Not almost. Not eventually. Already whole — even while still forming.
Post 9 of 11
The 'Almost' Lie
You've probably heard it. Maybe you've even said it to yourself: "Once I get my act together... once I stop struggling with that thing... once I'm more patient, more healed, more 'spiritual'—then I'll finally be whole."
It sounds like wisdom, right? Like you're being humble, realistic, taking your growth seriously. But here's the truth: it's a trap. And it's exhausting.
This "almost" mindset is everywhere. It's in the late-night anxiety spiral where you catalog all the ways you're not "there yet." It's in the comparison game when you scroll past someone else's highlight reel and feel that pang of "I should be further along." It's in the subtle shame that whispers: If people really knew me, they'd see how incomplete I am.
But this isn't just self-help psychology gone wrong. It's a theological problem with ancient roots.
Paul vs. The "Almost" Gospel
The Colossian church was drowning in this exact lie. False teachers had shown up with a slick package deal: "Jesus is great, sure. But you also need philosophy. You need ascetic practices—deny yourself harder. You need special knowledge, angelic intermediaries, the right rituals. Faith in Christ is a good start, but it's not quite enough."
Sound familiar? It should. We just swap out the ancient buzzwords for modern ones: "Jesus plus therapy." "Jesus plus that breakthrough book." "Jesus plus getting your trauma sorted." "Jesus plus finally conquering your addiction."
Paul's response isn't gentle. It's definitive:
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority."
— Colossians 2:9–10
Or in NKJV :
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead [a]bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all [b]principality and power.
Did you catch that? "You have been brought to fullness." Not "you will be." Not "you're on your way to being." You are. Right now. Already. The Greek here is peplērōmenoi—perfect tense, passive voice. You didn't fill yourself. You were filled. And that filling isn't leaking out while you're not looking.
Here's why the "almost" lie is so sneaky: it masquerades as humility while actually being self-centered. It keeps your eyes on your own progress, your own brokenness, your own "journey." And subtly, it says: "The cross was a good start, but I need to finish the job."
Paul calls this out in Galatians 3:3: "Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?" Ouch. But also—relief. Because if my wholeness depends on me getting my act together, I'm doomed. If it depends on Christ, I'm already there.
Teleios — What 'Perfect' Actually Means (The Real Deal)
Okay, let's talk about this word teleios because it's a game-changer. In the New Testament, when you see "perfect," that's our guy—teleios (τέλειος). It comes from telos, which basically means "the end goal," "the finish line," "completion."
Here's the thing: teleios isn't about being morally flawless. It's not about never messing up, never having a bad day, never snapping at someone in traffic. That's not the vibe. Teleios means complete, mature, whole—like a tree that's fully grown versus a sapling, or a novel with its final chapter written versus a half-finished draft. It's about reaching your intended purpose, not about being faultless.
So when Jesus drops that famous line in Matthew 5:48—"Be perfect (teleios), therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect"—he's not setting you up for failure. He's not saying, "Hey, be sinless or else." That would be impossible, and Jesus knows it (he's literally about to go to the cross for that very reason). Instead, he's pointing toward wholeness in love. The Father loves completely, without holding back, without strings attached. Jesus is saying: Move in that direction. Grow into that kind of love. Become whole in the way you love others.
It's a directional call, not a perfectionism trap. Think of it like a compass pointing north, not a report card demanding straight A's.
And then Paul comes in with the mic drop in Colossians 2:10. The phrase "you have been brought to fullness"? In Greek, it's este en autō peplērōmenoi—literally, "you are in him, having been filled."
Let's break that down because it's beautiful:
- Peplērōmenoi is the perfect passive participle of plēroō (πληρόω), meaning "to fill," "to complete," "to fulfill."
- The perfect tense in Greek is like a snapshot that keeps playing: it describes something that happened in the past but has present, ongoing results.
So Paul isn't saying "you will be filled someday" or "you're kinda filled but need more." He's saying: You were filled. You remain filled. Right now. In this moment. In Christ, there's no "insert coin to continue." Nothing is lacking. The tank is full, and it stays full.
Original Language Note
| TELEIOS (ΤΈΛΕΙΟΣ) | Complete, perfect, mature. From telos — goal, end. Used in Matthew 5:48, James 1:4, Hebrews 5:14, Colossians 1:28. The word carries the idea of something that has achieved its intended purpose — a full-grown adult vs. a child, a completed task vs. an unfinished one. Not a moral perfectionism word. |
| PLĒROŌ (ΠΛΗΡΌΩ) | To fill, to fulfill, to complete. Colossians 2:10 uses the perfect passive participle — peplērōmenoi — meaning you are the ones who have been filled and remain filled. Paul uses plēroō for the fulfillment of Scripture (Matthew 5:17), for being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), and for being filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19). |
| PLĒRŌMA (ΠΛΉΡΩΜΑ) | Fullness. Colossians 2:9 — 'in Christ all the fullness (plērōma) of the Deity lives.' This is a loaded term Paul uses against proto-Gnostic teachers who distributed divine attributes across multiple spiritual beings. Paul's point: ALL the fullness is in Christ. Therefore, union with Christ means union with everything. |
Complete and Still Forming — Not a Contradiction
Okay, so here's where it gets weird. If you're already complete in Christ—already whole, already filled, already accepted—then what do you do with all the actual growing you still need to do? Because let's be honest: nobody's finished product. We all know it. The patience that runs out. The forgiveness that gets stuck halfway. The old patterns that creep back in like weeds.
So which is it? Are you complete, or are you becoming? Yes. Both. At the same time. And holding these two truths together changes everything.
Paul gives us the key in Colossians 1:28: his goal is to present everyone "perfect" (teleios) in Christ. Wait—didn't we just say we're already complete? Why does Paul need to present anyone as complete if they already are?
Here's the beautiful paradox: your standing is secure, but your experience is still catching up. Think of it like adoption. The moment the papers are signed, you're legally family. Fully. Irrevocably. Nothing can change that status. But the experience of being family—learning the rhythms, trusting the love, feeling at home—takes time. You're not becoming more adopted. You're becoming more comfortable in what already is.
That's formation. Not earning your place. Living from it.
Romans 8:29 says we are "predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." Notice the order: predestined (already decided) → conformed (still happening). The destination is set. The journey is real. But the journey doesn't create the destination. The destination makes the journey possible.
Example: A seed vs. a tree: An acorn contains the complete oak in potential form. It's not almost an oak. It is an oak—an oak in seed form. But it still needs to grow, push through soil, weather storms. The growth doesn't make it more oak. It makes it more expressively oak.
The Hebrews 10:14 Mic Drop
This tension gets its clearest expression in one verse: "By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."
Read that again. Made perfect. Past tense. Done. Forever. Being made holy. Present tense. Ongoing. Process.
So What Do You Do With This?
You stop trying to earn what you already own. You stop asking "Am I enough?" and start asking "What does 'enough' look like today?" You let the pressure lift. The formation still matters—deeply. But it's expression, not acquisition. It's fruit, not foundation.
You are not a half-finished project waiting for approval. You are a completed masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10—poiēma, God's workmanship) that is still being unveiled to the world.
The Invitation
This is the invitation: live from your completion, not for it. Let your growth be a celebration of grace, not a payment for it. Let your healing be an experience of wholeness, not a chase after it.
You're not becoming more complete. You're becoming more like what you already fully are in Christ. And that "already" changes the entire game.
Cross-Reference Trail
| COLOSSIANS 1:28 | Paul's goal: to present everyone fully mature (teleios) in Christ. Completeness as the aim of discipleship. |
| EPHESIANS 3:19 | To know the love of Christ, and to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. |
| HEBREWS 10:14 | By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Both at once. |
| ROMANS 8:29 | Predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. Formation as expression of identity. |
| JAMES 1:4 | Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature (teleios) and complete, not lacking anything. |
SOMETHING TO SIT WITH
You are not a half-finished project waiting for approval.
In Christ, you are complete.
The formation still happening in you is real.
But it is not what makes you whole.
You are whole because he made it so.
You are already whole. Now we learn to live from that.
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