Mystery Paradox

Mystery Paradox

Paradox: A tenet or proposition contrary to received opinion, or seemingly absurd, yet true in fact.

Abide: to dwell, rest, continue, stand firm, or be stationary for anytime indefinitely.

Mystery: A profound secret; something wholly unknown or something kept cautiously concealed, and therefore exciting curiosity or wonder.

John 14:20 (Jesus speaking) "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. (NASB)

Christ is dwelling in the Father, we are dwelling in Christ, and Christ is dwelling in us.

1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1Co 3:17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. (NASB)

Rom 8:9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.(NASB)

Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness.(NASB)

Or, we can say, Christ is dwelling in the Father, we are dwelling in Christ, and Christ is dwelling in us. The Holy Spirit dwells in Christ, Christ dwells in us, we dwell in the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Wow!

Rev 3:20 (Jesus speaking) `Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

John 15:4 (Jesus speaking) "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. (NASB)

John 15:11 (Jesus speaking) "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (NASB)

John 17:21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

The Father in Jesus, Jesus in the Father and we are in Them.

John 17:22 "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;

John 17:23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. (NASB)

God the Father loves us just as much as He loves His Son Jesus. Think about that.

Col 1:25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,

Col 1:26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,

Col 1:27 to whom God willed 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.

So the glorious mystery of God is that Christ will come and indwell you and me. We are never alone, never. The Creator of the Universe inhabits our heart and spirit. Amazing.

Colossians 2:1-14 (NASB)

Col 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,

Col 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,

Col 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Part of the mystery is that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge comes from and is in Christ Jesus Himself, Who dwells in us.

Col 2:4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.

Col 2:5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.

Col 2:6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

Col 2:6 As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. (AMP)

Col 2:6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. (NLT)

Since Christ Jesus is in us, and we are in Him, then our thinking, our actions and our words should reflect that.

Col 2:7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Col 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Philosophies, traditions of man, elementary principles such as, men should not have long hair, women should not have short hair, only hymns should be sung in church, drums should not be played in church, don't drink wine, do not eat pork and don't smoke. All these are traditions or rules of men.

Col 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

The fullness of the Godhead is the totality of the Divine powers and attributes, all the wealth of the being and of the nature of God - eternal, infinite, unchangeable in existence, in knowledge, in wisdom, in power, in holiness, in goodness, in truth, in love. This is the fullness of the nature of God - life, light, love; and this has its permanent, its settled abode in Christ. All that is His own by right is His by His Father's good pleasure also. It was the Father's good pleasure that in Christ should all the fullness dwell.(ISBE) And ALL this fullness dwells in us in Christ Jesus.

Col 2:10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

At one time we all had a God shaped hole in our heart, now it has been made whole with the presence of God.

Col 2:11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

Col 2:12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Col 2:13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the circumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

Col 2:14 having canceled out 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.

He nailed our sins to the cross. We were dead in our sins, but when Christ came into us to dwell in us, we became alive. Raised from the dead just as the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. All the power that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit possess now resides in our body. Now, we are His body, His Temple and His Church.

Christ in us, we in Christ. The Holy Spirit in us, we in the Holy Spirit. The Father in us and we in the Father. A paradox, a wonderment, a Mystery, a FACT.

Selah,

Pastor D W Riffe