Christ in You the Hope of Glory

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27.

There is absolutely no way to do justice with this in one sitting. Therefore, I may sit on this for a few days….

“Them” are the Saints as Paul describes them in v 26. If you are a believer, you are a saint. No halo here, just a regular saint just like the rest of us. Sorry about that, but if you want a halo go visit Michael Angelo.

…Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ephesians 2:20-22.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14.

Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. 2 Timothy 1:13-14.

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? James 4:5

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Galatians 3:2.

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:16.

The mystery of Christ is that He is in Heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father in power, AND that by His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, He continues to live in us….the believers.

But, rest assured that the mystery of Christ belongs completely to Him. No one has ‘a handle’ on the entire mystery. I suppose that I could, relatively speaking, sort of compare that mystery to that mystique that women hold over us men. We simply do not understand them…women that is. But look at this quote and the mystery is widened, “Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels.” -- Faith Whittlesley. Why anyone would go through that kind of pain…in high heals…continues to be a mystery to me.

There is one thing certain, and now I return to the mystery of Christ.) This is easier to grasp than the mystery of women.) I do not understand this, either. And this is the point at which I must depend upon the faith that God has graciously granted each of us. I just know that He is who He has said that He is. He is God, He is Christ, the Risen Savior who is seated at the right Hand of the Father, and He is Spirit living in me…the Hope of glory.

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:9-11.

This, then is the mystery. Why would He allow me to be one of the many vessels to contain Him? Herein lies the answer, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

Yes, I will better understand this mystery in the by and by. But I know that I will have to wait for Heaven before I get more information about my wife……ILY.