Christ in you, the hope of glory

I've lamented previously that the Sermon on the Mount seems like a whole long lists of 'should's, or if I may say so, even an impossible list. One important feature of Christian teaching on ethics and what it means to live well, is Jesus did not only describe to us what our lives should be like but came to show us by His own example what it should look like. He literally fleshed out what he taught. It is amazing. Thus my goal as a Christian indeed is "Christ in you, the hope of glory!"(Col 1:21) If I am not sure what wisdom means, I can study definitions and teachings from Scripture in passages like Proverbs and James. But what is more helpful is to look at the person of Christ and see embodiment of wisdom. How do you beat that? He did not only tell us to resist sin, but we can see how He did it in the desert.

Jesus is the perfect man - the Son of Man. However that does not mean He was superman. He was not 'happy-all-time', he was capable of feeling tired, hungry, frustrated with unbelief, angered by legalistic spirit, and seeing people held down by condemnation, sin or sickness. He needed to sleep. He had siblings and problems with them. He grieved at the lost of a dear friend. Because he is so human, that means even his positive attributes are human-ly achievable. What do I mean? He was compassionate when he saw the crowd lost without a shepherd. He was merciful to the woman caught in adultery. He helped the blind man who could not help himself, at the pool in Bethesda. All these are human-ly responses. Sometimes we think of the signs of weakness as revealing his humanity, but attribute his positive characteristics to his divinity. In that way, we give ourselves the excuse that if we fail to be like him in his positive attributes, it's because we are only human. If you've never read the book 'The Jesus I Never Knew' by Philip Yancey, I recommend it. I would like to reread it sometime.


Thus more than demonstrating the life of faith and obedience, He now lives in me and gives me the power to live this life. That is the good news. That is why I dare to proclaim something as bold as 'Christ in me, the hope of glory', knowing very well I do not always feel that way or that I'm living up to it. Nevertheless the Word remains true because it is not dependent on me or how I feel. Thankfully. I am beginning to learn that it is both a reality and work-in-progress. I need to continually yield myself to him as he works to form Christ in me. I'm only too grateful to recognise that I am saved by grace, I am being saved by grace and I will finally be saved by grace.