Version reads more exactly "filled _unto_ all the fullness of
God." It is no wonder that the translators of the Authorized Version
staggered at what Paul said and sought to tone down the full force of his
words. To be filled _with_ all the fullness of God would not be so
wonderful, for it is an easy matter to fill a pint cup with all the
fullness of the ocean, a single dip will do it. But it would be an
impossibility indeed to fill a pint cup _unto_ all the fullness of the
ocean, until all the fullness that there is in the ocean is in that pint
cup. But it is seemingly a more impossible task that the Holy Spirit
undertakes to do for us, to fill us "unto all the fullness" of the
infinite God, to fill us until all the intellectual and moral fullness
that there is in God is in us. But this is the believer's destiny, we are
"heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ" (Rom. viii. 17), _i. e._,
we are heirs of God to the extent that Jesus Christ is an heir of God;
that is, we are heirs to all God is and all God has. It is the work of the
Holy Spirit to apply to us that which is already ours in Christ. It is His
work to make ours experimentally all God has and all God is, until the
work is consummated in our being "_filled unto all the fullness of God_."
This is not the work of a moment, nor a day, nor a week, nor a month, nor
a year, but the Holy Spirit day by day puts His hand, as it were, into the
fullness of God and conveys to us what He has taken therefrom and puts it
into us, and then again He puts His hand into the fullness that there is
in God and conveys to us what is taken therefrom, and puts it into us, and
this wonderful process goes on day after day and week after week and month
after month, and year after year, and never ends until we are "filled
_unto_ all the fullness of God."

CHAPTER XIII. THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGING FORTH IN THE BELIEVER CHRISTLIKE
GRACES OF CHARACTER.

There is a singular charm, a charm that one can scarcely explain, in the
words of Paul in Gal. v. 22, 23, R. V., "The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness,
temperance." What a catalogue we have here of lovely moral
characteristics. Paul tells us that they are the fruit of the Spirit, that
is, if the Holy Spirit is given control of our lives, this is the fruit
that He will bear. All real beauty of character, all real Christlikeness
in us, is the Holy Spirit's work; it is