25 For I would not, brethren,
that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,
lest ye should be wise in your own conceits;
that blindness in part is happened to Israel,
until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
That particular phrase -- "until the fulness* of the Gentiles be come in" -- has been on my mind for quite sometime now.
The verse plainly implies that the temporary "blindness" in Israel was by "design" from God, UNTIL the "fulness" of the Gentiles come in.
The Jews had been "purposely" kept in the dark, as I first shared in this article of 14 September 2019.
Why does this verse matter so much?
For me, it's simple.
Two things:
1. I'm a Gentile. What does it mean to come into "fulness"?
2. If Israel is God's CHOSEN nation, and it has been "purposely" blinded until we Gentiles come into "fulness", then can you imagine the timing and significance, and God's PLAN for all of us? How everything must be a "seamless" whole, and PERFECTION itself? I'm really just in AWE of GOD!
Thus, I find this one of the most EXCITING and REVEALING verses in the Bible.
And for this purpose, I better share with you the meaning of "fulness" in various contexts, from the following verses, as I need to understand it myself.
Here's what I found:
"FULNESS" of CHRIST
Ephesians 4:13
King James Version
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature
of the fulness of Christ:
"FULNESS" of GOD
Ephesians 3:19
King James Version
19 And to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled
with all the fulness of God.
"FULNESS" of the GODHEAD in CHRIST
Colossians 2:8-9
King James Version
8 Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men,
after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth
all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
"FULNESS" of the time
Galatians 4:4
King James Version
4 But when the fulness of the time was come,
God sent forth his Son,
made of a woman,
made under the law,
From what I understand, the first three verses on the "FULNESS" of CHRIST, GOD, and the GODHEAD in CHRIST pertains to "totality".
The last verse on the "FULNESS" of time pertains to "ripeness".
I needed to know these various contexts so I get the Romans verse right.
The next article will reveal more of that very important Romans 11:25 verse, as I "consulted" my Bible teacher, Joseph, and the "Apostle of the Gentiles", Paul.
A baby Christian needs all the help she can get, through the GRACE and GUIDANCE of the HOLY SPIRIT, who was most patient with this slow learner.
*NOTE: I purposely retained the King James Version spelling of "fulness", in place of the modern-day "fullness".
