Tuesday, January 2, 2024
...that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 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. Colossians 1:26-27
Christ in you, the hope of glory
The truth of today is one of the most important truths in our faith. Paul proclaims the significance of the gospel in these words. If Christianity were nothing more than people deciding to worship Jesus and doing our best to imitate Him, there indeed would be little hope. But if Christianity is Jesus coming into our hearts and acting like Himself, then there is abundant hope. It is this dynamic, Christ in you, which secures our salvation.
In the first concept, all is based on human strength. In the other, all is based on the dynamic of the indwelling Christ. If my salvation depended on my ability to be like Christ, I could be lost again and again. But if my salvation depends on Jesus, then I cannot be lost. Thus my salvation is secured not by my imitation of Christ but by my participation in Christ.
Not only is our salvation secured, but our lives reflect Him. The good works we do in our lives will come from His presence and reign in our hearts. Work that is done in the flesh, with fleshly motives, seeks fleshly goals. Paul declares in Romans 14:23b, "whatever is not from faith is sin." Jesus said, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. (John 14:10). If Jesus depended on the Father in Him to do the works, how much more should we depend upon Him in us to do the works here? If Jesus freely admitted, "The Son can do nothing of Himself," we should certainly not feel capable on our own.
Man working for God is one thing. God working in man is quite another.
What we have in our world is a system of religion that, in the main, encourages folks to work for God. This kind of work is bothersome, fruitless, and frustrating. Many people become bored to death of church work growing “weary in well-doing” because they are operating out of the wrong source of power.
This also changes the concept of victory in our walk. No longer do we need to struggle to find victory through human effort. Our victory is secured through the work of Jesus and is ours to receive. In this great key, (Christ in me) there is victory. "And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (John 5:4). Victory is not something I win, but Someone I receive into my life.
CHRIST IN ME. Nobody can be Jesus like Jesus can. He is in me. All of Him is in me. All of Him in me is available to me and through me to a lost world. It is the beginning of a new year and I cannot think of a better goal than for others to see Christ in me more in 2024.
For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to will and to act for His good purpose. Philippians 2:13
