Faith and a Mystery

“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.”  Colossians 1:26-27 (KJV)

I love a good mystery!  I have been a mystery fan for….well, many years!  It started with Nancy Drew, then Mary Higgins Clark to Agatha Christie and many others.  Mystery and suspense only, nothing gruesome.  It was always interesting to try and figure out the answer to the mystery before the end of the story!   I have even purchased the starter kit of Nancy Drew books for my granddaughter, Amelia in the hopes that she will love Nancy as much as I did. 

The Bible talks of a great mystery and gives us the answer as well.  We don’t have to think about it too hard for the answer is there in the scripture plain as day; Christ in us.  According to my Believer’s Bible Commentary, in verse 27 Paul is saying that the mystery is that Christ is willing to dwell in the heart of a Gentile (us).  He was teaching the Colossians who were Gentiles and wanted them to understand that they too would make up the body of Christ.

The latter part of this passage tells us that there is no other way to heaven than the Savior Himself and the fact that He indwells us makes heaven as sure as if we were already there!

This mystery I shall never completely understand, it is way, way over my head.   As Isaiah records for us, we know that His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. (55:9) We accept the mystery’s answer by faith and anticipate gaining our hope of the glory that awaits.

 Do not be surprised, therefore, if you cannot tell the day or the hour when the Son of Man came to dwell within you. Only know that He has come. “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (II Corinthians 13:5, 6 NKJV].

He probably came in so quietly that we failed to detect His entrance. There was no footfall along the passage. The chime of the golden bells at the foot of His priestly robe did not betray Him. He stole in on the wing of the morning, or like the noiselessness with which nature arises from her winter’s sleep and arrays herself in the robes which her Creator has prepared for her. But this is the way of Christ. He does not strive, nor cry, nor lift up or cause His voice to be heard. His tread is so light that it does not break bruised reeds, His breath so soft that it can reillumine dying sparks (Matt. 12:20) www.gracenotebook.com.

In closing I like this quote from Richard Meux Benson (1824-1915), founder of the Cowley Fathers.  It is a great reminder.

“It is not so much for us to understand the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as to understand ourselves as being taken up into the Life of the Holy Trinity.”