Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Colossians 2:9

"for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," — Colossians 2:9 (ASV)

(9a) Nearly every word in this statement is significant. “For,” linking this and the following verses to v.8, shows that the warning in that verse rests on what is said here about Christ and his fullness. The phrase “in Christ” stresses that in Christ alone the fullness of deity dwells. “Lives” (GK 2997) suggests the idea of taking up permanent residence. The tense is present, stating a general truth and denoting continuous action. The full thought, then, is that in Christ the fullness of deity permanently resides, finding a settled home in him. The context suggests that the primary reference is to Christ in his present glorified state. “Fullness” (GK 4445) is defined by the addition of “of the Deity” (GK 2540). This word is an abstract term, meaning not just divine qualities and attributes but the complete, inner essence of God that lives in Christ.

(9b) The preceding statement corresponds to the phrase in Jn 1:1, “the Word was God”; this present statement corresponds to Jn 1:14, “the Word became flesh.” The fullness of deity dwells in Christ “in bodily form,” i.e., in incarnate fashion. This fullness, to be sure, resided in the preincarnate Word, but not in bodily fashion.