THE HOPE OF GLORY

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY” – Colossians 1:27

God’s desire is that this truth be real in the lives of His children: “CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY”! Is Christ really in you? If you are a true believer in Him, He is undoubtedly in you. But, do you believe that Christ is in you? Is it simply a mental assent or does this truth impact your life in a very real sense? In what ways does it affect your life? If you believe that Christ is in you, do you consistently affirm this truth? How often do you thank God for it? Why would Christ want to dwell in us? What should our response be? These are pertinent questions to meditate on and find answers to.

For Paul the apostle, the Word of God in all its fullness was encapsulated in the teaching that Christ is in us, and that He is our Hope of Glory. In verse 26, this teaching is called “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.” Paul also called it the ‘riches of the glory of this mystery’ which “God willed to make known” among the Gentiles. The reality of this truth was kept hidden for ages past, but it is now something that God has made known! It is not a secret anymore. He wants the riches of this mystery revealed.

The practical implication of this truth is that the Christian is not a mere religious person, but one in whom all the fullness of Deity resides. If you’re born again, God dwells in you, and this should renew your mind and rejuvenate your faith in Him. There’s a big difference between the new creation and the Old Testament folks. God’s plan was to be in them, but they couldn’t enter into His rest because of unbelief, hence He could only be with them. When Jesus came, He came as “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us”, and He was with them until His crucifixion. After His resurrection and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the new creation – the Church – was born, and now Christ lives IN us by the Spirit. Alleluia! God is not only with us, but IN us. This is the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been made manifest to His saints. That mystery is: CHRIST IN YOU, the HOPE OF GLORY!

I know that my life is designed to be glorious, because Christ is in me! His indwelling Presence is my hope for a fulfilling, healthy, prosperous, successful, vibrant, and victorious life! That’s my confidence that I’ll never be defeated in life. The Bible says when He died, I died with Him; when He was buried, I was buried with Him; and when God raised Him from the dead, I was raised together with Him. And now that I’ve been raised together with Him, and made to sit together with Him in the heavenly realms, death has been defeated; the powers of the devil have been nullified; sickness has been silenced; in Him I live now and forever! Alleluia!

Christ in me is the Hope of Glory: the hope of displaying the nature and character of God; the hope of reigning in life; and the hope of living eternally with Him. Our hope is not in ourselves, but in Christ. In ourselves and our own strength we will fall short of God’s glory. But leaning on the Everlasting Arm – the Indwelling Christ – we can now break free from the bondage of sin, defeat, and failure. Jesus has given us Himself because we do not have what it takes to live the Christian life!

Beloved, in Christ you’re not an ordinary person; you belong in a special class of the divine! This is your hope for the transcendent life of the miraculous. Your appropriate response should be to thank God for this wonderful truth – the reality of Christ in you. It is all about the Lord Jesus!