"Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"
- Colossians 1: 26, 27
The mystery in the scriptural sense refers to something that has not been previously revealed but is now made known.
When something is spoken of as a mystery in the New Testament, it is particularly emphasizing that it was not known in the Old Testament. But what specific truth did Paul indicate was not known previously.
Some think that the mystery was that Gentiles would be saved. However that truth is not new to the Old Testament. When God first called Abraham, He said, “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen 12:3). Isaiah 53, which predicts the suffering of the Messiah, clearly states - The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:6).
So it is no mystery that Gentiles would be saved, although many Jews in Paul’s time resisted taking the message to the Gentiles. Paul got into difficulty with the Jews when they discovered he was concerned about ministering to the Gentiles.
The mystery to which Paul referred in Col. 1 is that the Jew and Gentile would be united in one spiritual Body and both indwelt by Christ Himself.
Paul in his letter to the Ephesians emphasized the new truth that Jews and Gentiles would be in the same spiritual Body. Paul said, “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” (Eph. 2: 11-14).
Any person who trusts Jesus Christ as Saviour during the present age becomes a member of the Church, the Body of Christ. All the fullness of the Father dwells in Christ (Col 1:19) and both Jew and Gentile are complete in Him”. (Col.2:10).
Rom 8:32 says. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” All things are ours as we are properly related to Jesus Christ. Christianity is more than a set of rules or ethics or morals or even doctrines – it is a relationship with a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We need to focus our attention on the Person of the Lord Jesus. Col 1:27 says. The riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. This is a truth that was not known in Old Testament times – that God Himself would indwell every believer. This was not true during Old Testament times; neither will it be true after the Church Age. Only during the Church Age – from the birth of the Church at Pentecost (Acts 2) until the Church is raptured from the earth (I Thess. 4) – is it true that Christ indwells every believer. That Christ indwells the believer is taught in many New Testament passages (Gal. 2:20)
Although Christ indwells every believer, as the believer matures, Christ is formed in him. Paul said to the Galatians, “My little children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Gal. 4:29). Christ is formed in the believer as he takes on more of the characteristics of Christ (Eph.4:24) says, “That ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness”.
The indwelling Christ is the believer’s “hope of glory” (Col 1:27). Since the believer is identified with Christ, having been made one with Him, Christ’s glorified humanity in heaven is the believer’s guarantee that he also will be glorified and eventually enter heaven. The Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is”. (1 John 3:2)
In the expression “Christ in you” (Col 1:27) the words “in you” are very important. For those of us who know Christ as Saviour. He is not only our life, but He is also the life in us. Christ is eternal life.
The Lord Jesus Christ, who walked on this earth and who is now at the Father’s right hand, must not only be a leader or teacher to us. It is not enough that He came, lived, died and rose again: He must be personally received as Saviour, at which time He will take up personal residence in our Heart. And as we study the scriptures to learn more about Him and apply the truths to our life, He will be formed in us.
Jesus Christ is God, and although He took upon Himself a human form to live among man and to die on the cross, He lives eternally. And it is this eternal life that indwells each one who knows Jesus Christ as Saviour. He is our eternal life. That is why 1 John 5:12 can say, “He that hath the Son hath life.” And Jesus has assured us “I will not leave thee, nor forsake thee”. (Heb 13:5)
So Christ put away our sin by His death, and our acceptance of the now glorified risen Christ is our life. As Rom. 5:10 says, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”. We will be glorified because He is glorified, and we are united to Him.
He is the all- sufficient Christ.
Concerning the indwelling Christ, Paul said, Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus”. (Col 1:28)
Notice four important words in this verse - preach, warning, teaching, present.
Preach:
The Word translated “preach” was a common word for “announce”. Wherever Paul went he announced the good news of the Gospel, so that others would have an opportunity to hear of the salvation of grace through faith in Christ. What a privilege and an awesome responsibility it is to proclaim the message of forgiveness to fallen man!
As we consider the importance of the Gospel, we become aware that we are responsible to deliver the message of God to people, not just preach sermons.
Teaching:
Preaching is proclaiming, whereas teaching is explaining. Preaching emphasizes the what, whereas teaching emphasizes the why. Preaching sets forth the facts, whereas teaching explains the relationship of the facts to each other. We can say that the goal of preaching is persuasion, whereas the goal of teaching is understanding.
Whenever we preach or teach the Word of God, we should desire to see changed lives as a result of the message we give.
Warning:
To admonish, warn. Many needed to be warned because false teaching was rampant in Colossae. Apostle Paul told Timothy (II Tim. 4:2-5) preach the Word: be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine; For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of the ministry.
One of the most effective ways to warn others is to let them know how God has dealt with disobedient people in the past. “Now all these things happened unto them for examples and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come”. (1 Cor.10:11)
Paul was warning and teaching every person “in all wisdom”. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts, and wisdom is the proper use of those facts. Unless one properly uses knowledge it will not be translated into changed living. Paul used the information he knew to warn and instruct every person so that the unsaved would respond to the Gospel and the saved would claim Christ’s power for daily living.
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the embodiment of Wisdom. “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom” (1Cor 1:30). As believers let us study the Word and learn more about Jesus Christ, then we can share our wisdom with others
so they will be warned and instructed.
Present:
The purpose of Paul’s preaching, warning and teaching is “That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col 1:28). Perfect- means, to that which is complete or mature. Paul did not want believers to be immature or to have undeveloped characters; he desired to see well-developed character and maturity in believers. As (Heb 5:12-14) says, we become spiritually strong as we take what we know and apply it to daily living. This exercises our sense of discernment, and we mature.
(Heb 6:1) says “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection (maturity).
Just as Christ is the source of our life, so Christ is also the source of our maturity. This is why (Col 2:6) says “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him”. The Christian life begins with Christ in us and continues with our being in Christ.
As Paul wrote to the Philippians (Phil.2:12,13)Paul was striving according to God’s power which was mightily working in him
(Col 1:29). This indicates that the work we are able to do is in proportion to the work God does in us. And He can only do in us what we allow Him to do. No wonder Paul wrote, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might”. (Eph.6:10)
Jesus Christ is the life and strength in us. It is not just that we draw strength from Him; He is our strength.
