Christ Revealed In You

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 1:27).

There’re those who argue that Christianity is the imitation of Christ, but they’re wrong. Christianity isn’t the imitation of Christ. Those who are trying to imitate Christ are working from the outside.

In Colossians 1:26-27, the Bible tells us, "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." Christianity is the revelation of Christ in you. That’s God’s dream; that’s His plan and desire: Christ revealed in you!

Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"; this was due to Adam’s transgression. Now that salvation has been consummated, we’re no longer short of the glory; we’ve been given the glory of the Second Adam, Christ Jesus. Christ in you is the hope of glory.

Sanctified For The Master’s Use

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work (2 Timothy 2:20-21).

As it can be seen in our opening verses, there’re different qualities of vessels in God’s house: vessels of silver and gold, and vessels of wood and of earth. Being born again, we’re all vessels in the house of God, made for honouring Him.

None of us was made "unto dishonour"; each one of us has been raised for His glory, but you can decide if you’re going to be a vessel of honour, or a vessel of dishonour. That’s what Paul meant when he said, "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use…." To be "sanctified" means to be separated or set apart unto God for His sacred use, while to be "meet" means to be qualified.

Give Honour And Relevance To What You Do

For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my office (Romans 11:13).

The Apostle Paul made the statement above because the Gentiles were considered Heathens, by the Jews. The Jews were the ones chosen of God; hence, they saw the rest of the world as unclean. When the Lord Jesus came, He came as a Jew and picked His apostles from among the Jews. After He left, and sent out these apostles as ministers, they ministered only to the Jews, the chosen people of God.

Subsequently, God opened the door for the Gentiles to receive the Gospel and sent Peter to the house of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion. Peter ministered the Gospel to Cornelius and his household, and the Holy Ghost came on all of them, to the astonishment of the Jewish believers that accompanied Peter.

Reprogramming Your Mind For Success

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).

As one who’s born again, you’re not supposed to live like the rest of the world; don’t conform to their ways of doing things. For example, you might be in a place where people generally cheat or are dishonest; don’t imitate them. Don’t say, "But everybody is doing it"; that everybody is doing it doesn’t make it okay. Besides, you’re not "everybody;" you’re a new creation; you’re special; you’re one of a kind.

Our opening verse doesn’t just tell us not to conform to this world, it also informs us on what to do to stand out and live the life of righteousness. It says,