I recently had a conversation with someone struggling with a personal tragedy. They had recently lost a very close family member. As a result of this tragedy, they began to question their faith and even their relationship with the Lord. In dealing with the loss, one thing I attempted to encourage them to do was to change their perspective because the truth of life is there will be some difficult and painful moments in it. As you think about life, it is important to acknowledge life is not just about what happens to you. Life is also about how you process what happens or your viewpoint on what happens. The right perspective brings hope. The wrong perspective brings despair—which brings me to this verse I want to point your attention to:
“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:24-27).
Let me remind you quickly what the hope of glory means. The hope of glory is your hope as a believer in Jesus Christ. A hope of salvation and eternal life. (If you want a full understanding of this term, you can read “What Does ‘the Hope of Glory’ Mean in Colossians 1:27?”).
While you have this hope, you can easily forget it when life happens. In what ways can you remember having Christ in you, the hope of glory? I want to share two things to remember that can help shape your perspective and remind you of your hope in Christ.
Christ in You, the Hope of Glory Means You Have the Hope of His Presence
Having Christ in you, the hope of glory, means you have expectations for this life. There should be in every believer an expectation of experiencing God’s goodness in this life. The challenge is we sometimes interpret God’s goodness to mean that everything in life will always be good or feel good. That is not true. One of the real hopes of glory and the displays of God’s goodness is the promise of his presence.
As I mentioned before, life is about perspective. When life hits you, it is possible to feel as if God has deserted you or abandoned you. This can be especially true when facing a tragic situation or a loss of life. When these things happen, the light of the hope of glory can grow dim and even start to fade. However, your hope can be renewed because of the promise of his presence. Remember, you have Christ in you, the hope of glory. Wherever you go, whatever you face, he goes with you. Here is what David wrote about the presence of God.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:7-10)
When you remember your God is ever present in every situation, this creates hope in you. God does not sit outside your circumstances; he walks with you through them. He doesn’t leave you to fend for yourself but carries you through them, never leaving or forsaking you. This is hope and a reminder of why God is so good. In this life, never forget you serve a God who goes with you. It does not matter where you go or how bad it appears; he is with you. He has promised never to leave you, which is part of your hope of glory.
Christ in You, the Hope of Glory Means Your Hope Extends Beyond the Grave
In 1 Corinthians, Paul makes an astonishing and thought-provoking statement.
“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19)
When I talk about perspective, perhaps this is the most important aspect of it. The hope in Christ extends beyond the grave. Think for a moment about what it takes to be a Christian in this world. The sacrifices it requires. The denial of your flesh and the submission to God’s will. Add to that the reality of suffering and trials which happen because you carry the name of Christ. This can be a lot to endure, and if the hope of glory only lasted for this life, then Paul was right. We should be pitied above all other people.
But let me remind you that your hope in glory is not limited to time and space. It is not some temporary hope you cling to, causing you to live a life of surrender now with no eternal benefit later. If that were true, it would no longer be hope at all. It would be lunacy. However, remember Christ in you, the hope of glory, means your hope extends beyond the grave. You can also go back to one thing to remember this truth: the empty tomb. Christianity’s entire basis rests on the fact of the resurrection. This truth is so critical that a person cannot even receive salvation without believing Jesus rose from the dead.
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Why is it so important to believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Because without the resurrection, there is no salvation, and we have no hope. A dead Jesus cannot be a saving Jesus because he is no different than you or I. However, a risen Jesus is a saving Jesus because he has demonstrated that he has conquered death, which gives us hope beyond the grave. Here is how Paul wrote it:
“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14)
If Christ is still in the grave, he cannot be in you—and certainly, there is no hope of glory. However, Christ is not in the grave; his life is evidence of ours. Because Christ got up from the grave, if your faith is in him, so will you.
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
Christ in you is the hope of glory. If Christ is in you, there is a certainty that because he lives, you will too. This, my friends, is our living hope.
Christ in You, the Hope of Glory… A Summary
Hope for this life and hope beyond this life is the hope of every believer in Jesus Christ. Regardless of what is happening in your life, never forget this truth. The life you live now is temporary and will one day pass away. By comparison, the hope of glory in you is Christ, our eternal hope, and this hope will never pass away. One day we will move from hope and promise to fulfillment. For those who endure, you will stand in that day and say it was worth it all, so keep enduring even when it is hard to do. As you live today, let this reality live in you. Christ is in you, and that is your hope of glory. The hope of glory is for today, tomorrow, and all eternity. Christ in you, the hope of glory, both now and forevermore.
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3)
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Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.
This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.
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