which is His body
This phrase identifies the Church as the body of Christ. The Greek word for "body" is "sōma," which implies a living organism, not just a static structure. In the historical context of the early Church, this metaphor would have been powerful, emphasizing unity and interdependence among believers. The Church, as Christ's body, is called to be His hands and feet on earth, actively participating in His mission. This concept underscores the intimate connection between Christ and His followers, suggesting that the Church is not merely an institution but a living, breathing extension of Christ Himself.

the fullness of Him
The term "fullness" comes from the Greek word "plērōma," which conveys the idea of completeness or totality. In a theological sense, this suggests that the Church is meant to embody the complete presence and attributes of Christ. Historically, this would have been a radical idea, as it implies that the divine presence is not confined to a temple or a specific location but is manifest in the collective body of believers. This fullness indicates that the Church is equipped with all it needs to fulfill its divine purpose, reflecting the character and mission of Christ in the world.

who fills all in all
The phrase "fills all in all" speaks to the omnipresence and omnipotence of Christ. The Greek verb "plēroō" means to fill or to make complete. This suggests that Christ is the source of all spiritual blessings and that He permeates every aspect of creation. Historically, this would have been a profound statement against the backdrop of pagan religions, which often depicted gods as limited to specific domains. In contrast, Christ's filling "all in all" emphasizes His sovereignty and the comprehensive nature of His reign. For believers, this is an assurance that Christ is actively involved in every part of their lives and the world, working to bring about His purposes.

(23) The fulness of him that filleth all in all.--The word pleroma, "fulness," is used in a definite and almost technical sense in the Epistles of the Captivity, and especially in the Epistle to the Colossians, having clear reference to the speculations as to the Divine Nature and the emanations from it, already anticipating the future Gnosticism. The word itself is derived from a verb signifying, first, to "fill;" next (more frequently in the New Testament), to "fulfil" or complete. It is found (1) in a physical sense of the "full contents" of the baskets, in Mark 6:43; Mark 8:20; and of the earth, in 1Corinthians 10:26-28; and in Matthew 9:16, Mark 2:21, it is applied to the patch of new cloth on an old garment. It is used next (2) of fulness, in sense of the "complete tale or number," "of time" and "seasons," in Ephesians 1:10, Galatians 4:4; of the Jews and Gentiles in Romans 11:12; Romans 11:25. In the third place (3) it is applied to the full essence, including all the attributes, of a thing or person; as of the Law (Romans 13:10), and of the blessing of Christ (Romans 15:29). Lastly (4), in these Epistles it is applied, almost technically, to the fulness of the Divine Nature. Thus, in Colossians 1:19 we have, "It pleased the Father that in Christ all the fulness"--i.e., all the fulness of the Divine Nature--"should dwell;" or (to take an admissible but less probable construction) "In Him all the fulness is pleased to dwell;" and this is explained in Ephesians 2:9, "In Him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Similarly, though less strikingly, we read in this Epistle, that those who are in Christ are said (in Ephesians 3:19; Ephesians 4:13) "to be filled up to all the fulness of God," and "to come to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. In which of these last senses is the Church here said to be the "fulness of Christ?" If in any, probably in the last of all. As the individual, so the Church, by the presence "of Him who filleth up all things for Himself in all," comes to be "His fulness," the complete image of Him in all His glorified humanity. But it may be questioned whether it is not better to take here a different sense, corresponding to the "patch" in Matthew 9:16, and signifying the "complement." In the original Greek of Euclid (in Book 1., Prop. 4), the cognate word, parapleroma, is used of "the complements." In this compound word the idea is, no doubt, more unequivocally expressed. But of the simple word here employed it may be reasonably contended that, if one thing or person alone is contemplated, the pleroma must be the fulness of the one nature; if, as here, two are brought in, each will be the "complement" to the other--as the patch to the garment, and the garment to the patch. So here (says Chrysostom) "the complement of the Head is the Body, and the complement of the Body is the Head." Thus by a daring expression, St. Paul describes our Lord as conceiving His glorified humanity incomplete without His Church; and then, lest this should seem to derogate even for a moment from His dignity, he adds the strongest declaration of His transcendent power, "to fill up for Himself all things in all," in order to show that we are infinitely more incomplete without Him than He without us. This sense, bold as it is, certainly suits exactly the great idea of this Epistle, which differs from the parallel Colossian Epistle in this--that while both dwell emphatically on Christ the Head, and the Church as His Body, there the chief stress is laid on the true Deity of the Head, here on the glory and privileges of the Body. . . . Verse 23. - Which is his body. The Church is Christ's body in a real though spiritual sense. He is the Head, his people the members; he the Vine, they the branches. He dwells in the Church as life dwells in a living body. He fills it with his life, replenishes it with his strength, feeds it with his body and blood, beautifies it with his comeliness, calms it with his peace, brightens it with his holiness, and finally glorifies it with his glory. All things are delivered unto him of the Father; and all that he has he has for the Church: "My beloved is mine, and I am his." The fullness of him that filleth all in all. The grammatical structure of the words would lead us to construe "fullness" with "the Church," and to regard the Church as Christ's πλήρωμα. Some object to this, inasmuch as, in point of fact, the Church is often very empty, and therefore not worthy of the term "fullness." But it is not meant that the Church has actually received all the fullness of him who filleth all in all, but only that she is in the course of receiving it. The Church on earth is an ever-changing body, perpetually receiving new members, who are at first empty; so that it must always in this state be in the course of filling, never filled. It is in the course of being filled with all Divine things - with all the treasures of heaven. As the empty cells of the honeycomb are being filled with the sweet essences of flowers, so the empty vessels of the Church are being filled with the glorious treasures of God; or, as the courts and compartments of a great international exhibition get filled up with the choicest products of the lands, so the Church gets filled with the handiwork of the grace of God. When the Church is completed, it will be a representation of the fullness of God; all of God that can be communicated to men will be made manifest in the Church. For he whose fullness the Church is, is he that filleth all in all, or filleth all with all. He possesses all things, and he fills all space with the all things. He fills the ocean with water, the organic world with life, the firmament with stars, the entire creation with forms innumerable, alike beautiful and useful. So also he fills the Church. Thus appropriately concludes this chapter, beginning (ver. 3) with thanksgiving to him who had blessed the Ephesians with every blessing of the Spirit in Christ Jesus, and now ending with a sublime picture of the Infinite One filling the Church with these Divine blessings out of the infinite stores of the kingdom of heaven. Thus we see the quality of richness, exuberance, overflowing abundance which is so conspicuously ascribed in this Epistle to the grace of God (comp. Psalm 36:8; Psalm 103:3-5; Matthew 5:3, etc.).

Parallel Commentaries ...

which
ἥτις (hētis)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3748: Whosoever, whichsoever, whatsoever.

is
ἐστὶν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

body,
σῶμα (sōma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4983: Body, flesh; the body of the Church. From sozo; the body, used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

fullness
πλήρωμα (plērōma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4138: From pleroo; repletion or completion, i.e. what fills, or what is filled.

of [Him]
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

who fills
πληρουμένου (plēroumenou)
Verb - Present Participle Middle - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 4137: From pleres; to make replete, i.e. to cram, level up, or to furnish, satisfy, execute, finish, verify, etc.

all
πάντα (panta)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

all.
πᾶσιν (pasin)
Adjective - Dative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.


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NT Letters: Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body the fullness (Ephes. Eph. Ep)