“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).
Long before he became a superhero in the comic-book and cinematic universe, Thor was known as the hammer-wielding god of thunder in Norse mythology. Armed with the magical hammer Mjölnir and a belt of strength known as Megingjörd, Thor battled such enemies as Jörmungand, the monstrous serpent and a race of giants known as the Jötnar.
Yet despite his reputation as the god of thunder, the mythical Thor is no such thing. For instance, a look at Thor’s alleged exploits tells us that he has been deceived or defeated (at least temporarily) on several occasions. In addition, these ancient legends proclaim that Thor will meet his demise at Ragnarök when the end of all things will take place. If Thor were truly a god, such things would not be possible.
Therefore, we can say that Thor is actually a demigod or a being with human characteristics and superhuman abilities. The same is true of every other being within the mythical pantheon, ancient or modern. Because of this, it is wrong to speak of Thor (or anyone else) as “a” god, for God by definition is all-powerful. Since there can only be one Being who possesses all power, this precludes anyone else from assuming that title, even in a diminutive form.
This brings us to our text from Colossians 1:19: “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (CSB). Unlike those mythical beings who were one of many “gods” or partially god and partially human, this portion of Scripture tells us that the full essence of deity dwells in Christ. In other words, Jesus isn’t simply “a” god- He is the God (John 1:1, Titus 2:13). Jesus was fully human and fully God (John 1:14) and claimed to be God (John 8:58). He possesses all authority (Matthew 28:18), has the right to forgive sins (Luke 7:48) and will judge everyone (John 5:22).
As one commentary states…
“…Paul was refuting the Greek idea that Jesus could not be human and divine at the same time. Christ was fully human; he was also fully divine. Christ has always been God and always will be God. When we have Christ, we have all of God in human form. Don’t diminish any aspect of Christ—either his humanity or his divinity.” (1)
Image Credit: Mårten Eskil Winge (1825–1896) Tor’s Fight with the Giants By Soerfm – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
(1) Life Application Study Bible, Colossians 1:19 Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc., all rights reserved. Life Application® is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.