“and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3: 19
I heard recently that the little phrase here ‘be filled’ in the Greek carries with it the idea of total dominance by God of the Christian. That’s a little different from the idea I had previously held. Total dominance? But really I shouldn’t be surprised because the Bible is full of this idea - I have come across it before. God has never been interested in an offering of part of our heart. He wants to own all, control all, dominate all.
Still we flinch and ask ‘is there is not a better word? Guide perhaps or suggest - ah yes, doesn’t that sound nicer?’ We would indeed be much more comfortable with God as co-pilot. Our sinful hearts want to keep part of the ruling of our lives for ourselves.
Isn’t that one of the deep down reasons we hate illness. Looking beyond the doctor trips, expenses and bodily pain is it not the dominating factor that really rankles us? This invader has taken over command of our body. Like a puppet master it pulls those strings and our body obeys. No manner of persuasive arguments can cause it to hand us back the reigns and so teeth clenched we have to submit.
Now of course being in charge of our own bodies was an illusion in the first place. We have always been human and as such had to follow certain rules; eating - sleeping - not pushing ourselves to far - but illusion or no at least before we felt in control. Then it was not so frightening.
It is the same with our lives. We want to rule not be dominated - maybe that is part of why God sent us this illness in the first place. Because the surest path to disaster is labeled ‘my way’ and the only place of joy is called ‘God’s way’… be filled…
In Strong’s I find other ideas pertaining to this phrase.
‘to make replete’ - literally ‘to cram’
Ah, that one makes me smile. If we are crammed full of God how much room is there left for anything else?
level up a hollow - that one I understand. When we are reigning our lives are hollow, are they not?
perfect, supply - something else God wants me to understand. Full of Him I am perfected and all my needs supplied.
So what does being filled have to do with illness? Simply this. We need not writhe so hard fighting for our bodily independence if we realize that we are not at the core meant to be independent creatures after all. And then if we are filled with, crammed full, our hollow leveled, dominated by God - then is this illness really in control after all?
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father…that YOU may be filled”
