CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY
“To them God willed 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 1:27).
The mystery of the gospel is not merely that Christ died for us, but that He now lives within us. The Cross and the Resurrection were not only acts in history—they were the opening of a new fellowship between the Creator and His redeemed. Sin had built a vast chasm between man and God, but at Calvary, that chasm was bridged forever. Through Christ, the guilty are made clean, the far-off are brought near, and the dead are made alive. The work of redemption is not complete until the Redeemer Himself takes up residence in the hearts of those He has saved. “If anyone loves Me,” said Jesus, “he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).
This is the greatest wonder ever known—that the Holy One would dwell in the hearts of sinners made clean by grace. The message of the Cross proclaims not only pardon, but union. Christ in us, and we in Christ—this is the divine exchange that changes everything. The sinner no longer stands outside the gates of mercy, pleading for entrance; he has been brought inside, seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). To bear His name is not simply to follow His teaching, but to have His life beating within our own.
Before Christ came, this truth was veiled in mystery. The prophets glimpsed it, but did not yet behold its fullness. The ancient covenants pointed toward it, but could not reveal its glory. Only when the Son of God took flesh did the hidden plan of the ages burst forth into light. “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest” (Romans 16:25–26). The eternal purpose of God has always been to restore His children to intimate fellowship with Himself. The fall broke communion; the cross restored it. From Eden to Calvary, God’s heart has been reaching out to dwell again with His people.
And how completely He has succeeded! The indwelling Christ is the triumph of divine love. Heaven’s glory now abides in earthen vessels. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now gives life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11). We are not left to live the Christian life in our own strength, for Christ Himself is our strength. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). His victory over sin becomes ours, His peace calms our hearts, His power enables our obedience, His love compels our service.
Now that we are reconciled to God, it is our privilege and joy to abide in Him continually. “Abide in Me, and I in you…for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). Christ is the life of our souls. Apart from Him, all effort is empty, all religion lifeless. To abide is to depend—to rest, to draw, to receive. As the branch lives by the fluid of the vine, so the believer lives by the indwelling Christ. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:56). To feed upon Christ daily is to seek His presence as our strength, His word as our food, His love as our breath. The Christian who ceases to draw from Christ ceases to live in the power of Christ.
If Christ dwells within, then our whole being must be surrendered to His rule. There is no part of life too small for His touch, no thought or desire too private for His lordship. The heart where Jesus lives becomes His holy temple, and all within it must yield to His will. “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). To live with Christ within is to belong to Him entirely. Every decision, every motive, every affection must bow before His throne.
This is why the apostle cried out, “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The Christian life is not merely imitation—it is incarnation. The Spirit molds us day by day until the likeness of Jesus is seen in our character and conduct. His gentleness tempers our words, His purity refines our thoughts, His humility governs our ambitions. To be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29) is the grand design of redemption. God will not rest until His people reflect the beauty of His Son.
The mystery of “Christ in you” is both our strength now and our hope for eternity. Because He lives in us, we live in the light of glory to come. The same indwelling presence that sanctifies us on earth will glorify us in heaven. “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). What began as faith will end in sight; what began as union will end in unbroken communion. Christ within is the pledge that one day we shall see Him as He is and be like Him forever.
Let this holy truth humble and lift us at once. The Almighty dwells in the hearts of His redeemed! What greater honor, what deeper calling could there be? Let us therefore yield our lives entirely to Him. Let pride be silenced, sin forsaken, and self forgotten, that Christ alone may be magnified.
Let this be our prayer:
Lord Jesus, live within me as my life and my light. Fill every part of my being with Your presence. Rule my thoughts, guide my words, sanctify my desires. Teach me to abide in You and draw from You each moment. Let Your love be my motive, Your will my delight, until all that I am is lost in all that You are.
Christ in me, my hope of glory—forever and ever. Amen.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
