Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Colossians 1:27

"to whom God was pleased 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:" — Colossians 1:27 (ASV)

God was pleased to reveal to his people how great is the glorious character of the gospel mystery. Paul’s frequent use of “riches” (GK 4458) suggests that Christ had made available an inexhaustible treasure of goodness (Romans 2:4), glory (Romans 9:23; Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 3:16), wisdom (Romans 11:33), and grace (Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:7). “Among [lit., in] the Gentiles” defines the sphere in which the wealth of glory has been especially displayed. Paul seems to have been thinking of the wonder of the unfolding of the divine mystery in the conversion of pagan people and in their being drawn into the one body of Christ. The inner content of the mystery is defined as “Christ in you,” a phrase that refers to an inner, subjective experience of the indwelling of Christ.

“Christ in you” is now declared to be “the hope of glory.” “Hope” is joyous expectation or anticipation; “glory” is that which will belong to the Christian in the heavenly state (cf. 3:4; Romans 5:2; Romans 8:17). The general truth is that Christ living in the believer is the ground for certainty of complete salvation (cf. Ephesians 1:13–14, where the Spirit is designated as “the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance”). In this letter Christ himself occupies the sphere that Paul elsewhere gives to the Spirit.