The fullness of deity dwelling in Christ in bodily form can be seen as a unique but related concept to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believing disciples. Christ’s relationship to God is unparalleled, as He is the appointed Son and the one through whom God has uniquely manifested His nature and authority. However, the fullness of deity in Christ serves as the foundation and model for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in His followers. Believers, though not on the same level as Christ, participate in the divine nature through the Spirit, as Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:4: “Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
The presence of the Holy Spirit in believers is not identical to the fullness of deity in Christ but is a reflection of it. The Spirit enables believers to exhibit godly qualities, such as love, joy, peace, and righteousness, and equips them for their unique roles in God’s plan. Paul describes this transformative work in Ephesians 3:19, where he prays that believers may be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Here, the indwelling Spirit enables believers to grow into the likeness of God’s character, but this process is part of their spiritual journey and will not be fully realized until their glorification at the resurrection. In contrast, Christ already embodies the fullness of God completely because of His exalted and glorified state, having been appointed as Lord by God.
Christ’s fullness as the dwelling place of deity also points to the ultimate destiny of His disciples, who are being transformed into His image. As Paul states in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” The presence of the Holy Spirit is the down payment and guarantee of this transformation, allowing believers to experience a foretaste of the divine fullness that Christ now embodies. While believers currently live in mortal, imperfect bodies, they will one day share in Christ’s glorified state, as Philippians 3:21 explains: “He will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”
Therefore, the relationship between Christ’s fullness of deity and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers is one of hierarchy and progression. Christ is the first to fully embody the fullness of God, demonstrating the perfect relationship between humanity and God in His glorified state. Believers, through the Spirit, are being conformed to this model and will one day share in His glory and immortality. The Spirit’s presence in believers is the means by which they grow in godliness and reflect God’s nature, while Christ, as the head of the body, already perfectly expresses God’s fullness and serves as the source of the Spirit for His disciples.
(ChatGPT, 2024)
