257. Christ in You
Colossians 1:27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The promise is that Christ is in you. Christ in you is a mystery; Christ in you is rich in glory; Christ in you is the hope of glory. Just as the Trinity is a mystery, as the Incarnation is a mystery, as the two natures in One Person is a mystery, as the body and blood of Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine is a mystery, as the intimate union of Christ and His Bride is a mystery, and other mysteries, so also is the mystery of “Christ in you.”
The promise is a mystery to be believed, appreciated and enjoyed; it is not to be understood or explained satisfactorily to our limited human minds. What does it mean that Christ is in you? It means a lot: it means that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is residing deep within your body and soul; it means that Christ, who is God, is presiding or ruling over you heart and mind for good; it means that He is affecting your thoughts and actions, motivating you to good works; it means that He is guarding and protecting you in your weakness and vulnerabilities and providing strength and wisdom; it means that Christ is constantly interceding for you, forgiving your sins instantly; it means that He is praying for you and turning your prayers into solutions for you problems; it means that the peace of God is taking over your soul and body; it means that God is providing for all your needs according to His will and plan for your life according to His riches in glory; it means that grace and blessing is ever available to your daily life; it means that the Spirit of God is at work changingyou into the likeness of Christ; it means that He is giving you His love for other people and using you to bless the people around you; it means that His presence in you is the hopeof glory, that is, glory is ours now but it is not seen as glory but as hope, a hope that is present and real.
And “Christ in you” means much more, but we still don’t understand how it works. Is it I or is it He? Who is actually doing the thinking and planning? Who is really doing the good works? Which one is initiating? Which is doing and speaking? We don’t really know, but the best answer is probably both acting as a compound mixture. It doesn’t really matter if we can answer these questions or not; it matters that it happens. Christ is really doing some wonderful and glorious things in us. We don’t see it, but we believe it, and we praise God for it. The Gospel makes it known.