-" shoald make w d1De11.ing ill the King concerns the " all things " of him" (see Acts vii 2, 4), pointing to a ver. 16, restoring the broken unity of diBtinet eTent, viz. in this case t h e ~ creation (see note on "the things in the which C011BWDIUated the Baun-ection set heavens," below). And there is e.n aotual forth in the last clause. Eph. i. 20-23 and reconciliation now being carried on by the iv. S-10 snongly confirm the correctne88 Son from hea.ven (Phil. iii. 20, 21 ; 1 Cor. of this view; there " the falness" with xv. 25), resting upon the potential reooncilia- which Christ is charged. and wherewith he tion effected on the cross (compare.the so.me proceeds to " fill e.11 things," de.tes from his double sense ill 2 Cor. v. 18-21). Raving BBCension (John x.iL 32; Acts ii. 32-34; ma.de peace through the blood ot his orou v. 30, 31 : Rom. viii 34). (On the etymology (eh. ii, 13, 14; Eph. iL 18-18; 2 Oor. and history of Pl.eroma, see Lightfoot, pp. v. lS-vi. 1; Rom. iii 25; v. 10; Heb. 25i-273. It is passive in ·derivation, ix. 11-14 ; Rev. i. 5; v. 9; Matt. :uvi. 28). dc,ooting that wherewith anything is filled The apostle " glories" only " in the oross" or Ine.de complete.) "From hc,nceforth" (Gal. vi. 14), the sole means of salvation, Chri..it is a wmplete <Jhrut, and we e.re viewed from whatever side (1 Cor. i. "me.de complete in Lim" (eh. ii 9, 10; 1108 23, 24). Peace is made for those who were OH, J, 1-29,] THE EPISTLE 'fO THE COLOSSIANS. 13