The Power of the Indwelling Christ

Colossians 1:27–29 27 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. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Spiritual darkness and deadness characterize many people around us. People stumble around looking for a cause that will give them purpose and meaning, and the causes they find are short-lived and unfulfilling. The inevitable characteristic of earthbound selfishness is hopelessness.

In the presence of such darkness and deadness, God desires to put His glory and power on display. In this present age, the Spirit of God brings hearts that are dead in sin to life to understand their sinfulness and their desperate need for Jesus to be their Savior. Trusting that Jesus paid the penalty for their sins through His death on the cross, followers of Jesus experience forgiveness and are empowered to walk in the newness of life. With the Spirit of Christ now indwelling them, followers of Jesus grow in their understanding of biblical truth, they are enabled to walk in obedience to the Lord, and they desire to encourage others to do the same.

The power of the indwelling Christ gives us the hope of putting God’s glory on display. Through His life in us, we struggle against the evil of the world, the flesh, and the devil. We have the strength to do so because of all His energy that powerfully works in us.

Those spiritually lost and without Christ are hopelessly incapable of pleasing God by living for Him. Those made alive in Christ by gospel grace have a purpose in life because Christ lives in them.

We who are children of God by faith in Jesus Christ are enabled to put God’s glory and power on display. We have hope, and we offer hope. May His glorious grace shine in us and through us!