Colossians 1:19

The reason for His preeminence in the new creation is the Son’s work of reconciliation (Colossians 1:20). Colossians 1:19-23 give the reason Paul could say what he just did about Christ’s supremacy.

Later in Gnostic literature "fullness" (Gr. pleroma) referred to the entire series of angelic emanations that supposedly mediated between God and humankind. [Note: Lightfoot, pp. 255-71.] Here Paul used this word of the totality of Christ’s saving grace and power (cf. Acts 5:31; Acts 17:31). His point was that all divine power resides in Christ as a result of His resurrection (Colossians 1:18) and there are no other mediating agents (cf. Colossians 2:9; Ephesians 1:23; Ephesians 3:19; Ephesians 4:13; 1 Timothy 2:5).

". . . the importance of the language is to indicate that the completeness of God’s self-revelation was focused in Christ, that the wholeness of God’s interaction with the universe is summed up in Christ." [Note: Dunn, p. 101.]

The Greek word translated "dwell" (katoikesai) means to dwell permanently. This contradicts the idea that Christ possessed divine power only temporarily, which the Christian Science religion teaches. In short, "fullness" here probably refers to Christ’s official power given Him following His resurrection rather than to His essential power that was always His by virtue of His deity.