Today “wholeness” and “holistic” are buzz words, but in the Epistle sent by the Apostle Paul to the church at Colossae in ancient times the Gospel of Jesus was explained in these very terms. The same Jesus who claimed to the “…the way, the truth and the life…” (John 14:6) and who came to give “…life in abundance” (John 10:10) is the basis in the Christian life for fulness of life as God intends it.

Paul wrote, “…we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9,10). His confidence in God came from Christ, in whom “…the fulness of God” dwelled (Col. 1:19; 2:9), and by whom God “…rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13,14).

Paul applies the impact of the fulness of God in Christ to the full and complete life Christians are promised in all facets of life: personal relationships, congregational life, and the marketplace in this positive and life-affirming Epistle in the New Testament.

John Chs 11-21: The last months of Jesus life through to his resurrection