“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 (NRSV).
Great truths are known in two ways. Secular truths must be empirically-backed—that is, able to be proven scientifically. Spiritual truths, however, are based in God’s wisdom—which is revealed as truth. This revelation was always truth, though for a time, hidden.
The grace of God to the Gentiles, for instance, was hidden. Then at the proper time it was revealed in Christ Jesus. It was always God’s plan to redeem all of humankind, and it’s only now as we read much of the Old Testament that we read the prophets saying this. It was a mystery, for it remained hidden.
There are many mysteries about life that remain hidden—in time they may be revealed.
The Redemption Fact – The Need of God
This message of ‘Christ in us, the hope of glory’ is a fact for every human being. Humanity is ‘the Elect’ and it is no longer (and never was) simply ‘one chosen nation,’ though that was for centuries a mystery, revealed only to the prophets.
Ways to God are pointed, and the unfolding of this mystery—personally—is via a simple act of heartfelt repentance... to acknowledge one’s need for God—then the desire to grow with God; embracing, and committing to, the truth.
Until there is need of God there’s no hope of knowing this redemption, for God will continue retaining the mystery, until the right time. This is what evangelists must understand. They’ll waste their time otherwise. There’s nothing wrong with putting the gospel plainly, but why plead yet? It threatens to put some off. When the time is right the gospel will be sought—God’s mystery blossoming into revelation!
Just because God has now revealed this message of hope in the glory of salvation doesn’t mean all are ready for it. The vast population is not ready. Still, we must preach it for the trickle ready to come through; those hearing and needing (self-admitted) the message of grace.
Christ in You!
What a hope this is. How amazing that God was, and is, in us. All that was needed was enough light to the mind and heart to receive the truth.
For a truly Christian person to want anything more—from the landscape of eternity—is unnecessary, but our brokenness contends. Forever more the heart of God is healing us so we can live the truth—saved are we from the messes of our past and our humanity... one a personal salvation, the other a salvation truth to the saving of all people—the Church. Our human ‘need’ of things in this world is another mystery yet to be revealed. God understands more than we know.
Christ in you, the hope of glory... let’s allow that truth soak into our psyches, graduating to our hearts. This is medicine for our souls.
© 2011 S. J. Wickham.
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