THE HOPE OF GLORY

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. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching
everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in
Christ.
(Colossians 1:2728 ESV)
"Christ in you, the hope of glory" is a phrase that is becoming
increasingly misunderstood, especially in some Charismatic circles in
the body of Christ today. It's important to have clarity on what this
phrase means from the Bible, especially if we as Christians base our
message and lifestyle on the truths of Scripture.
In the narrow context of the verse, Paul is expounding on one facet
of the "mystery" that was revealed to him - that even the Gentiles,
through the simplicity of faith in the Jewish Messiah Jesus, can
participate in the promises of "blessing" made to the Jewish patriarch
Abraham (Ephesians 1:9; Ephesians 3:6).
The phrase "hope of glory" is also informed by other verses in
context - just a few verses prior to 27, Paul used the phrase "the
hope of the gospel" (Colossians 1:23). In the book of Acts, Paul also
said that he was on trial for preaching the gospel: that he had "the
same hope in God as these men [the Jews], that there will be a
resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked (Acts 24:15).
When set in the larger Biblical narrative, this idea of "blessing" and
"glory" is not referencing revival in the church or a pain-free,
prosperous life with Jesus dwelling in our hearts in this age. While
cheerful, comfortable circumstances may be the experience of some
before God's decree to return to the dust overtakes them (Genesis
3:19; Psalms 90:3), the "glory" Paul speaks about is related to
unending joy and blessing in the age to come when Jesus
raises the dead and grants eternal life to His people, reigns over
the nations from Jerusalem, and restores the heavens and the
earth to be the home of righteousness (Acts 3:19-21; Matthew
19:28; Romans 8:18-25; Romans 15:7-13; Psalm 145:11; Daniel
7:14; 2 Peter 3:13). Though this inheritance of believers (both Jew
and Gentile) is yet future, we possess the down payment of the Spirit
today as a guarantee of that restoration and our resurrection
(Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:4-5).
Paul clarifies the future-oriented "hope" of this "glory" even more in
Romans 8:18-24:
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us... we groan
inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of
our bodies. For in this hope [the hope of "glory", restoration and
resurrection, verses 18-23] we were saved. Now hope that is seen is
not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?"
(Romans 8:18-24 ESV)
Though the saints are appointed by God to suffering in this age as a
witness to the sufferings of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Peter 4:13;
2 Timothy 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:5), a day is coming when the saints
will awake in the glory of the resurrection and to a day when "[God]
will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no
more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore
(Revelation 21:4).
To say that Paul's understanding of "glory" references individuals
having the indwelling Christ in this age is to be unfaithful to the
context of Scripture. Why?
First, it is a contradiction to say that we hope for something if
we already have it, as Romans 8:24 says.
Additionally, while it is true that individual believers are indwelt
by the Spirit, we often read Colossians 1:27 through an
individualistic, self-centered lens. In fact, the individual believer
is probably not Paul's primary focus in Colossians 1:27,
because he is using a second-person plural pronoun in the
original Greek. It could be likened to someone saying Christ in
"you all". I believe he is speaking of the outworking of Jesus'
life and words in the midst of His church as a whole (Galatians
4:19) - not just repentant Jewish people, but even the Gentiles
who put their faith in Jesus.
Moreover, even if Paul was speaking of the individual's
experience of the indwelling Spirit in this passage, many of his
other writings are are clear that the Spirit is not our inheritance
- it is merely the people of God's "allowance" until the day of
redemption when we will receive our inheritance - eternal life in
the resurrection together as "one new man" (Ephesians 1:14;
Ephesians 4:30; Ephesians 3:3-6). In other words, there is a
greater "glory" than the indwelling Spirit that we have yet to
participate in.
Understand that I am not trying to downplay the individual experience
of the indwelling Christ today. We should enjoy the blessings of God
and the provision of the Spirit in our sojourn of this age, but we must
live soberly in such a way that anchors our hope fully in glory in the
age to come. My zeal against the misunderstanding of "the hope of
glory" is that it actually diminishes the Biblical vision of "glory" and
uproots the anchor of hope from the age to come and places it in this
present evil age. It is only when we "set [our] hope fully on the grace
that will be be brought to [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1
Peter 1:13) that we find "joy inexpressible and full of glory" (1 Peter
1:8) and "may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what
is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love
of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:18-19).






LI VI NG WHOLLY FOR ANOTHER



Why are your lungs filled with breath right now? Why is your
heart beating? Humanity has sought the answer to this question
for ages through philosophy, science, and religion. The Bibles
answer to this question is simple you exist for God alone.
The polluted, narcissistic air of religion that we breathe in the
West has often reduced the glorious Son of God to a mascot for
our ease and comfort. Christianity subsequently becomes a
twelve step self-help program that makes us better people,
gives us a better society, and gives us more hope and happiness.
But this modern gospel is not the gospel of the Bible. Jesus did
not take on flesh to merely affirm us and make us feel valued so
that we could be prosperous and successful, even in Christian
things. Into the darkness of preoccupation with ourselves shines
the light of the gospel ofthe glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4). The
good news has never had its foundation in the glory of man. It
has always been about the glory of God. We have been freed
from sin and empowered by the Spirit to take up our cross daily
and put the glory of Christ on display. Jesus created us with
one foundational purpose - that we would be
empowered through a life of self-denial to enjoy
making much of Him forever.
Jesus words in John 17 have been the most piercing to me lately
as the Lord has been deepening this understanding in my heart:
Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be
with Me where I am, that they may behold My
glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the
foundation of the world.
(John 17:24 NKJV)
The desire of Jesus is that we would be with Him. This truth is
glorious and thrilling in and of itself. The Creator and Ruler of
all things wants to spend eternity with me? Wow. Indeed, every
one of our needs, wants, longings, and desires will be met when
we are with Him. But the end-goal of a restored relationship and
dwelling with God goes far beyond Jesus meeting our needs and
us being with Him in happiness. We were created to behold His
glory and enjoy making much of Him forever. He draws us to
Himself not for ourselves, but so that we may treasure
Him above all things, see His supreme value, laud Him,
love Him, and show Him to others.
Several months ago I came across this question in one of John
Pipers books that exposed my narcissism and selfishness related
to Christianity:
The critical question for our generationand for every
generation is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness,
and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food
you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed,
and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical
pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any
natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ
were not there?
- John Piper, God is the Gospel, p. 15
Be honest with yourself. Is Christ, His worth, and His glory
your premiere motivation for embracing self-sacrifice, living to
die, and ultimately dwelling with Him forever? Though we
would often superficially answer yes, of course, the way we
spend our time, money, energy, affections, and thoughts unveils
our true answer for all to see.
I have been realizing that we can be confident in Gods love
towards us and feeling His affections, yet still believe that God
has invested Himself in us to assert our value and our
greatness instead of His own. There are many ways the Bible
talks about God affirming us, valuing us, and cherishing us.
Howeverwhen God makes much of us, His supreme goal
in doing so is that we would see His worth in doing so
and make much of Him.
The problem we face in the West is so systemic. We are at risk of
adopting a message where truly Jesus is presented as existing for
our sake and our self-affirmation rather than us existing for His
sake through our self-denial. Jesus words in Luke 9:22-
26 should be the sword that pierces our soul daily, but instead
have been dulled to mean something much less than He
intended:
The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by
the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be
raised the third day.
Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after
Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what
profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself
destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My
words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes
in His own glory, and in His Fathers, and of the holy angels.
(Luke 9:22-26 NKJV)
Lest we think that self-denial is simply the end of the story and
we are constrained to a emotionally boring or physically painful
existence in this age, we must remember that the Lords call
to take up our cross daily is an invitation to suffering, not
joylessness. We were made to be satisfied the most when we give
ourselves wholly for Another. Self is replaced by God, and
self-denial even unto martyrdom becomes the way to bring the
most glory to Another.
And lest we think that God making much of us is the end-goal
and foundation of Christianity, we must remember that Gods
love is more passionately demonstrated when He
makes Himself our supreme treasure rather than Him
making ourselves our supreme treasure. Why? Because
self, no matter how glorious, can never satisfy a heart made for
God.
Instead of staring at our sicknesses and sins as the means to try
to be healthy or holy for our own glory, we must stare at Gods
glory as revealed in the face of Christ. We are never transformed
by focusing on our lack and simply repeating variations of I am
Gods precious child, attempting to bolster our own self-esteem.
There is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than
there is in beholding self, again says John Piper. The apostle
Paul encouraged the Corinthians with this same truth:
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror
the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same
image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)
I am convinced that I dont really know the Man called Jesus and
what really makes Him glorious. Superficial head knowledge will
not suffice to protect us from the delusion coming, because the
deepest deception will be surrounding Christ, His identity, and
His matchless glory. Im personally taking these next several
years of my life to dig deeply into the four gospels the one
place where the glory of God has been openly revealed for all to
see. Read this blog, this article, this article, and this article for
more on what Im practically doing to engage my heart in
dialogue with Jesus about His glory.
When in prosperity or lack, in sickness or health, or in blessing
or adversity, the foundation of all of our joy must be Christ and
His matchless glory. May our lives be wholly other-oriented, and
may the foundation of our joy in all things be His worth and
glory alone.


THE CROSS, I NHERI TANCE, AND
THE AGE TO COME



There is much talk in the church today about "inheritance".
From healing and the ending of injustices to great revival and
financial prosperity, what some have haphazardly or
intentionally called the "inheritance" of the believer either falls
far short or is completely set against the Bible's description of
our inheritance. Put simply, we have mistaken our childhood
$5/week 'allowance' for an opulent estate and ownership of the
family business.
A day is coming when God will dwell among men on the earth
again (Revelation 21:3), when there is no more death, sorrow,
crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4). Believers will be raised from
death just as Jesus was (1 Corinthians 15:20-23; 1 Thessalonians
4:15-17) and will live forever (John 3:16). The new heavens and
new earth will be the home of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13) when
all of creation is restored (Isaiah 65:17-25; Romans 8:18-25) by
the Seed, Jesus (Genesis 3:15; Galatians 3:16) and God fulfills
His promises to Israel as given to David and Abraham (2 Samuel
7; Genesis 15) through the reign of Jesus in Jerusalem as King of
the whole earth. The meek and humble will live on the earth and
participate with Jesus in its leadership (Genesis 15:7-8; Psalms
37; Matthew 5:5).
Our inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, and does not fade
away (1 Peter 1:4). We are to be exceedingly joyful in this hope
(Romans 5:2) when God will be supremely glorified in all things
through Jesus (Colossians 1:18). God has even given us the Holy
Spirit - not as the inheritance itself, but as the "family mark" and
seal (just as circumcision was for the ethnic descendants of
Abraham) to designate us as ones who will receive the future
inheritance (Ephesians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 1:22).
It is on this inheritance that we are told to set our
hope completely (1 Peter 1:13).
It does not take a renewed mind to see that Jesus is not
presently reigning in Jerusalem, even the "healed" and "blessed"
still grow old and die, and history proves that "transformation"
and "revival" fades as time passes. Though some of these things
are important and can rightly bring significant encouragement
to our hearts when we see them, we must not err in believing
that they are the inheritance or reward that the Bible has
promised. While our "weekly allowance" is glorious when
coming from a place of complete poverty, we must hold it in its
proper Biblical place in our doctrine and practice in light of the
whole story of restoration (Acts 3:21), lest we become
discouraged and disillusioned. There is something much more
enthralling that we have been promised, and we cannot forget
that we must learn how to be a good steward of our allowance
before we can be entrusted to manage the business.
Jesus taught us to learn this stewardship from Him (Matthew
11:29) and to follow Him as the Good Shepherd. Until the next
age when we obtain our inheritance as sons of God through
faith, Jesus has characterized this age by the cross and self-
denial:
Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a
man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or
lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the
Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory
[in context to 9:20, the glory of the promised Davidic Messiah
and His everlasting kingdom based in Jerusalem], and in His
Fathers, and of the holy angels.
(Luke 9:23-26 NKJV - see the above links in the passage to
articles on each phrase, bracketed commentary mine)
Through the forgiveness extended towards humanity on the
cross, God demonstrates His mercy and longsuffering before He
"rewards each according to his works" (Matthew 16:27) and
comes "to judgethe world in righteousness by the Man whom
He has ordained" (Acts 17:31). In this age of amnesty before "the
harvest" where it is not externally evident who will be rewarded
and who will be judged (Matthew 13:37-43), the church is called
to be a visible witness of this longsuffering through enduring
persecution (Matthew 5:10-12; Luke 21:12; John 15:20; 2
Timothy 3:12), embracing martyrdom and death (Matthew
24:9; Revelation 12:11), and walking righteously by denying the
lusts of the flesh in light of the judgment and reward to come
(Titus 2:11-15; 1 John 3:3; 2 Peter 3:14). It is only through the
church "filling up in her flesh what is lacking in the sufferings of
Christ" (Colossians 1:24) that the wicked will have a vital witness
of the supreme worth of Jesus, especially at the end of the age
when the Lord allows man's sin to reach untold heights
(Matthew 24:37; Revelation 17:6).
When we bring the promised judgment of the wicked and
the reward of the righteous into this present evil age even in a
partial way through the ending of injustices, transformation,
healing, or revival, we not only set ourselves up for
disillusionment but we actually undermine the call to the
cross in this age. Why lay down your life daily if you've
obtained your promises and you have your inheritance (or can
have at least some part of it now)? Why call others to self-denial
if they can be forgiven, healed, blessed, and rewarded too?
Where is the church's sojourning, suffering witness of the cross
to the wicked? What room is there for the selfless proclamation
of Christ and Him crucified that pierces the heart of the
unrepentant before they are judged and thrown into a lake of
fire to perish forever? Have we made the cross the means to a
moral utopia and comfortable life before we "go to heaven"
instead of the path to our own death as the clearest witness of
Christ and His surpassing worth? Though some may reduce
these questions to a discussion of mere semantics or language,
the lack of persecution in the Western church gives us a
horrifying answer about the truthfulness of our condition. We
are often mocked for our conservative political views and stances
on social justice issues, but scarcely persecuted and certainly not
martyred solely for what we say about Jesus, what He has done,
and what He will do.
We will only heed Jesus' call to take up our cross and
die daily to the measure we believe our inheritance is
yet to come. We can then correctly interpret temporal
blessings as signs of our coming inheritance and temporal
judgments as signs of the judgment to come. When there is no
confusion about these things, we are not prone to
disillusionment if the righteous are not blessed or the wicked are
not punished now. We can boldly preach repentance in temporal
shaking as Jesus did (Luke 13:1-5) and "warn" (Colossians 1:28)
of the coming day of the LORD, extending the mercy of the cross
to the wicked. We can also keep temporal blessing from
becoming central in our proclamation and leaving us wondering
"how much we can have today". The only lifestyle that will not
bring shame from the Father on that Day is one that daily bears
a cross in humility for the joy of our inheritance set before us,
just as Jesus did (Hebrews 12:2). My prayer is that you and I
walk as sojourners and pilgrims (1 Peter 2:11) who do not find
rest or have our portion in this age. May we be found "eagerly
waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1
Corinthians 1:7) and "looking for the blessed hope" (Titus 2:13)
because it is only in Him that we obtain our inheritance
(Ephesians 1:11).



HOPE AND THE RETURN OF JESUS

In the past several years, few verses in scripture have been as
beautifully disruptive to my heart as 1 Peter [Link]
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-
minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
(1 Peter 1:13 ESV)
Peter opens up his first epistle with a eulogy lauding the mercy
of God towards His people. He reminds his readers of their
coming inheritance (verse 4-5) as they remain faithful to Jesus
through trials (verse 6-7), recalling the words of the prophets as
they spoke of the glory of the age to come (verse 10-12). In light
of the present difficulty and the future glory, he exhorts them to
have asingular, undivided, all-consuming hope - Christ's
return and the grace to be given on that day.
In today's culture, "hope" has become a wish for the future
without any possibility of certainty: "I hope it doesn't snow again
before spring comes!" In modern evangelicalism, we've often
adapted our society's use by degrading it to a trite word used for
expectation of a change in circumstances that brings comfort to
others, peace to situations, healing to our body, revival to our
churches and cities, or evangelization of the world. While this
can be a right application of the word based on its definition in
Webster's dictionary, it falls far short of the biblical vision of
"hope" that filled the heart of the early church. When the anchor
of hope is lifted from the age to come and dropped into this
present evil age, the "inheritance" Peter speaks about also
becomes wrongly understood, setting up the heart for
disillusionment.
The biblical emphasis on hope is neither wishful thinking nor
expectation for intervention by God in this present evil age.
Hope is the future certainty of God's promises related to Jesus'
return (Titus 2:13), unrighteousness being crushed (2 Peter
3:13), and the restoration of all things to their state before man's
fall in Eden (Acts 3:21). These things are certain because Jesus
has been raised from the dead and confirmed to be the one who
will bring them to pass (1 Peter 1:3; Acts 17:31). Anchoring our
heart there completely is pivotal because every lesser hope will
always bring some measure of disappointment to us (Romans
5:5), no matter how fulfilled our expectations may feel when
what we've longed for comes to pass.
Setting our hope
Peter uses two phrases to describe how this monumental vision
of fully hoping in a future inheritance at the return of Jesus will
come to fruition in us: we "prepare our minds for action" and
become "sober-minded". The imagery from the original Greek of
the first phrase is to "gird up your loins", an Jewish idiom for
tucking up a long robe into a belt, allowing one's legs more
freedom of movement. A modern idiom might be roll up your
shirt sleeves as one prepares for intentional effort. Peter
intentionally uses this idiom to describe what we must do not
with our clothing but with our minds. The second exhortation is
to "be sober-minded". Other translations render this "be self-
controlled", a phrase also echoed by Paul in his letters about
living in a righteous way that reflects our coming inheritance in
the resurrection. Peter is clearly fusing confidence in the future
certainty of God's promises to thinking with the
mind and correct behavior from the heart.
Both of these phrases imply the importance of how we think and
what we believe. To "prepare our mind for action" suggests a
vigorous, unrelenting, careful examination and renewal of our
minds in the truth of God's word. Because what we think with
our minds is the basis for our confidence and hope,doctrinal
neutrality and theological shallowness regarding the glory
of Jesus, His divinity, His humanity, His sinlessness, His mercy,
His return, His future kingdom, and His wrath is simply not
optional.
Our thoughts and beliefs do not only affect our intellectual life
but also determine our conduct. To be "sober-minded" and self-
controlled implies that we conduct ourselves in a "manner
worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him" (Colossians 1:10),
walking as Jesus Himself called us to: "deny yourself, take up
your cross, and die daily" (Luke 9:23). Peter uses the same
phrase later in his letter saying that sober-mindedness facilitates
prayer (1 Peter 4:7) and an awareness of the devils schemes to
shift our hope away from the return of Jesus in the midst of
suffering (1 Peter 5:8).
Examining our hope
Though Western churchgoers may be swift to profess a full hope
in Jesus' return, we have largely not been tested by trials and
sufferings like the church other parts of the world, and our hope
is largelydivided because of our theological understanding and
our lifestyle. We must soberly examine our hearts. Does the all
consuming vision of Jesus and his return in power and glory
dominate our thinking, daydreaming, and small talk? The
second coming of Jesus is worthy of our most eager and lively
expectation. This singular hope is the goal of missions, the point
of signs and wonders, and the ambition the Holy Spirit in
reviving God's people.
Setting our hope fully by no means implies that we should
diminish our prayers for awakening in the church, sings of the
coming age, and amnesty towards the unrepentant. In fact, a
full, complete hope in the return of Jesus gives the proper
context for compassion for the poor and suffering, urgency in
proclamation, and a desire for a divinely empowered witness.
Without our hope anchored in His return, disappointment and
disillusionment will always arise within us to one measure or
another. May the Holy Spirit disrupt us with this vision of full
confidence and hope in His return and may that future certainly
alone motivate us to diligently pray, study, act, and bear our
cross daily for His sake.