Context No. 3574 of 4322 · Colossians

Colossians 1:21-29: in context

21You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds, 22yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him, 23if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a servant. 24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly, 25of which I was made a servant according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you to fulfill the word of God, 26the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, 27to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; 29for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.

Paul reminds the Colossians of the great change Christ has worked. Once you were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, but now he has reconciled you in his body of flesh by his death, to present you holy and blameless before him. From enemies to holy children, that is the reach of Christ's reconciling work.

And at the heart of the passage is one of Scripture's great phrases: the mystery hidden for ages and generations, now revealed, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The gospel is not only that Christ died for us but that Christ lives in us; his very presence within is the ground of our hope of glory. This is the astonishing center of the Christian faith, not merely forgiveness offered from a distance, but Christ himself dwelling in the believer. Our hope of glory is not our own goodness or effort, but Christ in us. And Paul labors, by his strength, to present everyone mature in this Christ who lives within them.

Do I know Christ not only as the one who died for me but as the one who lives in me, "Christ in you, the hope of glory," and does that indwelling presence anchor my hope?

Sources

Colossians 1:27: "God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Colossians 1:21-22: "You, being in past times alienated and enemies... yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect."
Colossians 1:28: "We proclaim him... that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."