What Is Our Hope in Life and Death?
- Michelle Stepp
- Jan 6
- 2 min read
“May we hold fast to the truth of our salvation as the people of God, knowing we are chosen, united to Christ through the Spirit, and our hope is guaranteed.”
“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27 (ESV)
For this verse, we’ll be looking at three words and phrases, and their implications for our worship.
The first word is mystery. When Paul uses this word, he’s not saying it’s something impossible to know or learn about, but instead he’s referring to something that is a part of God’s plan that was previously hidden and has now been revealed. The mystery being written about in this verse is the inclusion of the Gentiles (those who are not Jewish) into the people of God. The mystery is that the people of God, previously exclusively the Israelites, now includes all other people groups. We ourselves (unless you are Jewish) are the benefactors of this mystery. This is the spread of the gospel of salvation in action, and it should lead us to praise God for choosing us to be a part of His kingdom.
The next phrase we will look at is Christ in you. At the moment of our salvation, we’re united to Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. Romans 8:10-11 says, “Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.” First Corinthians 6:19 shares the glorious truth that our bodies are temples of the Spirit Himself! We should then consider ourselves to be united to Christ through the Spirit, and worship God for this glorious union.
The last phrase is the hope of glory. Hope in the Bible is defined differently than how we normally use the word in our everyday life. Hope is not merely something we wish will happen. For example, saying, “I hope it’s a sunny day tomorrow.” Rather, Biblical hope is an assured confidence in something that God has promised will happen. If God promised it, it’s sure to happen. Therefore, our hope is secure. Our hope is ultimately in the person of Jesus Christ, and in the victory He secured in His life, death, and resurrection.
Our hope isn’t flimsy, wishful thinking. Our hope in the promises of God are secure. May we hold fast to the truth of our salvation as the people of God, knowing we are chosen, united to Christ through the Spirit, and our hope is guaranteed.
Action Step:
Read and reflect on Romans 8.
Written by Michelle, mom of 1