Ephesians 1:23

The church is both the body of Christ and the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way, namely, Jesus Christ. The church is the fullness of Christ probably in the sense that He fills for Himself (middle voice in Greek) the church with blessings (cf. Ephesians 4:10-11). Other views are that the church completes Christ, and that Christ fills the church with Himself. [Note: See Stott, pp. 61-64, or Hoehner, Ephesians, pp. 294-301, for discussions of the views.] Jesus Christ who fills all things with all things (i.e., with blessings) is filling the church with blessings. The church could not come into existence until Jesus Christ had ascended into heaven to become its head. [Note: See Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, "Israel and the Church," in Issues in Dispensationalism, p. 117.]

After showing that believers have received all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3-14), Paul prayed that believers might come to know God intimately (Ephesians 1:17). This is necessary so we might better appreciate our past calling to salvation that gives us hope (Ephesians 1:18), the future inheritance that we constitute for God (Ephesians 1:18), and the present power of God available to us (Ephesians 1:19). God manifested this power in the past in Christ’s resurrection and ascension (Ephesians 1:20-21). He will manifest it in the future by making Jesus Christ the head over all creation (Ephesians 1:22). He is now manifesting this power in Jesus Christ’s headship over the church (Ephesians 1:22-23).