Colossians 1:26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden (RPPNSA) from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested (3SAPI) to His saints,  (NASB: Lockman)

Greek: to musterion to apokekrummenon (RPPNSA) apo ton aionon kai apo ton geneon nun de ephanerothe (3SAPI) tois hagiois autou,
Amplified: The mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations [from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints) (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
ICB: This teaching is the secret truth that was hidden since the beginning of time. It was hidden from everyone, but now it is made known to God's holy people. (ICB: Nelson)
Montgomery:  that secret truth, which, although hidden from ages and generations of old, has now been made manifest to his saints.
NLT: This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to his own holy people.
Phillips:  that sacred mystery which up to now has been hidden in every age and every generation, but which is now as clear as daylight to those who love God.  (Phillips: Touchstone)
Wuest: the mystery which has been kept hidden from the ages and from the generations, but now was made known to His saints,  (Eerdmans) 
Young's Literal: the secret that hath been hid from the ages and from the generations, but now was manifested to his saints,

THAT IS THE MYSTERY: to mustêrion: (Col 2:2, 3, Ro 11:25, 2Th 2:7, Eph 3:3, 4, 5, 6, 1Co 15:51)

That is - Not in the original Greek. Added by translators.

Mystery (3466) (musterion from mustes = one initiated [as into the Greco-Roman "mystery" religions] from mueo = to close or shut)  in the NT is a truth never previously known, and a truth which human intellect could never discover, but one which has now been made known by divine revelation.

Musterion - 28x in 28v - Matt 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10; Ro 11:25; 16:25; 1Cor 2:1, 7; 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Eph 1:9; 3:3f, 9; 5:32; 6:19; Col 1:26, 27; 2:2; 4:3; 2Th 2:7; 1Ti 3:9, 16; Rev 1:20; 10:7; 17:5, 7

In Paul's day musterion was a technical term utilized by the "mystery religions" which referred to a secrets concealed by strange customs and ceremonies and confided only to those initiated into the "mystery cult".  Musterion embraced ideas such as "a secret rite," "secret teaching," and "a divine mystery which is beyond human comprehension." The "mystery-religions" had their secrets and signs just as seen in modern secret societies. Those initiated into these pagan cults, knew these secret signs. In summary, a mystery in the context of the Greek Mystery Religions was a secret rite which was administered to the person being initiated.

Mystery in modern usage is similar to this ancient use for it usually means a secret for which no answer can be found (cf "mystery novel"). In contrast to this contemporary use of "mystery", Scripture uses musterion to indicate truth  which was previously unknown but which now has been made known through revelation mediated by God.

Musterion in the Bible means those truths which are part of God's plan and can only be understood as He reveals them by His Spirit through His Word. As discussed further below, musterion refers to truth previously hidden, which when revealed, is understood by the believer. Stated another way musterion is "a secret purpose of God which when uncovered is understood by the Spirit-taught believer." It refers to a truth which without special revelation would have been unknown and thus is commonly used with words denoting revelation or knowledge (e.g., "to know the mysteries", (Mt 13:11), "revelation of the mystery", (Ro 16:25-note) , "made known...the mystery", Ep 3:3-note)

Vincent defines musterion as that

which was kept hidden from the world until revealed at the appointed time, and which is a secret to ordinary eyes, but is made known by divine revelation. (Vincent, M. R. Word studies in the New Testament. Vol. 4, Page 234-235).

MacArthur adds that

musterion does not carry the connotation that word has in modern English, as used, for example, of a mystery novel. In the New Testament it refers to something hidden in former times but now made known. Specifically, it refers to a part of God’s truth that was not revealed, or was only partially revealed, in the Old Testament. (MacArthur, J: Romans 9-16. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos)

McGee explains that...

A mystery is something which had not been revealed in the Old Testament but is now revealed in the New Testament. It is something which you cannot learn by the eye-gate or the ear-gate. Nor has it entered into the heart of man—that is, it is not something man would have thought of. It is a fact which must be revealed by God. (McGee, J V: Thru the Bible Commentary:  Thomas Nelson or Logos)

Unger says that

The NT use of the term mystery has reference to some operation or plan of God hitherto unrevealed. It does not carry the idea of a secret to be withheld, but of one to be published...The term mystery, moreover, comprehends not only a previously hidden truth, presently divulged, but one that contains a supernatural element that still remains in spite of the revelation (Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M. F. The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Chicago: Moody Press)

BDAG explains that musterion is...

the unmanifested or private counsel of God, (God’s) secret, the secret thoughts, plans, and dispensations of God which are hidden from human reason, as well as from all other comprehension below the divine level, and await either fulfillment or revelation to those for whom they are intended

There are 8 uses of musterion in the Septuagint (LXX) all in the book of Daniel (Da 2:18-19, 27-30, 47; 4:9)

Here are the 27 NT uses of musterion...

Matthew 13:11 (Jesus responds to the disciples' request to explain the parables) And He answered and said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. (Who can understand the mysteries? cf the two other uses in the gospels)

Mark 4:11 (Jesus responds to the disciples' request to explain the parables)  And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables,

Luke 8:10 (Jesus responds to the disciples' request to explain the parables) And He said, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, in order that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

Romans 11:25 (note) For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, (the temporary, partial hardening of Israel's heart) lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in

Romans 16:25 (note) Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery (the truth that believing Jews and believing Gentiles are made fellow heirs, fellow members of the Body of Christ, and fellow partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel) which has been kept secret for long ages past,

1 Corinthians 2:7 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory; (Comment: Here musterion refers to the truth God established before time and revealed in the gospel)

1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards (a servant who cares for the property of another) of the mysteries of God. (Comment: In this context musterion is used in its broadest sense as God’s full revealed truth in the NT which Paul had to oversee and dispense as God’s steward. All believers are in a very real sense "stewards" of God's mysteries, and we are responsible for handling these mysteries with reverence and integrity; e.g., see below Colossians 4:3)

1 Corinthians 13:2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 14:2 For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. (Comment: In this context musterion refers to "mysteries" that were totally unlike the ones mentioned in the most of the other uses of Scripture. The "spirit" by which they spoke was not the Holy Spirit but their own human spirit or even worse, a demonic spirit! The the mysteries they spoke were like those associated with the "mystery religions" which only the initiated few were privileged to know and understand)

1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed (Comment: Here the mystery is the rapture of the church, a truth never revealed in the Old Testament.)

Ephesians 1:9 (note) He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him

Ephesians 3:3 (note) that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. (Comment: Mystery = Jews and Gentiles in one body, the church.)

Ephesians 3:4 (note) And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, (Comment: Mystery = Jews and Gentiles in one body, the church.)

Ephesians 3:9 (note) and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; (Comment: Mystery = Jews and Gentiles in one body, the church.)

Ephesians 5:32 (note) This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. (Comment: The mystery is that God has called out a people to become the Body and Bride of His Son and the marriage relationship is optimally to portray a beautiful picture of the relation between Christ and His Bride, the church.)

Ephesians 6:19 (note) and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

Colossians 1:26 (note) that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints (observe how this "mystery" is now revealed in the next verse), 1:27 (note) to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Comment: The mystery now revealed is that the living Christ indwells believers).

Colossians 2:2 (note) that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself (Comment: Here the mystery revealed appears to be a reference to the Church as the spiritual body of Christ on earth and He as its Head in heaven.)

Colossians 4:3 (note) praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ (referring to the gospel), for which I have also been imprisoned;

2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (Comment by John MacArthur: This is the spirit of lawlessness already prevalent in society [cf. 1 John 3:4; 5:17], but still a mystery in that it is not fully revealed as it will be in the one who so blatantly opposes God that he blasphemously assumes the place of God on earth which God has reserved for Jesus Christ. The spirit of such a man is already in operation [cf. 1 John 2:18; 4:3], but the man who fully embodies that spirit has not come.) (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word or Logos)

1 Timothy 3:9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. (Comment: Here the "mystery" is "the faith" which is not the act of believing but the content of what is believed. In other words, many of the doctrines of Christianity were kept secret throughout the OT period but were then revealed by the apostles and prophets of the NT, especially in the gospel).

1 Timothy 3:16 And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory. (Comment: The mystery here is of the previously unknown truth concerning the Person and work of the Lord Jesus, truths of salvation and righteousness in Him, which produce godliness in believers.)

Revelation 1:20 (note) "As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Comment: Here the glorified Christ clearly states the meaning of this "mystery".)

Revelation 10:7 (note) but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.

Revelation 17:5 (note) and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

Revelation 17:7 (note) And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

Barclay adds that musterion

"means something whose meaning is hidden from those who have not been initiated, but crystal clear to those who have. It would describe a ceremony carried out in some society whose meaning was quite clear to the members of the society, but unintelligible to the outsider...in other words "In Greek a musterion is not necessarily something abstruse; it is something quite unintelligible to the uninitiated but crystal clear to the initiated." (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press or Logos)

In contrast to this use, the NT use of musterion refers to a previously hidden truth now divinely revealed. The secret counsels of God which remain hidden from the ungodly (to them they are a true "mystery" as the word is commonly used in English) but when these truths are revealed to the godly, they are understood by them. The mystery is not in the fact that the truths are difficult to interpret, but that they are impossible to interpret until their meaning is revealed at which time the truth becomes plain.

Jesus explained to His disciples that they had been initiated into these secret things declaring

To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables, in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven." (Mk 4:11-12)

When Jesus talks of the mystery of the Kingdom, it does not mean that the Kingdom is remote and hard to understand, but it does mean that this truth is quite unintelligible to the man or woman who has not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Criswell comments that...

The "mystery", which has been hidden in the heart of God through all the ages of time and from all generations of men but is now revealed to His apostles, is the church age (cf. Eph 3:3, note). That is, between the suffering of Christ on the cross and the setting up of the kingdom of Christ on earth, there is to be the dispensation of grace when both Jew and Gentile will make up the household of faith, the church (ekklesia, Gk.).

A mystery, in NT terminology, refers to a truth long hidden but eventually revealed to man by God at the appointed time. Most of the 27 occurrences of the word in the NT refer to some aspect of the plan of salvation: e.g., the kingdom of God (Mt. 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10), the hardening of Israel and the admission of the Gentiles (Ro 11:25), the equality of Gentiles with Jews (Ep 3:3, 4, 5, 6), the gospel (Eph 6:19; 1Co 2:7; 4:1; Col 4:3) and its reception (Ep 1:9; Ro 16:25; Col 1:26, 27), the sweep of God's redemption (Ep 1:9; 3:9), the resurrection (1Co 15:51), the central doctrines of the faith (1Ti 3:9, 16), and Christ Himself (Col 2:2). The term is also used of marriage as a symbol of Christ and the church (Ep 5:32), of prophetic secrets (1Co 13:2; 14:2), of the "man of sin" (2Th 2:3), and of intended symbols (Rev 1:20; Rev 10:7; Rev 17:5, Rev 17:7).

Musterion has its roots in the Old Testament and is found frequently in the second chapter of Daniel in the Greek translation (Septuagint) while the Hebrew equivalent occurs in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Gnostic teachers talked much of mysteries so Paul takes their "special" word and presents his special message regarding the Gentiles. Most people think of mystery as something eerie and unknown but this was not the way Paul uses the word (which he uses some 20x in the NT).

As used by Paul musterion denotes, not something "mysterious"  but that which, being beyond unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and to those who are illumined by the Spirit.

Mysteries in the Scripture fall into two categories. Some have already been revealed, and among these are the incarnation of Christ and the salvation of sinners. Others are yet to be seen, such as the general resurrection, the coming Antichrist, and the evil of the last day. It is comforting to realize that all the mysteries which bear on our salvation are already revealed to readers of Scripture.

Musterion is a divine secret or truth which is unknowable apart from divine revelation and which has now been revealed in Christ and the surrounding context stresses the fact that the mystery was hidden from pre-cross times, but now has been manifested to the saints of the church age.

So here we see a clear contrast between the ordinary use of mystery implying knowledge withheld, but in Scripture indicating truth revealed. The terms often found associated with mystery are “made known,” “manifested,” “revealed,” “preached,” “understand,” “dispensation.”

In the present passage it is used of the union of redeemed men with God in Christ, forming the church which is Christ’s body, similar to the meaning in Eph 5:32 (note) . In Ephesians the prominent thought is the union of the saints in Christ (Eph 3:2, 3, 4, 5, 6-see notes Ep 3:2; 3:3; 3:4; 3:5; 3:6) while in Colossians the thought is the indwelling of Christ in the saints. And yet in both epistles the figure is that of the body of which Christ is the Head.

So here Paul revealed a "sacred secret", previously unknown "which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Paul wanted the Gentiles to know that they too could have Christ in them. He teaches the parallel thought in (Ep 2:11ff- notes). This is the great mystery, the greatest truth taught in the Bible, and yet it is the most seriously missing element in many churches today. Most Christians in our churches understand and believe that Christ died for their sins but most fail to go beyond this basic truth. Relatively few go on to grasp the fact that Jesus died for them that He might live in and through them, the so called "exchanged life" or "Christ life". Many fall sadly short of grasping that it is Christ's life in them that provides the power to live the Christian life, bring about real change in one's behavior and lifestyle and provide the ability to resist temptation. It is not enough to know that Christ died in order that we might go to heaven. We are also to know, understand, and practice Christ "Who is our life" living in us now! (Col 3:4-note) Have you begun to discover this "mystery"? To attempt to obey the many commands in Colossians 3 and Col 4 without an understanding and appropriation of one's Power Source can lead to frustration and failure in the Christian life, which God desires for you to live abundantly.

Charles Wesley (1707-88) wrote of Biblical mystery in hymn form:

And Can It Be That I Should Gain?

'Tis mystery all! The immortal dies!
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine!
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.

WHICH HAS BEEN HIDDEN FROM THE PAST AGES AND GENERATIONS: to apokekrummenon (RPPNSA) apo ton aionon kai apo ton geneon: 

Has been hidden (613) (apokrupto from apo = from or away + krupto = hide, conceal by covering) means to be hide away from the common gaze and thus to keep as a secret. This Greek word gives us the English word apocrypha. Apokrupto is used by Paul here in a figurative sense to describe knowledge that cannot be known except through divine revelation. It was used in secular Greek writings of a "hidden trade (craft or skill)".

Paul uses the perfect tense which emphasizes the longevity of the hiding of the mystery. It had been hidden in the past and remained hidden. Paul was now unveiling that which had been for so long hidden from man's understanding.

Apokrupto - 4x in 4v -  Luke 10:21; 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 3:9; Col 1:26

God called the nation of Israel to be His holy priesthood, giving them His Law and a glorious promised land filled with "milk and honey". He promised them a King who would one day establish a glorious kingdom and fulfill the many promises made to Abraham and David. The OT prophets wrote about the Messiah Who would suffer, and the Messiah Who would reign.

Peter writes that

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow."  (1Pe 1:11, 12-note).

In other words, even the divinely appointed and inspired Old Testament prophets did not understand that the Messiah first had to suffer before He could enter into glory (Lk 24:13-27). Jesus Christ came to earth, was rejected by His people (Jn 1:11), and was crucified (Mk 15:12, 13, 14, 15, 20, Lk 23:20, 21, Jn 19:6, 14, 15 - They rejected their King!) . He arose from the dead (Mt 28:6, 7, Mk 9:9,10, 10:34, Mt 12:40, Mk 16:6, 7, Lk 24:4, 5, 6, 7) and returned to heaven (Acts 1:9, 10, 11). Did Christ's ascension mean that God’s promised kingdom for Israel was now abandoned? Not at all. What it did signify however was that now God had initiated a new program, which heretofore was a mystery!

BUT NOW HAS BEEN MANIFESTED TO HIS SAINTS:  nun de ephanerothe (3SAPI) tois hagiois autou: (1Cor 2:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 16 Ps 25:14 Mt 13:11 Lk 8:10 2Ti 1:10 ) :

Manifested (5319) (phaneroo) means to be (note the use of passive voice = action or effect comes from an external source) revealed in its true character, making visible that which was previously hidden or unknown.

Imagine! Christ the Creator and Sustainer of everything, dwelling in your body His Temple!  Dr. Robert Munger's great little booklet, "My Heart, Christ's Home," is a magnificent development of this statement. It is the mystery hidden from the foundation of the world, but now made known to His saints. In the Old Testament, those who feared God, knew the Messiah was coming, but they did not know that the Messiah would indwell the very physical bodies of His people and that those bodies would be the temple of the living God because it was not yet manifested. In addition the OT Jews may have understood the Messiah's relationship to Israel, but they did understood the relationship of the indwelling Messiah to the Gentiles, specifically the mystery of the church.

Saints (40) (hagios) are set apart ones (set apart by God and for God). They are holy ones. Click for in depth word study of hagios.

John MacArthur writes that saints

"are rich, because as the church, Christ is in us. And this is the subject of the ministry. Our message is to tell people that the living God wants to come and dwell in their life. That's a fantastic reality, isn't it? A thrilling concept....The mystery is that Jew and Gentile are made fellow heirs to receive and possess God within them. That's our message! This is the subject of the ministry. Our message to the world is not to try to live a better life. We're not forcing imposed rituals or a self-styled alteration of life. We're not saying, "Please could you make your New Year's resolution every month?" That's not the message. The message is this: "God wants to come and live in you."

God took sinners, "washed" them in the blood of the Lamb and set them apart for something brand new and useful for a different purpose. Have you ever thought about the fact that before Christ your life was futile but that now in Christ as a saint you have the privilege of living a life filled with purpose and potential? You can live this life today. Don't go through the rest of your life without being all you can be for the glory of God. Prepare yourself for eternity in His presence by fulfilling your purpose in His plan in this present age. 

Dearly beloved you possess a high privilege for as the Psalmist writes

The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant. (Ps 25:14 see Spurgeon's note)

Colossians 1:27 to whom God willed (3SAAI) to make known (AAN) what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is (3SPAI) Christ in you, the hope of glory. (See also Chart on "Blessed Hope")  (NASB: Lockman)

TO WHOM GOD WILLED TO MAKE KNOWN: hois êthelêsen (AAI) ho theos gnôrisai (AAN): (Mt 13:11)

To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory. (Amp)

Willed (2309) (thelo) is a verb that conveys the spontaneous grace of God in making known this great truth. God willed this change from hidden mystery to majestic manifestation. Thelo in this verse has the force of resolved, or willed and, thus, stresses God’s purpose in this revelation, as well as His initiative in it. The saints were helpless to discover the secret; He opened their hearts to see it. "God was pleased" (Amplified) or "God desired" (Wuest) to make this truth known. God made it known because of His  grace and not because of any merit of their own. 

Pulpit Commentary notes that

Willed stands emphatically first in the Greek. The revelation was so momentous in its issue, so signal in its method, and so contrary to human foresight and prejudice, that it proceeded evidently from” the will of God...The Ephesian letter delights to dwell on God’s will as the cause of the whole counsel and work of salvation

The phrase to whom God willed to make known clearly indicates that these mysteries are not discovered by the genius of man, but are revealed by the will and act of God. It is God’s purpose that His people know this truth.

Made known (gnorizo from  ginosko which means acquire information by whatever means but often with the implication of personal involvement or experience) means to cause information to be known by communicating things heretofore unknown. Wuest translates gnorizo as "to make known in an experiential way".

A T Robertson adds that

This is the crowning wonder to Paul that God had included the Gentiles in his redemptive grace, “the riches of the glory of this mystery” (to ploutos tēs doxēs tou mustēriou toutou) and that Paul himself has been made the minister of this grace among the Gentiles (Eph 3:1-2). He feels the high honor keenly and meets the responsibility humbly"

WHAT IS THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF THIS MYSTERY AMONG THE GENTILES: to ploutos  tês doxês tou mustêriou toutou en tois ethnesin: (Col 2:3 Ro 9:23 11:33 Eph 1:7,17,18 3:8, 9, 10,16) (Is 42:6; 45:22; 49:6; 52:10; 60:1, 2, 3; Ps 22:27; 65:5)

To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery (Amp)

Riches (4149)  (ploutos [word study] from pletho = to fill) properly denotes abundance, plentitude, and literally is used to refer to material wealth or prosperity (abundance of earthly, temporal goods) which is the meaning in the parable of the seed and the soils (Mt 13:22, Mk 4:19, Lk 8:14 = Material riches are deceitful and choke out reception of the Word of God. Be careful all you wealthy readers! Contrast spiritual riches - Ep 3:8) Indeed, think of the people who know whose whole lives glow with the glory of God for they are rich in spiritual possessions, albeit often poor in material possessions!

Ploutos describes superfluity, that which abounds or that which exceeds a man’s present desires; and hence, the word in the New Testament is used to denote abundance; or what is very great and valuable. To emphasize the importance of the truth of "Christ in you", Paul does not merely say “this mystery” or even just “the glory of this mystery,” but the riches of the glory of this mystery. Paul heaps words upon words in order to impress his readers with the fact that this is a glorious truth that deserves their closest attention. These "riches" make the possessors "rich". How about you, beloved? Are you living like a spiritual pauper or like a possessor of all the riches of the glory of Christ? (Click to study more on your riches in Christ) In Christ "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col 2:3-note)

In his letter to the Ephesians Paul says that

To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ (Eph 3;8-note)

Lightfoot adds that

Here too was its (the gospel's) wealth; for it overflowed all barriers of caste or race. Judaism was ‘beggarly’in comparison, since its treasures sufficed only for a few.

John Eadie (A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians)

The apostle now illustrates the character of the disclosure...“what is the wealth of the glory” of this mystery.... Both terms, ploutos and doxa, are favorites of the apostle, and are employed to represent what is bright, substantial, and permanent. That mystery is enveloped in glory, and that glory has at once a solid basis and an unfading lustre. It is no halo which glimmers and disappears—no gilding which is easily effaced; but it is rich, having the weight, value, and brilliancy of gold....And that such wealth of glory may be appreciated, the apostle adds, in explanation— “Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Marvin Vincent says

The mystery of the admission of the Gentiles to the gospel covenant, now revealed through Paul's preaching, was divinely rich and glorious. This glory is the manifestation of the kingdom of Christ among the Gentiles as their inheritance...The richness exhibited itself in the free dispensation of the Gospel to the Gentile as well as to the Jew. It was not limited by national lines.

Among the Gentiles The OT predicted that Gentiles would partake of salvation, Isaiah recording for example God's declaration

Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth (which would include Gentiles), for I am God, and there is no other. (Isa 45:22)

David records that

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord and all the families of the nations will worship before Thee. (Psalm 22:27 - Spurgeon's comments)

And again the psalmist records that

The Lord has made known His salvation. He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. (Psalms 98:2, 3 see Spurgeon's comments Verse 2; Verse 3)

On the other hand, the Old Testament did not reveal that the Messiah would actually live in each member of the redeemed church which would be composed primarily of Gentiles. Paul has just revealed that mystery!

WHICH IS CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY: Christos en humin he elpis te doxes: (Col 3:3. Jn 6:56. 14:17, 20, 23, 17:22, 23, 26. Ro 8:10. 1 Co 3:16, 12:13,  2Co 6:16,  Gal 2:20,  4:19. Ep 3:17. 1Jn 4:4)

Christ in you - The you Paul is addressing is primarily the Gentile believers at Colossae.

The preposition in (Greek = en) according to the Greek expert A T Robertson conveys the idea of "in" not "among" adding that "It is the personal experience and presence of Christ in the individual life of all believers that Paul has in mind, the indwelling Christ in the heart...(Christ) constitutes also the hope of glory for He is the Shekinah (the cloud of glory that followed Israel in the wilderness and hovered over the Tabernacle and the Holy of holies in the Temple) of God. Christ is our hope now (1Ti 1:1) and the consummation will come (Ro 8:18-note).

John Eadie (A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians)

“Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  The one idea is at the same time involved in the other; the glory is not an abstraction, for it resides in the mystery, and the mystery cannot appear in nakedness, for it always exhibits this pure and imperishable lustre. The antecedent is rather the complex idea of the entire clause—not Christ in Himself, but in His novel and gracious relation to the Gentile world, as a developed and illustrious mystery. The term Christ is not to be explained away, as if it merely meant the doctrine of Christ, as is proved by the subsequent clause—“whom we preach.” The words en humin are rendered by many “among you,” that is, in the midst of you, as in the preceding clause and in the margin of our English Bibles. But the meaning “in you” is virtually implied; for Christ, as the hope of glory, was not contemplated merely, but possessed. He was not merely before them to be beheld, but in them to be felt....This frequent allusion to the Redeemer by name—to His power and work, as the Divine source of blessing, seems to have had a reference to the views of some among the Colossians, who would have had a church without a Christ and salvation without a Saviour.

The clause the hope of glory, elpis tes doxes,  is in apposition with Christos....The “glory” is the future blessedness of believers, as in Ro 2:7, 10, 8:18; 1Co 2:7; 2Co 4:17; 1Th 2:12; Heb 2:10; Ro 5:2. The noun elpis is not hope as an emotion, but the foundation of it, as in 1Ti 1:1, and it is followed by the genitive of the thing hoped for, or the object of hope. ... The life of glory rests on Christ as its author and basis—such is the blessed statement of the apostle. Let us pause for a moment over this glory, and its connection with Christ, and then we shall be able to know with the saints—“what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles.”

THIS GLORY

The glory of Christians is yet to come, but it is certain. What they so earnestly pray for, and so heartily long and labour for, shall be revealed over and beyond their anticipations. Deliverance from all evil is followed by introduction into all good. What is partially and progressively enjoyed in time, is fully and for ever possessed in heaven. The spirit in its present feebleness would bow and faint beneath the pressure of it, nay, it might die in delirious agony; but then it shall have power and stateliness not only to bear, but to enjoy the “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (2Co 4:17) Now, no man can see Him and live—our frail humanity would be consumed by the terrible vision; but the saint is prepared to gaze with unmingled rapture on His majesty, and to live, walk, and be happy in its lustre. The mind shall be filled with light from the face of God, and the heart shall pulsate with love in eternal and undivided empire. The image of God, in all its loveliness and brilliance, shall be restored to every heart, and that heart shall enjoy uninterrupted fellowship with Him who sits upon the throne. Nothing can happen to mar or modify this communion; for though an angel were to pass between him and the throne, he could cast no shadow upon the rapt and adoring saint. Every man shall be as perfect as Christ—in soul, body, and spirit, and beyond the possibility of forfeit or relapse (1Jn 3:2-note, 1Jn 3:3-note). The burden of sin is removed, and to the sense of oppression there shall succeed the consciousness of spiritual buoyancy and elevation; the taint of depravity is wiped away, and the joy of salvation shall mingle its aromatic fragrance with the “new wine” in the kingdom of our Father. The body, too, shall be raised an ethereal vehicle, no longer the prey of disease, languor, and death, but clothed in immortal youth and vigour, and so assimilated to the blessed spirit within it, as neither to cramp its movements nor confine its energies. No pain there—no throbbing brow there—no tear on the cheek there—no sepulchre there—no symbol of mourning there—no spectacle like the apparition of Rachel weeping for her children—or like the widow of Nain following the bier of a lost and loved one. “Death is swallowed up of life” (1Co 15:54, 55, 56, 57, 58)—the graves have been opened—they that dwell in the dust have awakened to endless minstrelsy. Nor do they dwell in a paradise restored amidst the lovely bowers, shady groves, and exuberant fruits of a second Eden. Such glory is too bright for earth, and is therefore to be enjoyed in a scene which shall be in harmony with it.

Now, Christ is the hope of this glory.

Glory had been forfeited, but Jesus interposed for its restoration. When the Saviour is received by faith, the hope of glory springs up in the bosom—a hope as strange aforetime to it as the pine and the box-tree in the desert. Christians are by nature sinners doomed to die, yet, through Christ, they exult in the promise of life. Though, in their physical frame, they are of the earth earthy, their treasure is in heaven (Mt 6:20, 21-note). They can look on the Divine Judge, who must, but for Christ, have condemned them, and call him, in Jesus, their Father-God; and they can gaze on the home of angels, so far above them, and say of it, in confidence—that, too, is our home. The basis of this life is Jesus. If it be asked, why have his sins not borne down the evil-doer, and crushed him beneath the intolerable load? why has the lightning slumbered beneath the throne, and not swiftly descended on his head? why are the angry passions within him hushed, and his gloomy thoughts dissipated? whence such a change in relation and character?—the problem is solved by the statement—“Christ within you.” This hope rests on His objective work—for “it was Christ that died.” Who shall reverse the sentence of our justification, or pronounce it inconsistent with sovereign equity? And who shall condemn us? Shall sin raise its head?—He has made an end of it. Shall Satan accuse?—he has been cast out. Shall conscience alarm?—it has been purged from dead works. Or shall death frown horribly on us?—even it has been abolished. The basis of this hope of glory is also the subjective work of Christ—by His Spirit within the saint. Not only has he the title to heaven, but he gets maturity for it. The process of sanctification begets at once the idea and the hope of perfection. If one sees the block of marble assuming gradually, under the chisel, the semblance of humanity, he infers at once what form of sculpture the artist intends. So, if there be felt within us the transforming influence of the Holy Ghost, bringing out the Divine image with more and more fulness and distinctness, can we doubt the ultimate result? Ro 15:13. Such consciousness inspires vivid expectation.

In short, in whatever aspect the saints view their hope, they see it in connection with Christ. If they look behind them, the earliest dawning of it sprang from faith in His cross; if they look around them, it is sustained by the promises of Him who sealed these pledges in His blood; if they look forward and upward, it is strengthened by the nearing proximity of realization in Him who is “in the midst of the throne.”  (Re 5:6KJV - note)

What a blessed change to the Gentile world! They had been described as once “without Christ,” (Ep 2:12-note) but now Christ was in them; once they had no hope, but now, they had in them Him who was the hope of glory. No wonder that the apostle rejoiced in suffering for the Gentile churches, and thanked God for that arrangement which enabled him to carry out the gospel to its widest susceptibility of application, and thus develop a doctrine which had been concealed for ages. Is his language too gorgeous, when, surveying the wondrous process and the stupendous results, he speaks of the “riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles—Christ in you, the hope of glory”? And that glory is not to be under eclipse—that Saviour is not to be selfishly concealed. No; the apostle adds, as characteristic of his grand commission and daily labour (we proclaim Him -- Col 1:28)

F. B. Meyer exclaims:

That He should dwell in the heart of a child of Abraham was deemed a marvelous act of condescension, but that He should find a home in the heart of a Gentile was incredible.

To paraphrase Dr Ray Stedman, Christians who have discovered the truth of "Christ in you", not merely in an intellectual sense, but in a practical sense that affects their living day by day are seldom bored. To them, everything is exciting. Even difficulties and trials are regarded as adventures and they look forward to how the Lord will work them out. They may feel a sense of risk, perhaps even danger, but they also have a sense of excitement and anticipation as they look for God to act.

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Phillips Brooks - Religion is not the simple fire-escape that you build in anticipation of a possible danger, upon the outside of your dwelling, and leave there until danger comes. You go to it some morning when a fire breaks out in your house, and the poor old thing that you built up there, and thought that you could use some day, is so rusty and broken, and the weather has so beaten upon it and the sun so turned its hinges, that it will not work. That is the condition of a man who has built himself what seems a creed of faith, a trust in God in anticipation of the day when danger is to overtake him, and has said to himself, I am safe, for I will take refuge in it then. But religion is the house in which we live, it is the table at which we sit, it is the fireside at which we draw near, the room that arches its graceful and familiar presence over us; it is the bed on which we lie and think of the past, and anticipate the future, and gather our refreshment.

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F B Meyer - Our Daily Homily - The only son of a widow runs off to sea when quite a lad. She must needs work for her living, and takes lodgers in her little home. After years have passed, a bronzed and bearded sailor comes to her door for accommodation, which she gladly affords at an agreed price. She has no idea who has come to dwell beneath her roof - it is a secret, a mystery.

By and by, one day as they are sitting at the midday meal, a remark, a gesture, startles her; she looks hard into the stranger's face, recognizes him, and, with a cry, rushes into his arms and weeps out on his bosom her joy: "My son, my son, what deceived my old eyes, that I didn't know thee!" That is the glory of the mystery, which breaks in smiles and kisses.

Then he says, "Mother, how hard life has gone with you; your hands are hard with toil. But see, I have plenty of money, and you shall go shares in all. I will take a nice little home, and you shall live there, to keep it as long as you live, and never have to do a stroke of hard toil." That is the riches of the glory of the mystery.

So at your conversion Jesus came into your heart to abide. Too long He has been unrecognized; but of late you have been made aware of the nature and worth of your Heavenly Friend. The mystery has broken in light. Henceforth, realize that all His riches are yours, to be shared and enjoyed; that all your needs may be fully met, even to the abundance of His unsearchable riches; and that there may be an end forever to all the weary sense of inability and incompetence to meet the inevitable demands of daily living. Christ is in you; let His life within reach out its hands to the life of glory above.

THE HOPE OF GLORY (indwelling Christ = pledge of coming glory): hê elpis tês doxês: (Ro 5:2, 8:11; Ep 1:13, 14; 1Pet 1:3, See also Chart on "Blessed Hope")

which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory. (Amp)

What is "hope"? In the Scripture it is absolute certainty of future good. Now what does it mean practically to exercise "hope"? Does it not speak of one's thought life, especially as it looks to the future? Webster says the verb hope means to cherish a desire with expectation of obtaining it. Now stop for a moment and think about this...what would happen to my present daily outlook if I truly began to meditate on "Christ in me, the hope of glory?" I'm not speaking about just memorizing it but truly meditating on it, mulling it over and over in your mind on a regular basis, asking God by His Spirit to reveal the truth found in these seven words? Could not this mental exercise be a life transforming experience? Although taken out of context the verse in Malachi holds forth a principle which surely applies, Malachi writing,

Test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. (Mal 3:10)

As God reveals the truth of "Christ in you, the hope of glory", then obey what He commands for Jesus said "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him." (Jn 14:23) The Amplified adds "I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him."  All that the Christian needs—strength, wisdom, guidance, necessities—are fully supplied by the indwelling resurrected Christ who said,

“All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.”

The coming of Christ into a human life is one of the great miracles of the universe. This is why the Bible speaks of it as a conversion, or a new birth, or a transformation. The believer is “in Christ” (2Cor 5:17; Eph 1:4-note) and Christ is in them (cf. Ro 8:10-note; 2Cor 13:5) and because of Christ, believers can look forward (with blazing hope) to sharing His glory. Later in this letter Paul reminds the saints at Colossae that "when Christ, Who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." 

Writing about this "hope" to the Roman saints Paul declared that through Christ "we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand and we exult (boast) in hope of the glory of God." (Ro 5:2-note) Hope is the absolute assurance of future good, and so here at least in part is looking forward to that day when all believers will be glorified, freed from the presence and pleasure of sin and in the presence of the Glory of Israel Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Elisabeth Elliot once said that "Christ in you, the hope of glory”—I don’t know of any more incredible truth in the Bible than that one." It is a present reality, a pledge of an eternal recompense and a great incentive to diligent service.

We have hope for the future because of what Christ has done in the past and is doing in the present. The only hope of this poor dark world in time or in eternity is Jesus Christ, and the only method which God has devised for reaching men and women is through you and me. Once Christ becomes an indwelling reality He uses our bodies and lives as the vehicles for the expression of His life and glory. There is a sense in which He has no eyes but our eyes to look through, no lips but our lips to speak through, no hands but our hands to work through, no feet but our feet to walk through, no hearts but our hearts to love through.

MacDonald explains "the hope of glory" this way

"We have no other title to heaven than the Savior Himself. The fact that He indwells us makes heaven as sure as if we were already there."

Wuest writes that

"Our hope is that ‘the body of our humiliation will be conformed to the body of His glory’ (Php 3:20, 21-see notes Php 3:20; 21). Our hope is that we shall be like Him (1John 3:2-note)...The Christian life is not primarily a system of ethics to be obeyed, for which obedience there is supplied both the desire and power. It is a Person living His life in and through another person, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”

Pulpit Commentary adds that

"This glory is that which the Christian will wear in his perfected, heavenly state (Col 3:4-note; 1 Cor 15:43; Ro 8:18-note) when he will fully reflect the glory he now beholds in God through Christ (“the glory of this mystery”)...The rights of the Gentile believer in Christ are therefore complete (Ep 3:6-note). Possessing him now in his heart, he anticipates all that he will bestow in heaven."

Miles Stanford writes that

"At the same time He abides in us here below, by the Spirit. “Abide in Me, and I in you.” “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Jn 15:4; Col 1:27-note). Reciprocal union, the ultimate oneness! And it is the ministry of the indwelling Spirit of Christ to make these priceless positional possessions progressively practical in our present pilgrimage...You, the new-creation “me,” are indwelt by Christ. It is not Christ living instead of you, but rather He is the Source of your new life as a recreated person - the eternal, chosen and elect entity....‘Christ in you’ is in truth your very life, displacing the old life of nature and continually ‘making to die’ its inclinations and habits...“God has but one way of revealing Himself, it is ‘Christ in you.’ He has no other way of showing Himself to men except as Christ lives in us; not by the Shekinah glory in the temple built with hands of men, but in lives redeemed and freed and cleansed as they walk about in this dark world with Christ living in them.”

C H Spurgeon wrote that

"Each separate individual must have Christ revealed to him and in him by the work of the Holy Ghost, or else he will remain in darkness even in the midst of gospel day. Blessed and happy are they to whom the Lord has laid open the divine secret which prophets and kings could not discover, which even angels desired to look into...Think of it. Glory for us poor creatures! Glory for you, sister; glory for me! It seems a strange thing that a sinner should ever have anything to do with glory when he deserves nothing but shame. We are neither kings nor princes, what have we to do with glory? Yet glory is to be our dwelling, glory our light, glory our crown, glory our song. The Lord will not be content to give us less than glory. Grace is very sweet might we not be content to swim for ever in a sea of grace? But no, our Lord “will give grace and glory.” “All needful grace will God bestow, And crown that grace with glory too.” We shall have glorified bodies, glorious companions, a glorious reward, and glorious rest" (Read entire sermon "Christ in You")

S. Lewis Johnson comments that Gentiles

"have the hope now and shall soon have the glory. As Eadie says, “What a blessed change to the Gentile world! They had been described as once ‘without Christ,’ but now Christ was in them; once they had no hope, but now, they had in them Him who was the hope of glory.” It is no wonder at all that Paul rejoiced in his sufferings for the Colossians. After years of alienation from the commonwealth of Israel and the covenants of promise, without hope, without Christ, and without God in the world, now the apostle was able to present to them, the Messiah for their very own. Paul would have understood in the deepest way John Wesley’s terse and appealing description of his evangelistic ministry in the Journal, “I came into the town and offered them Christ.”  (Bibliotheca Sacra: Page 235, 1996,  Dallas Theological Seminary)

Dr John Walvoord in his article

"The Present Work of Christ on Earth" adds that "The importance of the indwelling presence of Christ has been generally overlooked in theology, but it should be reinstated as a vital Christian truth. It is the proper ground for a victorious Christian experience and is the proper link between the historic Christ of the past and the Christ who is seated on the throne of God in the present and the future. A Christian should enter by faith into the full reality of the fact that Christ is within him and is present to provide not only eternal life, but also strength and the hope of glory. (Bibliotheca Sacra Volume 122 , Page 299)

Imagine what this message meant to the Gentiles. They were no longer excluded from the glory and the riches of God’s grace! During the Old Testament period, a Gentile had to become a Jewish proselyte in order to share in the blessings of Israel. But in the new covenant, Jews and Gentiles alike are saved by faith in Jesus Christ (Ro 10:12, 13-notes). The Old Testament predicted the coming of the Messiah. But the idea that He would actually live in His redeemed church, made up mostly of Gentiles, was not revealed. The New Testament is clear that Christ, by the Holy Spirit, takes up permanent residence in all believers (cf. Ro 8:9-note; 1Co 6:19, 20; Eph 2:2 [note]).

Marvin Vincent adds that

"The Gentiles, in receiving the manifestation of Christ, did not realize all its glory. The full glory of the inheritance was a hope, to be realized when Christ should appear “the second time unto salvation” (He 9:8-note). In (1Ti 1:1) Paul writes that "Christ Jesus...is our hope"

Spurgeon comments that Christ

"is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is by His life that we live; He is in us, the hope of glory, the spring of our actions, the central thought which moves every other thought."

We who have grown up in Christian surroundings have a tendency to take all of this for granted. But think of the excitement this message must have generated in a church composed of new believers who had no background in the church. Once they were outside the covenants of God, but now they were members of His family. Once they were living in spiritual ignorance and death, but now they were alive and sharing in the riches of God’s wisdom in Christ. Once they had no hope, but now they had a glorious hope because Christ now lived within! It would be good for us today to recapture some of that “first love” excitement.

Christ living in you.  This is the supreme declaration of the Christian church. You have never preached the Gospel until you have told men that not only will their sins be forgiven when they come to Christ, but that He, Himself, will live within them -- to do through them everything they are expected to do. He died for us, so that He might live in us. This is the full glory of the Christian Gospel. 

Stephen Olford tells the story of

"Captain Reginald Wallis, whose evangelistic crusades and convention ministry blessed thousands of young and old on both sides of the Atlantic, used to define the word “Christian” as follows: He would say, “Spell out the word C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N. Then take the letter ‘A’ from the end of the word and put it at the beginning. Now what do you read?” The answer, of course, was —“A CHRIST IN.” With great earnestness he would then add: “A Christian is a man or woman who has Christ living in him, or her.” (Institutes of Biblical Preaching. Memphis: Olford Ministries International)

Christianity is nothing less than the outliving of the indwelling Christ.  People want to see Christianity in action, and this can only happen when Christ lives in us, by the power of His indwelling Spirit. Only then will His creative and redemptive glory be seen in a life style that is authentic and convincing.

John MacArthur  adds that

"When Christ comes to live in a believer, His presence is the anchor of the promise of heaven—the guarantee of future bliss eternally (cf 2Co 5:1–5; see notes Ephesians 1:13; 14). In the reality that Christ is living in the Christian is the experience of new life and hope of eternal glory."

The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters has this comment on "Future Glory" writing that

Christ, indwelling the church, is “the hope of glory” (Col 1:27-note). The glorification of believers awaits its full realization at his return; “when Christ, our life, is manifested, then you also will be manifested with him in glory” (Col 3:4-note). Then Christ, “the first fruits” of the resurrection-harvest (1Cor 15:20, 23), will transform the present, humble body of the believer to be “in conformity with the body of his glory” (Php 3:20-note); “raised in glory,” with a “spiritual body” like his (1Cor 15:43, 44), believers, outwardly and bodily now, “will bear the image of the heavenly [Christ]” (1Cor 15:49). This final, open revelation of “the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Ro 8:21-note), will be cosmic in scope, including as well the freedom of the entire, non-image-bearing creation, its release from futility and corruption (Ro 8:19, 20, 21-see notes Ro 8:19; 20; 21)... If Christians hold on to this hope in the midst of suffering, their hope will grow and they will not be put to shame. The reality of Christian hope is based on two things: the reality of God’s victory over evil in the death and resurrection of Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Hope is the source of present strength for believers because it is grounded in what God has done in Christ, is experienced in the power of the Spirit and moves toward the glory that is to be revealed. (Dictionary of Paul and His letters: pages 350, 416, 1993, InterVarsity Press)

Heaven is not as much about a place as about the Person Who lives in us now.

Christ’s life, character, virtues, values, thoughts, attitudes, and deeds present in an individual is clear evidence that he is headed toward glory (heaven). Does the world see Christ in you the hope of glory? If not why not?

John Eadie in his classic commentary on Colossians writes

The glory of Christians is yet to come, but it is certain. What they so earnestly pray for, and so heartily long and labour for, shall be revealed over and beyond their anticipations. Deliverance from all evil is followed by introduction into all good. What is partially and progressively enjoyed in time, is fully and for ever possessed in heaven. The spirit in its present feebleness would bow and faint beneath the pressure of it, nay, it might die in delirious agony; but then it shall have power and stateliness not only to bear, but to enjoy the “far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Now, no man can see Him and live—our frail humanity would be consumed by the terrible vision; but the saint is prepared to gaze with unmingled rapture on His majesty, and to live, walk, and be happy in its lustre. The mind shall be filled with light from the face of God, and the heart shall pulsate with love in eternal and undivided empire. The image of God, in all its loveliness and brilliance, shall be restored to every heart, and that heart shall enjoy uninterrupted fellowship with Him Who sits upon the throne. Nothing can happen to mar or modify this communion; for though an angel were to pass between him and the throne, he could cast no shadow upon the rapt and adoring saint. Every man shall be as perfect as Christ—in soul, body, and spirit, and beyond the possibility of forfeit or relapse. The burden of sin is removed, and to the sense of oppression there shall succeed the consciousness of spiritual buoyancy and elevation; the taint of depravity is wiped away, and the joy of salvation shall mingle its aromatic fragrance with the “new wine” in the kingdom of our Father. The body, too, shall be raised an ethereal vehicle, no longer the prey of disease, languor, and death, but clothed in immortal youth and vigour, and so assimilated to the blessed spirit within it, as neither to cramp its movements nor confine its energies. No pain there—no throbbing brow there— no tear on the cheek there—no sepulchre there—no symbol of mourning there— no spectacle like the apparition of Rachel weeping for her children—or like the widow of Nain following the bier of a lost and loved one. “Death is swallowed up of life”—the graves have been opened—they that dwell in the dust have awakened to endless minstrelsy. Nor do they dwell in a paradise restored amidst the lovely bowers, shady groves, and exuberant fruits of a second Eden. Such glory is too bright for earth, and is therefore to be enjoyed in a scene which shall be in harmony with it. Now, Christ is the hope of this glory. Glory had been forfeited, but Jesus interposed for its restoration. When the Saviour is received by faith, the hope of glory springs up in the bosom—a hope as strange aforetime to it as the pine and the box-tree in the desert. Christians are by nature sinners doomed to die, yet, through Christ, they exult in the promise of life. Though, in their physical frame, they are of the earth earthy, their treasure is in heaven. They can look on the Divine Judge, who must, but for Christ, have condemned them, and call him, in Jesus, their Father-God; and they can gaze on the home of angels, so far above them, and say of it, in confidence—that, too, is our home. The basis of this life is Jesus. If it be asked, why have his sins not borne down the evil-doer, and crushed him beneath the intolerable load? why has the lightning slumbered beneath the throne, and not swiftly descended on his head? why are the angry passions within him hushed, and his gloomy thoughts dissipated? whence such a change in relation and character?—the problem is solved by the statement— “Christ within you.” This hope rests on His objective work—for “it was Christ that died.” Who shall reverse the sentence of our justification, or pronounce it inconsistent with sovereign equity? And who shall condemn us? Shall sin raise its head?—He has made an end of it. Shall Satan accuse?—he has been cast out. Shall conscience alarm?—it has been purged from dead works. Or shall death frown horribly on us?—even it has been abolished. The basis of this hope of glory is also the subjective work of Christ—by His Spirit within the saint. Not only has he the title to heaven, but he gets maturity for it. The process of sanctification begets at once the idea and the hope of perfection. If one sees the block of marble assuming gradually, under the chisel, the semblance of humanity, he infers at once what form of sculpture the artist intends. So, if there be felt within us the transforming influence of the Holy Ghost, bringing out the Divine image with more and more fulness and distinctness, can we doubt the ultimate result? Romans 15:13 (note) Such consciousness inspires vivid expectation. In short, in whatever aspect the saints view their hope, they see it in connection with Christ. If they look behind them, the earliest dawning of it sprang from faith in His cross; if they look around them, it is sustained by the promises of Him who sealed these pledges in His blood; if they look forward and upward, it is strengthened by the nearing proximity of realization in Him who is “in the midst of the throne.” What a blessed change to the Gentile world! They had been described as once “without Christ,” but now Christ was in them; once they had no hope, but now, they had in them Him who was the hope of glory. No wonder that the apostle rejoiced in suffering for the Gentile churches, and thanked God for that arrangement which enabled him to carry out the gospel to its widest susceptibility of application, and thus develop a doctrine which had been concealed for ages. Is his language too gorgeous, when, surveying the wondrous process and the stupendous results, he speaks of the “riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles—Christ in you, the hope of glory”? And that glory is not to be under eclipse—that Saviour is not to be selfishly concealed. No; the apostle adds, as characteristic of his grand commission and daily labour"

Here in Colossians Paul tells the believers what is theirs IN CHRIST. In Ep 1:18 (note) wrote

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints...

Thus Paul prayed that God would shine the light upon this truth in their hearts. It is fine to know this truth intellectually as head knowledge but it must trickle down into our hearts to truly affect our everyday life. And prayer is a key aspect of taking the truth from one's head to one's heart. My prayer for you as you read these notes is for this Spirit given enlightenment. Please pray the same for me. The principle is that we should pray for the promises of God to be realized in our hearts for only the Spirit can reveal spiritual truth.