Focusing on Christ: He is Our Hope

God wanted to make known among the Gentiles
the glorious wealth of this mystery,
which is CHRIST IN YOU,
the HOPE of glory.
Colossians 1:27

When we study history, it is easy to see how someone could opt for the Nihilist option. If there is no God, or if He has abandoned us to ourselves, there really is no foundation upon which true hope can be built.

BUT… but if the Scripture are in fact true and Father God has made Himself know in the person of His Son Jesus, then there is a foundation for hope.

Hope is the confident expectation that things will turn out well because Father God will be who He promises to be and do what He promises to do. Hope is built on the foundation of God’s past works, yet always looks to the future completion and perfection of these works.

As we have already said, hope is a key aspect of a healthy Master Story. In the Biblical Master Story, we come to know our Creator and the plans He has for us. Even though we have rebelled against Him, He has come to save us and call us back to himself.

A little later, we will be talking about our “in group” and how it functions in our worldviews. The Scriptures teach us that as followers of Jesus by faith, we are “in Christ” – Jesus Himself is our new “in group.” In Him, we are also united and bound together with everyone else who has trusted Christ.

Not only this, but also Christ is “in us.” Take a look at the Colossians passage above. Paul reveals a marvelous “mystery” – something that had not been previously revealed in Scripture. That mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” What does that mean?

In Romans 3:23, Paul analyzes our rebellion against Father God as, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We – human beings – were created to reflect, express the glory of our Creator. Yet we have fallen far short of this goal.

But now, all of us who have trusted in Christ have the hope – confident expectation – of being transformed into people who share in and reflect His glory:

When Christ (who is your life) appears,
then you too will be revealed in glory with Him.
– Colossians 3:4 –

Father God has called us into this glory:

… live in a way worthy of God
who calls you to His own kingdom and His glory.
– 1 Thessalonians 2:12 –

He called you to this salvation through our gospel,
so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
– 2 Thessalonians 2:14 –

To state it very simply, God’s glory is His awesome beauty that is forever praiseworthy. It is His Truth and Goodness made manifest to the senses: touch, taste, sight, hearing. We could go deep on this one.

Since we are both “in Christ” and Christ dwells in us through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, we have a sure hope of sharing in, partaking of His glory!!!

The main thing to realize here is that our hope is based on what Father God has done for us in Christ that guarantees what He will do for us and to us in the future. We were created for great and glorious purposes. In Christ, all those purposes will be fully completed in the future when He “makes all things new” (Revelation 21:1-5)

Jesus has given us an alternative option to the “empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Instead, we have been given hope “In Him”:

For in Him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form,
and you have been filled in Him,
who is the head over every ruler and authority.
– Colossians 2:9–10 –

Christ is our HOPE and gives us Hope. We can be thankful and give thanks to Him who has revealed Himself to us and rescued us from this Dark Age.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,
encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.

– 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 –