What Does “Be Fulfilled” Mean?: Part 2

In part 1 of exploring what it means to be fulfilled we brought Webster’s definitions to light understanding that there are at least 7 ways to interpret the word fullfilled with most of the ways being similar in meaning. Now let’s compare the Word of God with the Word of God to bring further clarity to this topic.

When I looked up the word “fulfilled” to see how many times it appeared in the NIV and discovered that fulfilled appears 61 times between OT & NT Scriptures my curiosity for what these verses might say was ignited.

Remember that previously we decided to allow “be fulfilled” to mean bring an end to even though the evidence to the contrary was unquestionable. With that said, let’s continue.

Joshua 23:14 (NIV)
"Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

Every promise has been ended? Really? That’s not very comforting.

Every promise has been…

• Made full
• Put into full effect
• Able to meet the requirements of
• Measured up to
• Converted into reality
• Developed to its full potential

Not sure about you, but this is certainly what I would want to understand fullfilled to be talking about. If you examine 1 Kings 8:15, 1 Kings 9:25, 2 Chronicles 6:15, Proverbs 7:14, Jeremiah 1:12, Lamentations 2:17, Ezekiel 12:23, Ezekiel 13:6, Daniel 9:12 I believe you will be compelled to conclude very similarly to the verse above as it relates to the word fulfilled with those verses too.

Yes, I understand that many claim to follow only the NT instead of the OT. I won’t be using this podium to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of that approach, but I will bring NT Scriptures into the picture for exactly that reason.

John 19:28 (NIV)
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

This is a most interesting verse as it holds both the concept of “completed” and “fulfilled” within a single verse. I would conclude that if I complete something I have “made it full”. Others seem content to conclude that fullfilled means to end.
That would make the above verse to read.

John 19:28 (NIV)
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be ended, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

That doesn’t make a great deal of sense to me especially in the wake of many more NT verses (Matthew 13:35, John 18:9, Acts 13:27, James 2:23) that also talk about what it means to be fulfilled.

Many would be happy to label me as a “legalist” because of the above, I am not. I am however one that reads and takes the Bible for exactly what it says, nothing more and certainly nothing less.

Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Yet one more telling verse on this topic of what it means to be fulfilled. I long to be with Jesus, don’t you? The only way I’d want that to be ended is within the completion of reuniting with the tree of life Himself, Jesus.

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What Does “Be Fulfilled” Mean?: Part 1

Many people think that the essence of being fulfilled is to be happy. At first glance this seems to make sense and perhaps in some circles it is what is meant to be fulfilled. The question is, does the concept of being fullfilled also transcend into happiness as it relates to the Biblical interpretation of the word?

NOTE: The following is part 1 of a two part article which I hope helps everyone to understand what exactly it means to be fullfilled.

The best way to define what being fulfilled means is to first define fulfilled. According to Webster:

• to make full
• to put into effect
• to meet the requirements of
• to measure up to
• to convert into reality
• aeto develop the full potentialities of

None of these above definitions directly indicate that being fullfilled is to be happy. All of the above do portray something being put into complete motion which would produce the end result of happiness.

I find this very interesting, especially as it relates to the following verse.

Matt 5:18 (NIV)
For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

In spite of the above definitions from Webster people want to read this verse to mean that the law was done away with. The only suggestion from Webster that this can be interpreted as such would be “to bring to an end” which is the 7th definition he provides.

Logically speaking they are taking a 1 in 7 chance that this is the best definition to apply to this word leaving you with one of two statements being made.

Matt 5:18
For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be “put into effect” or “converted into reality”.

Really, any of the above definitions can be applied toward this verse very easily.

Or…

Matt 5:18
For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be brought to an end.

Even here defining this to mean that the law was somehow brought to an end is an extreme stretch. However, for the sake of argument let’s suppose that that is what this verse is saying and in part 2 we will dig deeper into understanding what it means to be fulfilled.

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