Originally posted: 1/25/2021
…the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, (1:26-27).
Oh, the book of Colossians; such a wonderfully captivating view to see Jesus Christ increase. Paul wrote this letter to the church at Colossae to magnify and verify the supremacy of Christ as Our Only Hope of Glory.
This early church, as many churches, was under the threat of succumbing to heresies espoused by false teachers who insisted there was more to salvation than Christ alone. It seems that several factions had crept in, injecting into the gospel message their erroneous ideologies that combined faith in Christ with adhering to certain ceremonial rituals, demanding abstinence from certain foods, worshipping angels, seeking to attain secret knowledge, as well as yielding to human wisdom and traditions.
What a mess! But if we are honest, we too can be lured into believing we must add to the sufficiency of Christ as Our Only Hope of Glory.
From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:
Hope: “1680. ἐλπίς elpís; gen. elpídos, fem. noun. Hope, desire of some good with expectation of obtaining it.
Glory: “1391. δόξα dóxa; gen. dóxēs, fem. noun from dokéō (1380), to think, recognize. Glory. A look at the root word of dóxa, i.e., dokéō (1380), to think or suppose, is necessary. Etymologically, the word primarily means thought or opinion, especially favorable human opinion, and thus in a secondary sense reputation, praise, honor (true and false), splendor, light, perfection, rewards (temporal and eternal). Thus the dóxa of man is human opinion and is shifty, uncertain, often based on error, and its pursuit for its own safety is unworthy. But there is a glory of God which must be absolutely true and changeless. God’s opinion marks the true value of things as they appear to the eternal mind, and God’s favorable opinion is true glory. (emphasis added)
When we place our faith in Christ for salvation, He indwells us by His Spirit and it is then, and only then, that we have the confident expectation of God’s favorable opinion; for it is then that He sees in us the righteousness of Christ.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus Christ Is Our Only Hope of Glory.
Consider Him, Our Only Hope of Glory
- He is Our Only Hope of Glory as we understand the grace of God in truth.
- because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth, (1:5-6).
- He is Our Only Hope of Glory for He has qualified us to share in His inheritance.
- giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light, (1:12).
- He is Our Only Hope of Glory for He rescued us from the domain of darkness to bring us into His kingdom.
- For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, (1:13).
- He is Our Only Hope of Glory for He is the Sovereign Ruler and Creator God.
- He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him, (1:15-16).
- He is Our Only Hope of Glory for He holds all things together as the Head of the church.
- He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (1:17-18).
- He is Our Only Hope of Glory for He has reconciled us and made peace through the blood of His cross.
- For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven, (1:19-20).
- He is Our Only Hope of Glory and presents us before Him as holy and blameless and beyond reproach.
- And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach, (1:21-22).
How do we respond to Him, Our Only Hope of Glory?
It begins with faith and understanding the grace of God in truth.
…even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth, (1:6b).
It is only faith in His grace that merits His favorable opinion.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them, (Ephesians 2:8-10).
We can do nothing to acquire any further approval; we are only to rely on Christ in us as Our Only Hope of Glory. We are His workmanship, not our own. We cannot do more or less, we cannot think higher or seek man’s wisdom to experience His acceptance. We are accepted in His Beloved Son; and that is His work, never our own.
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved, (Ephesians 1:5-6 NKJV).
So, since it is all His work, is there anything at all we are to do?
Yes. We are to have faith and believe; for that is what pleases Him and marks our true value in His sight.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval… 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, (Hebrews 11:1-2, 6).
And we are to pray, for ourselves and His body, the church. He has given us, through the sacrifice of His Son, His Word and His Holy Spirit, everything we need to be able to live a life that pleases Him.
Let us use Paul’s prayer as an encouragement in our prayers; let us ask in faith to be filled with His wisdom and understanding, that we would live a life that is strengthened by His power and honors Him in all our works, trusting and depending only on Him, Our Only Hope of Glory.
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light, (1:9-12)