Questioning whether you read that correctly? Read on…

In my last post, we saw how the Word of truth—the Gospel—produces hope in our lives, hope that is the wellspring of faith and love.

Later in Colossians 1, Paul goes on to say,

“I have become its [the church’s] 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 saints” (Colossians 1:25,26 NIV83, emphasis added).

Here again, Paul is referring to the Gospel. A second life-giving aspect of the Word of God, in this sense, is that it reveals a mystery that has been kept hidden for generations. Do you know what that mystery is? Paul says it in the next line:

“Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Paul knew that when people believed the Word of God they would come into an intimate encounter with the risen Christ. (He had firsthand experience in Jesus encounters!) This is similar to how Jesus spoke of the Scriptures—they are meant to transform our lives and to more deeply reveal Him.

But what about that “famous” part? The word glory—the Greek word doxa—means “glory, fame, honor, or of high repute.” As believers, an aspect of the good news is that Jesus lives IN us. Amazing, right? And it means that we have the hope of glory. Yes, in Jesus, we are meant to be glorified (Romans 8:29,30). We will become famous—but not for our own sake. As God works in us to transform us, our honor becomes His honor, our good reputation becomes His good reputation, our glory and fame is purely a reflection of the one who is at work in us—and He gets the praise and exaltation.

It reminds me of one of the closing scenes of C.S. Lewis’s novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The four children stand together, having won a great battle alongside Aslan. They stand with crowns on their heads, their shoulders squared, as the citizens of Narnia cheer the young kings and queens. Genesis tells us that humankind was created to reign over all God has created. And at the end of time, His saints will reign with Him (Revelation 20:6).

How does it make you feel thinking of the good news that Jesus Christ dwells in us? How does it feel to think that we are created to reign with the King of Kings?