the mystery which [has been] hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been made manifest to his saints;
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to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you the hope of glory
Paul names a secret God kept hidden for ages: Christ Himself living in people who had no claim on Him. Two questions follow. What was hidden for so long? And why does Christ living in a believer make glory certain?
The word does not point to something puzzling. One writer explains what it does mean, and who the "you" of this verse is:
In Scripture a "mystery" does not mean something mysterious or impossible to understand. It simply means something that had been secret or hidden up to that time, or at least known only to those let in on it. The mystery spoken of here had been completely hidden in earlier ages, and now is only made known to God's saints... Read the verse and you will see that the "you" here means "you Gentiles." In the past God lived for a short time among Israel. Then the Messiah appeared for another short season among Jews in the land. But Christ now found in Gentiles was something completely new and unheard of.
The Jews expected a Christ who would be their crown of glory. What Paul announces is different:
Verse 27 gives us "Christ among you, the hope of glory." The Christ of the Jews was not "the hope of glory." When He came He was "a crown of glory," and He was not among the Gentiles at all. But now Gentiles who have no title to glory have Him as "the hope of glory."
Paul does not just say "the glory of this mystery." He says the riches of that glory. So what are these riches? One writer answers with a Person:
Here we are plainly told what these vast riches are — Christ in us, the hope of glory! Christ, in whom, as verse 19 tells us, "all the fullness of the Godhead" dwells. He is in us — not apart from those who form His body, but living in them — the hope of glory.
The hope is not waiting for someone to arrive. He is here already, and that is what makes the glory certain:
What marked out "the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles" was Christ in them. It was not waiting for a glorious Messiah to come, which was the hope of the Jew. It was Christ in them, the hope of glory — Christ already theirs. He Himself secured the glory for those in whom He was pleased to live, and He was at the same time the hope of that glory.
Another writer marks off what kind of indwelling this is:
Christ is said to be in us here, not dwelling in our hearts by faith, but actually the hope of glory... It is Christ's life in us in its full risen character of display.
This life inside is meant to show on the outside:
After Colossians presents Christ's personal glories, its leading feature is "Christ in you" — Christ in the believer as the power of life. As we read in Colossians 3, He is our life. So the Christian is to show Christ in practice, in every trait of His character, while in this world. This Christian is the one who has died with Christ and has risen with Him.
Where this hope is dim, conduct sags with it:
It is very little understood. As a result the "hope" that should stir our souls grows weak, and our practical walk often falls far short of what it ought to be. Is it not sad that many people shrink this "hope" down to a vague idea of getting to heaven one day?
- Secret — in Scripture a "mystery" is not a riddle. It is a hidden thing God has now spoken out loud, and this one was kept back through all earlier ages.
- Gift — the secret is a Person, not a plan: Christ, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells, living in His people.
- Reach — He is found among Gentiles, who had no claim on glory. To the Jew He was to come as a crown of glory; to these He is the hope of it.
- Certainty — because He is already theirs, the glory is not a wish; the One who secures it is the One indwelling.
- Result — Christ within is the power of life now, so His character should mark the walk; a dim hope makes a weak walk.