By: John Krug
Did you ever hear anyone talking about their vacation and say that they were "in the mountains". I was recently in Glacier National Park and was told by the rangers that more that eighty percent of people that visit the park get no further than twenty feet from their cars. Yet these people will say that they have been "in the mountains". The group I was with did a few miles of hiking on a number of days and we got a significant distance from our car. After moving into some of the glorious valleys we soon found that we were not only "in the mountains" but that we were completely enveloped and surrounded by the mountains. It was awesome to walk through these meadows with lakes, waterfalls, wildlife, wildflowers and be surrounded by towering peaks on all sides. We were completely dominated by the mountains to the point that we could really say we were "in the mountains."
This is the same concept that is associated with the fifth mystery in our series. It is stated in Colossians 1:27: "to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." This contains the wonderful promise to Christians that we do not view Christ from afar but we have His very presence surrounding and enveloping us like the hiker who has moved into the valleys that are enclosed by the mountains. In our hiking experience we also noticed that we were alone in this beauty for a number of hours; it was like we were hidden completely from the outside world. Spiritually this is also brought out by Colossians 3:3: "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." In no religion that I know does one have a relationship so close that God dwells within that person. Matter of fact in most religions, God is to be feared and one should distance themselves from their deity.
In further examining this mystery we want to first ask what was hidden in the past? What was hidden was the idea that God was so personal that He would live within a person. Although man in the Old Testament could experience a personal relationship with God, scripture is silent concerning the idea of the internal presence of God. The closest thing might be the knowledge that the Holy Spirit indwelt people on a selective basis. For instance we hear King David pleading: Psalm 51:11 "Do not cast me away from Thy presence, And do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me."
This brings up the next question. Why was it hidden? The internal presence of God was not discussed or predicted in the Old Testament. Until Christ the Messiah came to suffer on the cross in payment for our sins, the Old Testament believer had only the sacrifices and rituals as a picture of what Christ would do in providing salvation and eternal life for those who would place their faith in Him. The sacrifices and ritual might have given the people a sense of God's presence with them, but it would have to wait for the coming Messiah to make a way for God's presence within each and every believer.
The third question is why is it now revealed? As we have seen above, it is now revealed because Christ who lives within has fully been revealed in His life, death, resurrection and ascension. The work of salvation has been completed and the mystery now finds its solution in the person of Jesus Christ. If we recognize that Jesus is indeed God, then He too has the attribute of omnipresence (everywhere present) and hence He can at all times live within each of the hearts of His children. What a wonderful thought!
What then should this mean in the lives of believers? First, the knowledge of this ever-present Lord and Savior should give us wonder peace and assurance. Second, it should give us renewed hope of our not only having Him live within, but eventually being in His very presence in heaven. The apostle Paul stated this simply when he said: 2 Corinthians 5:8 "we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." Third, the internal presence of Christ should challenge us to live out our faith in such a way that others will be attracted to our Savior. The apostle Peter recognized this fact and offers a stirring exhortation in 1 Peter 3:15 "…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;" As the traveler that is truly "in the mountains" will speak in glowing terms about the awesome experience of being engulfed by the majesty of the mountain peaks, so the believer in Jesus Christ will declare the glory of His presence with them.
Are we really enjoying being "in the mountains" or are we only seeing the benefits of knowing Christ from a distance. A phrase from a wonderful gospel song which talks about the magnitude of our God states: "…He's big enough to rule the mighty universe, but small enough to live within my heart." Let's praise and glorify God because we have a God so personal that He lives within; "…Christ in you, the hope of glory."
All scripture from the New American Standard Bible, Lockman Foundation.
