CHRIST IN YOU
“To them God decided to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27)
The business of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus is about relationship, that which exists between the Creator and those whom he has redeemed.
Because of what Christ has done, sinful man can once again enter into the presence of God, and even live intimately in that presence. The Cross took care of the problem of sin which had robbed mankind of their relationship with God. Now Christ is in us and we are in Christ. This is the good news of the gospel and it speaks of the success of Christ’s work in our stead and on our behalf.
The mystery that was concealed in the Old Testament has been revealed through Christ and his covenant of grace. Simply put, Paul says it is “Christ in us.” This is what God has been working toward throughout all the ages of his dealings with man. Mankind was separated from intimate fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden, and the rest of the Bible, from the third chapter of Genesis to the coming of Christ into the world, has been the unfolding story of God working to bring his children back to him. The fact of Christ’s presence in the lives of believers today points to his amazing accomplishments to that end.
Now that we have been reconciled to God, it is our privilege and duty to abide in Christ. We are called to walk with him and live only to please him. We do this by continually feeding on him as the power and energy source of our lives. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:56). I must continually accept his grace and fellowship by living in him and for him. The imagery of feeding on Christ reminds us of the daily necessity of returning again and again to him alone as the source of our spiritual life. Without him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
If we are saved, we live in Christ and Christ lives in us. Now we must surrender more and more of our lives to him. Our affection, motivations, and attitudes must be shaped by Jesus and his power. “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). This is the goal and the desire of everyone whose heart is set on pleasing Jesus and glorifying him with their lives. We want to have Christ “formed” in us, which is another way of expressing the grand and glorious truth that our existence is to be a reflection of him.
Dewayne Dunaway
