“My advice to you is easy to understand: live out what you have already received. You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so now let your life show it. Stay connected to him. Build your life on him. You already know the basics of the faith—now put them into practice. It’s time to stop only learning about faith and start living it every day. Let your life be full of gratitude and thankfulness to God.
Be careful of people who try to impress you with big words and clever arguments. They can pull you into pointless debates that lead nowhere. Their ideas come from human traditions and spiritual beliefs that are empty and powerless. That way of thinking does not come from Christ.
Everything God is fully shown in Christ. Through him, we clearly see who God is. You don’t need special tools, secret knowledge, or signs from the stars to understand this. Without Christ, everything else is empty. When you come to Christ, you share in his fullness. His authority and power rule over all things.
You do not enter this new life by working it out on your own or by following religious rules. It is not about rituals or keeping a list of laws. You already belong to God because of what Christ has done for you. Through his death and resurrection, the power of sin has been broken.” (Colossians 2:6–11, MSG)
The Bible reminds us that this new life comes from trusting Jesus, not from our own efforts:
“So anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT)
This means that in Christ, you are not trying to become someone new—you already are. Now, simply live each day in that truth, with faith, obedience, and a thankful heart.
“Christ is not a crutch for the weak, He is the life of the strong. We do not live in Christ, but Christ lives in us.” (anonymous)
So rest in Him today. Do not struggle to create a Christian life by your own strength. Let Christ live His life through you. Walk in Him as you received Him—by faith, with gratitude, and with a quiet, trusting heart. This is what it means to be truly alive in Christ.
And again, Scripture assures us:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20)
This is the heart of the Christian life: Christ in you. Not self-effort, but surrender. Not striving alone, but abiding in Him.
“This is the grand secret of the Christian life. Christ in you! Christ in you! Christ in you! This is the hope of glory. Do not hope in yourselves; do not hope in your frames and feelings; but hope in Christ who dwells in you.” (*1)
Again, we are reminded on how that when we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind:
“Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Saviour is revealed in His word. The word is the treasure house of truth. In it we behold Christ, the living Saviour.” (*2)
Because Christ lives within us, our response is a life willingly given back to God. The apostle Paul appeals to believers even today, in Romans 12:1–2 to present their bodies as a “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” and to refuse the patterns of this world. Instead, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This transformation is not forced by outward rules but grows naturally from the presence of Christ within. As His life shapes our thoughts, desires, and actions, we begin to reflect His character more clearly. The One who is “the hope of glory” within us also becomes the power that renews our minds and leads us to live a life that honors God each day.
The Robe of Christ’s Perfection.
Through His sacrifice, human beings may reach the high ideal set before them, and hear at last the words, “Ye are complete in him,” not having your own righteousness, but the righteousness that He wrought out for you. Your imperfection is no longer seen; for you are clothed with the robe of Christ’s perfection (*3)
The great hope of the Christian life is not found in our own strength, wisdom, or effort, but in the living presence of Christ within the heart. As Charles Spurgeon reminds us, the believer’s hope does not rest in changing feelings or personal ability, but in Christ Himself dwelling within. Many Christian authors and preachers would echo this same truth, pointing us to the Word where Christ is revealed as the living Savior who abides with His people. When Christ lives in us, our faith becomes more than knowledge—it becomes a life transformed. Our confidence, our growth, and our future glory all spring from this one source: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” In this truth the soul finds rest, strength for daily living, and joyful assurance that the work God has begun will one day be completed in glory.
Make Your Joy In Christ Complete
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. (1 John 1:1-4, NIV)
There Is A Place For The Elderly In The Work of God: “In his old age John revealed the life of Christ in his life. He lived to be nearly one hundred years old, and over and over again he repeated the story of the crucified and risen Saviour. Persecution came upon the believers, and those young in experience were often in danger of losing their hold on Christ. But the old, tried servant of Jesus steadfastly maintained his faith.” (*4)
What is your testimony on how Creator God has transformed you? Would you be willing to share that with someone today?
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References:
(*1) Charles H. Spurgeon, sermon “The Hope of Glory”, on Colossians 1:27, preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, July 18, 1886.
Published in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 32 (1886), sermon no. 1915.
(*2) Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 114.
(*3) Ellen White, 7BC 907.7
(*4) Ellen White, 7BC 947.9