It is very important for citizens to know the laws of their country - but there are no prizes for keeping the law.  The law only functions when we break it – and then its role is to identify our failure and the punishment which we deserve.  The same is true with God’s law.  Of course, if we keep His Word then we stay in relationship with Him and can enjoy His blessings.  

But the problem is that none of us can keep any part of God’s law perfectly – so the law keeps condemning us.  Failure is inevitable, even for the most religious person.  That is why God said He would accept sacrifices when people sinned (although there is no Old Testament sacrifice for intentional sin).  Those sacrifices would have to be repeated many times – they were certainly an evidence of God’s grace but they really pointed forward to Jesus who would be the perfect sacrifice for all sin forever (Hebrews 10:11-14).  

What does it mean that, “Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given …”?  The ‘grace already given’ was the Law with its sacrifices as announced by Moses.  What new or better grace can Jesus bring?  It is the complete forgiveness of every sin through the one sacrifice of the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:7).  What is the fullness of Jesus from which this grace comes?  Colossians 2:9 says. “For in Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”  The fullness of Jesus Christ is God Himself.  That is why all of God’s grace and truth is seen and heard in Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:10 goes on to say, “and in Christ you have been brought to fullness …” that is, through believing in Jesus Christ, God lives in you.  That is totally amazing.  Jesus has demonstrated what God’s truth looks like in practice in His earthly life.  But by His sacrifice He has also brought us many blessings through His love and grace.  Our hearts should be reaching out to Him, not in order to get blessing for ourselves, but because He is so wonderful.  These are some of the magnificent reasons to trust in Him, and wonderful reasons to worship Him with our whole lives (Romans 12:2).  They are also very important reasons to advertise Him to the whole world; starting where we live and work.  So, today, ask the Lord to open an opportunity for you to tell somebody else about the wonderful, truth-embodying, grace-delivering Saviour who is still showering believers with blessings upon blessings, grace upon grace.