Biblical Mysteries
This week Theology 101 continues to look at biblical truths that are labeled mysteries. Having considered already the mysteries of godliness, God’s kingdom and God’s will, this week’s focus is on the mystery of Christ’s indwelling of believers. The biblical location of this mystery is the concluding verses of the first chapter of Colossians.
We begin with what we might term the history of this mystery. The passage sets forth this mystery as one which had “been hidden from ages and generations” (Col. 1:26). “Ages” refers to all time past, and “generations” refers to all people past. Though previously hidden, this mystery “now has been revealed.”
Fulfillment of the Word
The importance of this revealed mystery is that it was to “fulfill the word of God” (Col. 1:25). A hidden mystery has now become a fulfilling mystery. The indwelling of Christ in believers is the completing truth of God’s saving revelation to the world as well as the completing truth of a personal relationship with God.
Given this importance of Christ’s indwelling of God’s people, this truth had become a part of the burden of Paul’s prayer life: “I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph. 3:14–17).
The agent of this mystery is the Holy Spirit, whose presence in believers makes possible the indwelling of Christ. In his letter to the Galatian churches, Paul expressed his desire for them in these words, “My little children for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19).
Hope of glory
Having set forth the history and importance of this mystery, the apostle then gave in simple statement the content of the mystery as “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). We might say the indwelling of Christ is both the completing truth of God’s word and the completing truth of Christian experience.
Given such importance that attaches to the revealed truth of Christ’s indwelling of believers, we can understand the urgency with which Paul proclaimed this mystery when he wrote, “Him 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).
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