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)
|
My only
song and story
Is—Jesus died for me;
My only hope of
glory,
The Cross of Calvary
Play hymn |
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.
Bride of
the Lamb, awake, awake!
Why sleep for sorrow now?
The hope of glory,
Christ, is thine,
A child of glory thou.
Play hymn |
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.
><>><>><>
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.
><>><>><>
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.
|
Hope, as
an anchor so steadfast,
Rends the dark veil for the soul,
Whither the Master has entered,
Robbing the grave of its goal.
Come then, O come, glad fruition,
Come to my sad weary heart;
Come, O Thou blest
hope of glory,
Never, O never depart.
--Play
Hymn |
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)
Rejoice in joys to come,
The hope of glory near;
He’ll soon return to take thee home,
No cause for thee to fear!
--Author unknown |
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)
|
THE
WONDERFUL
PEACE OF KNOWING
"CHRIST IN YOU THE
HOPE OF GLORY" |
|
No
one who hears Stephen Olford’s commanding voice can forget it.
It seems to flash through the air as he preaches, with a British
clip and a heavenly power that drives its message into listening
ears. His expositional sermons ring with alliteration that makes
each memorable.
Olford grew up in Africa where his parents were
missionaries. On his seventh birthday, after the cakes and
presents had been enjoyed, his mother, Bessie Santmire Olford,
led family devotions. She read from John 14, emphasizing verse
3, the Lord’s promise to return and receive His people to
Himself. Pausing, she looked at Stephen and asked, “Stephen,
when the Lord Jesus comes back, will you be ready to meet Him?”
The question was left
unanswered. Stephen looked down, fidgeting with his hands and
wishing he could be anywhere else at that moment. But that
evening the question played on the boy’s mind. His sleep was
restless, and he tossed and turned in the African night.
Suddenly the matter seemed to assume urgent proportions, and he
called out in the darkness, “Mother!”
Bessie rushed in, expecting to find a hyena or other wild animal
outside his window. She sat on the bed and held him, his little
body trembling. No, it wasn’t a wild animal. His fitful thoughts
had imagined Jesus coming again, only to leave him behind.
Bessie lit the lamp and opened her Bible to Colossians 1:27:
“Christ
in you, the hope of glory.”
“If you want to be sure of going to heaven, Stephen,
you must have Christ in you, in your heart. Do you want to
invite Jesus into your heart?” Stephen nodded, and the two
knelt by his bed to make the transaction.
“Before, my pillow seemed stuffed with bricks,” Olford recalled, “but now a wonderful peace came into my heart.
Mother was the under girding of that conversion. In those early
formative years, it was her training, her teaching, her example
and counseling that drew me to the Lord.” (Morgan, R. J.: From
this verse : 365 scriptures that changed the world
(November 16). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) |
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"
Tell It Out
With
Gladness |
Are you walking in the
light,
Tell it out with gladness;
Is your hope of glory bright,
Tell it out with gladness;
Have you perfect peace within,
Are you trying still to win
Constant victory over sin,
Tell it out with gladness.
Play hymn |
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.
|
The
HOPE Believers Possess
Because of Christ's 2nd coming
|
|
Living hope |
1Pet 1:3-note |
|
Blessed hope |
Titus 2:13 -note |
|
Joyful hope |
1Th 2:19 -note |
|
Comforting hope |
1Th 4:13-18-note |
|
Hope of glory |
Col 1:27-note |
|
Anchoring hope |
Heb 6:19-note |
|
Purifying hope |
1Jn 3:2, 3-note |
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