Throughout the Bible we see this theme of the nature, character, and authority of Jesus manifesting within us. The Bible calls this “the hope of [our] glory”. I want to take a moment to look at this idea because this is exactly why Jesus went to the cross and died for us. This is exactly how we attain eternal salvation and spend eternity with our Savior. Let’s first look at what Christ accomplished when he died on the cross.
First off, we have now been bought with the price of his blood and redeemed to be our Father’s possession.
1 Corinthians 6:20
20 For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Peter 1:18-19
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Prior to receiving the mercy of the blood of Christ, we were hopelessly bound to the chains of our sin nature and children of satan.
Ephesians 4:17-19
17 So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
Romans 8:6-8
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
1 John 3:7-8
7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
And this is because the god of this world had previously blinded us to the gospel of the glory of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
But now, by his blood, we can see the kingdom of God and have been released from our chains of sin. Now that our consciousness has been cleansed by his blood, we have a fighting chance to no longer walk in darkness but learn to walk in his marvelous light. We can now learn to serve Jesus as our new master over the dead works of our sin nature.
Revelation 1:5
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—
Hebrews 10:22
22 let’s approach God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 9:13-14
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The more we become sanctified from our dead works, the more useful we become to our Father in serving Him.
2 Timothy 2:20-22
20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver implements (character traits of Jesus), but also implements of wood and of earthenware (character traits of sinful man), and some are for honor while others are for dishonor. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be an implement for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
As we grow in our knowledge of our Father, through the freedom from practicing our sins through a cleansed consciousness, the blood of Christ has also granted us forgiveness of the sins we do commit as we learn to die to them.
Hebrews 9:22
22 And almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
See the posts, "Chosen By God" and "He Came By Blood and Water" for much more on our journey into a sanctified life.
Without Jesus, there would be no sanctification. It would be impossible to walk in a righteous relationship with our Father. We would all remain unrighteous and it is the will of our Father to remove all those who are unrighteous, placing them in Hell.
Matthew 13:41-42
41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Since we received the gracious gift of the blood of Christ, all he was with all his righteousness can now manifest inside of the believer. It is Christ in us that is our glory.
Colossians 1:27
27 to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
As we learn to walk in obedience, we become righteous in our Father’s eyes.
Romans 6:16
16 Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
And as we learn to do away with our old self in exchange for the manifestation of Christ in us, we become the righteousness of God in Him. We do all this because he who knew no sin became sin for us, nailing our trespasses on the cross. All this he did in the name of forgiveness.
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Colossians 2:13-14
13 And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14 having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
And if through his blood we have been reconciled for life change, how much more are we saved through that life change.
Romans 5:10
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
And when Christ who is our life is revealed, we will be revealed with him in glory.
Colossians 3:4
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Only by persevering in the instruction of the Word do we begin to see Christ manifest in us. It is his character within us that gives us the hope of our eternal glory.
Romans 5:3-4
3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character (character of Jesus); and proven character, hope;
This “hope” is also referred to as the “hope of our calling”
Ephesians 4:4
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling;
And that “calling” is to become a saint, taking after the nature, character, and authority of Jesus.
Romans 1:7
7 to all that are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:2
2 unto the church of God which is at Corinth, even them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours:
And this character is outlined as the fruits of the Spirit displayed through the practice of righteousness..
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Colossians 3:12-15
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. 14 In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.
Ephesians 4:20-32
20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds (Reference back to Hebrews 9:14 and 10:22 - the cleansing of our consciousness), 24 and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 25 Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are parts of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
The more hope we have because of our proven character, the more we grow in faith, love, and courage in a never ending cycle.
Colossians 1:3-5
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
2 Corinthians 3:12
12 Therefore, having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,
Sometimes it feels impossible to be all that God wants us to be or rid ourselves and overcome certain sins in our lives. God knew this would be impossible for us to do on our own, which is why we have His grace to help us (See the posts “Chosen By God” and “The Deception of Cheap Grace” for more on what grace really is). All the promises of His help, reward, protection, faithfulness, etc. gives us everything we need to do all that He asks unto the manifestation of Christ in us.
2 Peter 1:2-4
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us (This is an experiential heart knowledge of the Father) by His own glory and excellence. 4 Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust.
2 Corinthians 7:1
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
1 John 3:2-3
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (This is the appearing of Christ in us, our hope in becoming saints and saved for eternity) 3 And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
We’re told that the Word is like a mirror, which reflects who we currently are as well as what we can become.
1 Corinthians 13:12
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.
James 1:23-25
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.
As we reflect on the parts of us that need sanctifying then pursue that change at the instruction of the Word, we move from the glory of man (which is really no glory at all) unto the glory of Christ as we practice righteousness instead of unrighteousness.
2 Corinthians 3:18
18 But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
The promise we have is that anyone who is “in Christ” is no longer under condemnation because once we are "in Christ" our old sin practicing selves are done away with and our new nature, character, and authority over our sinful natures, have manifested into Christ-likeness.
Romans 8:1
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
To be “In Christ Jesus” is also synonymous with “Christ in us” because as we walk in obedience to him and his love, he remains in us and we remain in him.
John 15:1-11
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
So let this spur us on to becoming sanctified (or becoming a saint), so we may gain an open welcome into the gates of Heaven with those who have been sanctified before us.
Acts 20:32
32 And now I entrust you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Acts 26:27-28
17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ (See the post "Clothed with Christ" for what real faith looks like)
2 Thessalonians 2:13-15
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18 reference)15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
Romans 6:22-23
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you [derive your [benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For the hope of our calling to become a saint/Christ-like is where our salvation is found until the revelation of Christ in us and our adoption as mature sons and daughters of God.
Romans 8:23-25
23 And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?25 But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
Rest assured that even though salvation is something we grow into as we mature into Christ-likeness, our calling is completely irrevocable - once called to become a saint, always called to become a saint no matter where we might stand at this very moment.
Romans 11:29
29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
This all can be summed up in a single portion of scripture. It’s a great one to keep in the backs of our minds to keep us focused on this agenda.
Colossians 1:21-23
21 And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach (Christ-like)— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard (Here is the condition - IF we walk in obedience through faith in His Word and not shift from our hope of glory - Christ in us. Remember John 15 - we can do nothing on our own. We must abide [walk in obedience] in him if we are to be lives changed by Christ), which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
So let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sins that so easily entangle in order to run this race effectively. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on the Living Word of God and find encouragement in Him who endured great hostility by sinners first.
Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
John 15:18-19
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
This we will do only by changing our perspective as Paul did so that we could be found in Christ and he in us.
Philippians 3:7-16
7 But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore, all who are mature, let’s have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well; 16 however, let’s keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
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