en_tn_condensed/eph/01/23.md

929 B

The church is his body

Just as with a human body, the head (verse 22) rules all things pertaining to its body, so Christ is the head of the church body. Alternate translation: "It is as though the church is his body" or "The church is like a body" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)

his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all

Possible meanings are 1) the body is the fullness of Christ. This means Christ fills or gives to the church everything that he has to give, and Christ also fills all things in every way or 2) "the fullness" refers back to "him," that is, Christ in 1:22, and "him" in 1:23 refers to God the Father. This means the full deity of the Father dwells within Christ, and the Father fills all things in every way or 3) the body is the completion of Christ. This means that Christ as the "head" is completed by the church, which is "his body," and Christ fills all things in every way.