Colossians 1:24-27 (NIV)
Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 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.
Even though Paul had no direct interaction with the church at Colossae, he was their spiritual forefather. It was through his ministry that the first gentile converts had found salvation in the provinces of Galatia, Macedonia, Europe, and Asia. And it was through his testimony and encouragement that the pillars of the church in Jerusalem had decided to extend to gentiles full rights as brothers and sisters in Christ without requiring them to convert to Judaism or be circumcised first.
In all that process, Paul had suffered much. He had suffered hunger, thirst, persecution, and even imprisonment. But now, having heard from Epaphras all that God was doing in and through the church in Colossae, a second- or third-generation congregation, all his suffering seemed worth it. The cause of Christ was continuing to move forward where he had never set foot, and the Church was being productive even while he was sidelined under house arrest in Rome.
But Paul’s work was not done yet. He understood that, as an apostle of Jesus, he had an obligation to these Christians he had never met, to share with them all he could of the gospel. He was continuing to share with Epaphras while he was in Rome, but he intended to write some important information in this letter to help the Christians in Colossae to grow and prosper in the gospel, to encourage them, and to deepen their faith.
Paul refers to this important information as a mystery. A mystery is not something to be solved using clues and “secret knowledge”. It is simply something that is beyond human ability to discover, so it must be revealed to us by God through revelation and inspiration.
This mystery was first made known by Jesus to his disciples. It had then been passed on by those disciples to the thousands of new believers who came into the church on the day of Pentecost and in the following years. Finally, it was being shared with the gentiles throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.
The “mystery” is very simple: Christ in you, the hope of glory. Paul expands on this throughout the rest of his letter. But, simply put, he is telling the Colossian Christians that when they received the gospel, when they trusted in Jesus for salvation, they were not joining a religion. Instead, they were entering a relationship with God Himself, through faith in Jesus, by the work of the Holy Spirit. When they received Jesus, the Holy Spirit entered their heart (John 14:15-17). And The Holy Spirit not only cleansed and empowered them, he began to mediate the actual presence of Jesus and God the Father to the very center of their lives (John 14:20, 23).
With Jesus living in the heart of each believer, living out the life of Jesus in the world becomes not a matter of striving and accomplishment, but simply a matter of Holy Spirit-empowered obedience. The light of Jesus is able to shine brilliantly through the life of each disciple into the darkness of this world (Matthew 5:14-16), drawing others to Him. And that Spirit-empowered obedience, that genuine holiness of life that validates the title of saint, also fuels hope in each believer’s heart: the hope of glory. Because if God can keep His promise to make His people holy here and now, He is sure to be able to complete that good work in the future (Philippians 1:4-6).
Father, as one who has been transformed by saving faith in Jesus, I can join Paul in testifying to the reality of this mystery. For many years I worked the “religion” of Christianity, striving, and often failing, to make my outward life conform to the church’s standards while remaining unchanged within. But when I actually admitted to you that I was a failure, when I received the truth of the good news and put all my faith in Jesus, I received not a new religion, but a new relationship with you, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, and I was transformed! No more striving, but simply allowing you to live through me. No more toil and sweat, but simple Spirit-empowered obedience. And, with Jesus living and ruling at the center of my life, this transformation was clearly evident to everyone who had known me before. And it really has given me the calm assurance that, if you could do that in me, everything you have promised can be accomplished as well. Thank you, Lord, for the reality of Christ in me, the hope of glory! Amen.