CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY

Col. 1:27

To have a good hope of resurrection, of deliver­ance from judgment, of eternal life and glory with Christ; in all honesty is not this the goal of our faith? Is not this our reason for searching the Scriptures? Is not this my reason for preaching and yours for hearing? Paul gives us the only real hope of glory in this brief sentence, "Christ in you!"

Two words catch our attention immediately; CHRIST and YOU. All that the law requires OF YOU is ful­filled IN CHRIST. All that justice demands of you is met in CHRIST. All the righteousness you need is in CHRIST.

But there is a little two-letter word in this sentence that is all important the word "in." Christ IN you, the hope of glory. It is not just Christ in the covenant, or Christ in the manger, or Christ in the world, or Christ on the cross, or Christ in the tomb, or Christ on the throne but Christ IN you. Our hope of glory is Christ in us! Christ believed in the mind, Christ received in the heart, Christ loved in the soul, and Christ followed in the life.

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (1982)

Language Of Hope

“Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might HOPE” ( Romans 15:4).

The message of Scripture is a message of HOPE to the believer; a message of salvation and deliverance from sin, death and hell. Scripture says that Christ came to . . . “deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb.2:15).

The language of scripture is a language of HOPE for all the saints. The disciples, worried about their friend Lazarus, who was sick unto death, were told by the Lord, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.” That eased their worries and fears. God’s Word to His people is a language of HOPE, which dispels all fear of death and dying. “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:26).

None have ever perished who have trusted in God’s mercy, who have believed God’s Christ. NONE! All who have “fallen asleep in Jesus,” are right now with Him where He is, beholding His glory, in eternal happiness and bliss. They didn’t ‘go to the land of the dead,’ as some say, but rather, left the land of the dead to go to the living God. Believer, HOPE THOU IN GOD! Hope in His mercy, hope in His grace, hope in HIS SON . . . and it shall be well with thee, thou shalt never die! You have God’s Word on it.

Pastor Paul E. Mahan

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

“Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen” (Rom. 9:5).

God sovereignly separated this Jewish nation from all others (Deut. 7:6-8). From this nation God called out sinners like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David and gave them faith in Christ. But still a much greater honor and exalted privilege was given to this nation, “of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came.” The holy humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ came through these people (Psa. 132:11; Rom. 1:3; Heb. 2:14-17). This declares unto us that He really was a true man, born of a woman, made under the law (Gal. 4:4). He was a real man born in time, apart from sin (Rom. 8:3). Not only is the sinless humanity declared in this scripture, but also His real deity, “Who is over all, God blessed for ever.” We must have a Saviour as this (Acts 20:28). One Who is God over all and at the same time, the sinless man in one blessed person, the old writers referred to Christ Jesus as the God-man. Paul, the apostle called Him, God our Saviour (Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4). Our blessed Lord in His incarnation remained what He was, “God over all blessed for ever” and became what He was never before, “flesh” (John 1:1, 14; 1Tim. 3:16).

There are numerous passages of scripture of which His two natures are declared, both His divinity and His humanity; Gen. 3:15, “Seed of Woman” His humanity, “He shall bruise the serpents head,” His divinity. Isaiah 7:14, “a virgin shall conceive and bare a son,” His humanity, “call His name Immanuel” (God with us) His divinity. Isaiah 9:6, “a child is born and a son is given” His humanity, “the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” His divinity. Luke 2:11, “unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour” His humanity, “which is Christ the Lord,” His divinity. John 1:14, “The Word was made flesh,” His humanity, “we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth,” His divinity. 1 Tim. 3:16, “God was manifested in the flesh,” His humanity, “justified by the Spirit,” His divinity.