The Christ Life
Colossians 1:26 – 27
AMP: The mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations [from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints), To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory.
KJV: "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"
See clearly that there is a mystery but this mystery has a glory. So the first thing we want to know is what is the glory of this mystery? It is one thing to know the mystery, but the Bible says it very clearly that this mystery has something that goes with it – a glory.
The mystery we all know = Christ in us. This has been hidden throughout the ages but is now revealed and it is not a mystery any longer. But what we have failed to see is that there is a glory that accompanies this mystery and we need to know what that glory is. In fact the Bible says that it is not just a glory but it is rich in glory.
So the mystery is that Christ is mow in us and that is so rich that it has a glory. So the fact that Christ is in me means that there is already a glory in us.
John 17:22
AMP: I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one:
GNB: I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one:
We must understand that God gave Jesus, the Christ, a glory and that glory he has given to us. So we need to understand that there is so much glory in the fact that Christ is in us. It is the same glory that Jesus had when He walked on the earth. That is the glory of the mystery which is Christ in us.
But now the Bible says that these riches of glory are only a hope of the real glory. This first glory is called a down payment, the first fruits of the Spirit, an undercoat.
Ephesians 1:14
AMP: That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it--to the praise of His glory.
BBE: Which is the first-fruit of our heritage, till God gets back that which is his, to the praise of his glory.
MSG: This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
That is exactly what Colossians 1:26 – 27 are saying:
CEV: For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God’s people. God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory.
GNB: God’s plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.
MSG: God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple.
Jesus received His own glory from God and He has given us that glory when Christ is in us but that glory is only our hope to receive the glory of God. This first glory – Christ in me – will takes us into another glory – the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 3:18
When we are born again, we accept and receive Christ as our lord and saviour and the He dwells in us. This is a mystery and has a glory. But if we can really fathom (grasp) what God really meant when He said Christ is now in us, we can start to work on this glory. For this glory will take us from glory to glory. This first glory is our hope of the real glory.
Now the question is – what is this real glory?
Galatians 4:19
AMP: My little children, for whom I am again suffering birth pangs until Christ is completely and permanently formed (molded) within you,
BBE: My children, of whom I am again in birth-pains till Christ is formed in you,
CEV: My children, I am in terrible pain until Christ may be seen living in you
MSG: Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until Christ’s life becomes visible in your lives? Like a mother in the pain of childbirth.
First glory = Christ in me; second glory = Christ formed in me.
Galatians 2:20
This glory = the fulness of Christ in us = it is this glory that creation is waiting for – the manifestation of the sons of God = Christ formed in us.
Hebrews 6:1
“Press on unto perfection”.
Christ in me = mystery which has a glory and if we start working on that glory it will take us to another glory until we come to a place where Christ will be formed in us, when people will look at us and not see us but Christ.
Michael Pitts said that when Adam falls in the garden, what made him fall was that God made him in the image and likeness of God. Then Satan came and said if you eat of the fruit of this tree you will become like God, but he was already like God. Satan drew him to take something from the outside of him and try to get it on the inside of him, he will become like God.
Again people are today trying to grab things on the outside, Middle east, America, wars, to try to bring truth into the church instead of tapping in on the inside - Luke 17:21 - kingdom is in you.
Romans 8:18
AMP: [But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!
GNB: I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
GW: I consider our present sufferings insignificant compared to the glory that will soon be revealed to us.
This verse talks about a glory that is not yet revealed but is about to be revealed. So this can not be the first glory of Christ in us, because Paul already received that glory. This is a glory that is about to be revealed TO US, IN US, FOR US and CONFERRED ON US. He is clearly pointing to the real glory – Christ formed in us.
Romans 8:19
AMP: For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].
So this glory to be revealed to us, in us, for us and conferred on us is the manifestation of the sons of God. For over 2000 years people have had this hope in them. They’ve walked around with a hope (Christ in them) and tried to get it satisfied with so many things instead of getting the revelation of a glory that is to be revealed to us, in us, for us and conferred on us.
2 Corinthians 4:17
AMP: For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!]
There is a weight of glory coming to us if we do not look to the things that are happening to us but to the unseen things – glory to be revealed = the manifestation of the sons of God = Christ formed in me.
The whole creation is not waiting for the rapture or the second coming but it is waiting for something to come to front = manifestation of the sons of the Most High God.
After Jesus was baptised, God declared: “This is My beloved Son”. When Jesus was in the desert to be tempted by satan, satan did not tempt Him with bread, but with: “If You are the Son of God”. He tempted His Sonship. When Jesus came out of the desert He met someone that was demon-possessed and these demons shouted: “We know Who You are. You are the Son of the living God” – Luke 4:14.
Years later Jesus asked His disciples who the people say He is and they answered Him that they say He is Elijah, John or a prophet. Then Jesus asked them: “But you, Who do you say that I am?”
Matthew 16:16
Son = Christ = Anointed One.
To be son means to be Christ which means to be the Anointed one.
Matthew 16:17
Peter did not receive this revelation out of his own accord. It was a revelation that God gave him that moment.
CEV: Jesus told him: Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn’t discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven.
MSG: Jesus came back, "God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am.
Matthew 16:18
This rock is not the name of Peter but it is the revelation that Peter received. So Jesus says that on this revelation of being the son, being the Christ, being the Anointed one, on this revelation God will build His church.
The moment we can step into this then the promise will come in fulfilment that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
MSG: And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
The moment Christ is formed in me, is the moment we become the manifestation of the sons of God and it is the moment that the enemy will have no hold on us anymore.
Creation is waiting for Christ to be revealed. In Acts 11:26 Paul and Barnabas were called for the first time Christians, which is to be like Christ. When the people of Antioch saw the, they said there is Christ but then realised it is only Paul and Barnabas and not Christ. They walked like Christ, they talked like Christ and they did the same miracles like Christ and the whole of creation is waiting for that: waiting for us to walk, talk and do like Christ – the son – the manifestation of the sons (Christ) of God.
That is why Paul prayed that Christ may be formed in us.
Just imagine what will happen if we come forth in the life of Christ.
John 14:12
There is an Eastern saying: “There is a place that seems impossible to reach. But if you will go one step further, you will reach it. When you have reached it and come back to others, you become the speaker”.
If you can get to that glory, the world will start to listen to you.
We need to start to work on this first glory – Christ in us – so that it can take us unto perfection, unto the real glory – Christ formed in us. There is another glory that still need to be revealed to us, for us, in us and conferred on us when the sons of God break through and be manifested on earth – when Christ is formed in us.
It is time for the sons of God to come forth.
Romans 8:31
Must understand this verse within its context.
Romans 8:29 – 30
Context is Christ being formed in us – we being conformed to the image of His Son. Context – spoke about the manifestation of sons – of glory to be revealed. God wants us to come forth as Christ people – what shall we then say about these things? If God is for us, to bring this about, who can be against us? ONLY YOURSELF!!!!!
Romans 8:32 – 36
You are put to death so that Christ can be formed in you. While we are reaching for it, things will come against us, but it is only to “kill” us, so that Christ can come to the front; so that Christ can be formed in us.
But if we murmur and grumble and complain, we are not weighing the glory that is to be revealed – 2 Corinthians 4:17 – when we look at the present sufferings we will not get the glory. That is why Paul says that we must count it all joy because we need to consider the end result. We must come forth as a Christ person, the Anointed one.
The whole world will listen if we can break through, but they are not listening now because there are too many of us still in us; we are still too much alive and not yet Christ.
