Paul did not simply preach Christ in you, the hope of glory, but he enjoyed the Christ in him. He said in Galatians 2:20 “I’m crucified with Christ. It is no longer I,but Christ lives in me.”
Our inner being longs to live such a life, but on the surface, it appears too costly , too difficult. Especially if you look at Colossians 1:18 At the very end of this verse Paul shares the goal of Christ living in us, which is “ that he might have the first place in everything!”
Our flesh certainly says, whoa!, this is impossible.
Paul shares with the Colossians how this is not only possible, but this is the normal , natural life of the church. There is no other kind of living that will produce the church.
So it is important we dig in here to see what Paul is saying: first, do you not know that the one in you is the image of the invisible God? Jesus said if you’ve seen me you have seen the father. We know that Jesus is the son of God, divinity himself, but listen to what he says in Philippians:
"Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped, But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men; And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8)
Although the image of the invisible God, Jesus became flesh and dwelt among men as a man. As a man fully, he did not just live an exemplary, perfect life for you to emulate, but he lived by the father in absolutely everything as a man. This is why he is called in Colossians 1:15 the firstborn of creation. not Adam, Adam did not live by God as his life, the tree of life. Adam is the first born of sin and death, which we all share. Creation is longing for the firstborn of creation, which means the one that will restore creation to what it was made for. Sin and death does not match what God made all things for. Jesus matches the goal of all creation. He is the man who lived by God’s life in all things perfectly. In other words, Jesus gave God the father first place in absolutely everything as a man.
Now, saints, where does this Christ live? He lives in you! You cannot live a life that lives by God in everything and gives him first place in absolutely everything, but you need to rejoice because there is one. a man, who lives in you that accomplished the impossible. We can therefore live by him. Amen.
