The Subject of Ministry, Col 1:26-27

(26) that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, (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. (1:26-27)

Paul now points to the subject of his ministry, the gentiles, to whom he was called to preach. He used language he had heard within their culture but poured Christ and the work of God into their meaning so that the people would understand the true meaning of words like mystery, ages, manafest, riches and glory.

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

• ‘that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations’ –
• Definition: ‘mystery’ – The Greek word is, ‘musterion’ { moos-tay’-ree-on }, which means ‘a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding.’ In this context the word carries the meaning of “... the content of that which has not been known before but which has been revealed to an in-group or restricted constituency.” [1] It is “... a secret imparted only to the initiated, what is unknown until it is revealed, whether it be easy or hard to understand.” [2]
• Definition: ‘past ages’ – The Greek word is, ‘aion’ { ahee-ohn’ }, which means ‘forever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity.’
• Definition: ‘generations’ – The Greek word is, ‘genea’ { ghen-eh-ah’ }, and means ‘the whole multitude of men living at the same time.’
• Paul appears to be using the word ‘mystery’ on purpose because it was being used by the pre-Gnostic cult to refer to the hidden truths that were only known to the initiated. However, in the context of Paul’s usage of the word in this verse, the mystery being described here is not something that had been completely hidden from eternity past, but that it had been wrapped in obscurity during that time frame so that it required God to reveal it. Vines’ describes the mystery as follows:

In the NT it denotes, not the mysterious (as with the [English] word), but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by Divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense a ‘mystery’ implies knowledge withheld; its Scriptural significance is truth revealed. [3]

• The mystery being referred to here is the gift of salvation which was being extended to the Gentiles through the preaching of the Gospel. Paul describes this mystery as being ‘hidden from the past ages and generations’ because this truth was divinely revealed only through the Gospel. As we see Rom 1:17, (see also Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38) Paul quotes Hab 2:4 saying that “The righteous man shall live by faith.” – a New Testament truth present in the Old Testament. This is just one example of how a veiled truth in the Old Testament is further revealed in the New Testament. It is a truth that lay ‘hidden from the past ages’ which simply means “from the beginning of the successive periods of human history until the Gospel was proclaimed by Christ”; and from the ‘generations’ by which Paul means “the successive sets of men living at one time.” [4]
• In referring to the mystery of salvation for the Gentiles, John Gill said, “yet the whole may be applied to the Gospel mystery in general; which was first hid in the heart of God, in his thoughts and purposes, in his counsel and covenant, and in his Son, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; and then in the ceremonies and shadows of the law, which but few had any insight into, and discerning of; and, during that dispensation, was wholly hid from the Gentiles; and but in part known by the Jews, and but by a few, and comparatively by them very darkly.” [5] (Eph 3:3-6; Rom 16:25-26)

• ‘but has now been manifested to His saints’ –
• Definition: ‘manifested’ (‘revealed’ – ESV, ‘disclosed’ – NIV) – The Greek word is, ‘phaneroo’ { fan-er-o’-o }, which means ‘to make visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way; to become known, to be plainly recognized, thoroughly understood.’ Another said, “to make appear, to make visible, to cause to be seen.” [6]
• Definition” ‘saints’ – The Greek word, ‘agios’ { hag'-ee-os }, the meaning in Strongs is “sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated):—(most) holy (one, thing), saint.” Another lexicon says, “pertaining to being dedicated or consecrated to the service of God—‘devout, godly, dedicated.’” [7]
• This was a truth Jesus first revealed to His apostles, who were appointed to reveal it to everyone else. Those that embrace this truth (those whom the Spirit calls) became ‘His saints’.

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. (1:27)

• ‘to whom God willed to make known’ –
• Definition: ‘willed’ (‘would’ – KJV, ‘chose’ – NIV) – The Greek word is, ‘thelo’ { thel’-o }, and means ‘to will, have in mind, intend; to be resolved or determined, to purpose.’
• The subject of the verse is the Gospel, and as we consistently see in the presentations of the Gospel by Paul, it wasn’t a matter of something that was merited, or deserved, or could be earned in any way. It was purely by God’s grace that He proposed or chose to reveal to mankind, specifically to the Gentiles. It had been veiled from the sight of mankind until God sovereignly chose to reveal it. (Mat 11:25-27; Eph 1:9; 3:5-6; 1 Cor 2:7-16)
• God “willed in His sovereign mercy to reveal His eternal purpose with all its glorious riches” to the gentiles. [8]

• ‘what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles’ –
• Definition: ‘riches’ – The Greek word is, ‘ploutos’ { ploo’-tos }, and means ‘1) abundance of external possessions; 2) fullness, abundance, the state of being full or complete; and 3) that with which one is enriched.’ But it is the last two meanings that give insight into its usage in this verse. It is used to represent something that is valuable, something that makes the person who possesses it enriched or complete.
• Definition: ‘glory’ – The Greek word is, ‘doxa’ { dox’-ah }, which means ‘magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace; the kingly majesty which belongs to God as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity.’ The Concise Bible Dictionary defines the word as, ‘esteem, honor, excellency of mind, body.’ [9]
• The Holman Bible Dictionary states, “The New Testament uses doxa to express glory and limits the meaning to God’s glory. In classical Greek doxa means opinion, conjecture, expectation, and then praise. The New Testament carries forward the Old Testament meaning of divine power and majesty (Acts 7:2; Eph. 1:17; 2 Pet. 1:17). The New Testament extends this to Christ as having divine glory (Luke 9:32; John 1:14; 1 Cor. 2:8; 2 Th 2:14).” [10]
• The mystery that Paul is so excited about, referring to it as the “the riches of the glory … among the Gentiles”, is that the Gentiles, and in particular the Colossian Gentile believers, were now fellow heirs in, and partakers of Christ. (Rom 11:33; Col 1:12; 2:2; Eph 1:7, 18; 3:7-8, 16) As was discussed above Paul appears to be borrowing the word “mystery” again, with its allusions to esoteric doctrines only for the initiated, from the Gnosticism that was forming, as well as from the Greeks philosophies. But the mystery Paul is talking about is something that is now shouted from the rooftops for all to hear. The glory being referred to is that the Gentiles are now joint heirs in the Kingdom of God. The free gift of salvation is now being extended to everyone who will receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith. (Rom 10:12; Col 1:12)
• ‘the riches of the glory of this mystery’ – Paul seems to be linking these phrases together purposely to emphasize the immeasurable greatness of the gift of inclusion being imparted by God to the Gentiles. And this is not the only place where he does this. Two examples are Col 2:3, “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”; and Eph 3:8, “the unsearchable riches of Christ” – KJV.

• ‘which is Christ in you’ –
• Paul continues to explain the mystery as ‘Christ in you’ which is Christ dwelling in the heart of believers (Eph 3:17). Nearly everything Paul has written in this first chapter of Colossians stresses that salvation is God initiated (‘who has qualified us to share in the inheritance’ – 1:12; ‘rescued us from the domain of darkness’ – 1:13; ‘through Him to reconcile all things to Himself,’ – 1:21; ‘He has now reconciled you’ – 1:22). Without God’s grace, man would never have been able to understand the mystery.
• “The ‘mystery’ has two elements that climax in Christ himself. 1) The Gentiles are now included in the plan of God (v. 27). This was new and it created a problem for established Judaism. 2) The ‘mystery’ is actually a person who is ‘Christ in you’ (v. 27b). The phrase ‘Christ in you’ speaks of the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ in the believer’s heart in the Person of the Holy Spirit. This leads to love, joy and peace.” [11]
• Albert Barnes said this about the excitement of Paul, “This was the great truth which so animated the heart and fired the zeal of the apostle Paul. The wonderful announcement had burst on his mind like a flood of day, that the offer of salvation was not to be confined, as he had once supposed, to the Jewish people, but that all men were now placed on a level; that they had a common Saviour; that the same heaven was now opened for all, and that there were none so degraded and vile that they might not have the offer of life as well as others. This great truth Paul burned to communicate to the whole world; and for holding it, and in making it known, he had involved himself in all the difficulties which he had with his own countrymen.” [12]
• It was God’s purpose and plan for the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts for the purpose of making us ‘partakers of His divine nature’ to prepare us to be united with Him in Eternity. The natural consequences of Christ living in us is that we understand who He truly is, who and what we are, what He has done for us, and that we are enabled to walk in His righteousness. And to be able to accomplish this task in us, He must reside in us.
• James Coffman points out something interesting about the many different ways the Apostles communicated this truth of ‘Christ in you’. He wrote,

There are eight expressions in the New Testament, all eight of which refer to a single state, namely, the saved state; and these are:

1. Christ is in you (Rom 8:10; Gal 2:20; Eph 3:17);
2. you are in Christ (2 Cor 5:17; Paul's writings alone contain 169 references to being "in Christ, in him, in the Lord, in the beloved, etc.");
3. God is in you (Php 2:13; 1 John 4:11-16);
4. you are in God (1 Cor 3:16; 6:16);
5. the Holy Spirit is in you (1 Cor 3:16; Rom 8:11; Gal 4:6);
6. you are in the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16, 25; Rev 1:10);
7. the mind of Christ is in you (1 Cor 2:16; Php 2:5);
8. the word of Christ is in you (Col 3:16).

It is mandatory, of course, to see all of these various designations as reference to one condition only, that of the redeemed in Christ. The fact that all such references are indeed synonymous is evident from Paul’s usage in this and the following verse. Here he spoke of ‘Christ in you’; in the very next verse, and speaking of the same thing, he referred to it as presenting every man ‘in Christ,’ thus quite obviously using ‘in Christ’ and ‘Christ in you’ interchangeably. [13]

• ‘the hope of glory’ –
• Some commentators believe this statement points to a future hope. We are ‘partakers’ in part now, but our hope is in a future which is to come when Jesus returns (Col 3:4; Ro 5:2, 8:17, 18; Eph 1:18).
• Other commentators, like J. Hampton Keathley, see something else in what Paul is saying when put into context of his purpose for writing the letter in the first place. “The glorious rewards of the future are certainly part of our motivation for this (cf. 3:1-4, 23-25), but in view of the immediate goal of proclaiming Christ through warning and teaching every person to see them advance in spiritual maturity (1:28-29), ‘the hope of glory’ may well involve the confident expectation of experiencing the character of Christ reproduced by the Spirit in the life of every believer.” [14] In other words, if Christ is enthroned in our hearts, His character will be produced in us and will by nature flow out of us, and will protect us. Both Galatians and Colossians deal with false teachers who sought to put believers back under a form of the law. Paul’s letter to the Galatians was directed at the Judaistic teachers, and Colossians, as has been discussed, was directed towards an early form of Gnosticism. In both cases, the Gospel message would have been rendered powerless in the lives of believers had they succumbed to the temptation. Therefore Keathley sees ‘the hope of glory’ as “the confident expectation of the formation of Christ in His character and life in and through the life of all believers. Glory is the manifestation of the Lord Jesus in us so that we experience Him in attitude, faith, action, and reaction.” [15] (Rom 5:2; 1Ti 1:1)

(26) that is, the mystery [not obvious to the understanding] which has been hidden [kept secret, concealed] from the past ages [perpetuity of time, eternity] and generations, but has now been manifested [made visible or known what had been hidden or unknown] to His saints, (27) to whom God willed [had in mind, intended; to be resolved or determined, purposed] to make known what is the riches [fullness, abundance, the state of being full or complete] of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (1:26-27)

Footnotes

1. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 344. p/o Logos Bible Software.
2. D. Miall Edwards, “Mystery,” ed. James Orr et al., The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915), p. 2104. p/o Logos Bible Software.
3. W. E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, (Hendrickson Publishers: Peabody MA).
4. Beet’s Bible Commentary on Colossians, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
5. John Gill’s Commentary, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
6. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 278. p/o Logos Bible Software.
7. Ibid, p. 538.
8. Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), p. 675
9. Concise Bible Dictionary, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
10. Holman Bible Dictionary, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
11. Ian S McNaughton, Opening up Colossians and Philemon, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), p. 34. p/o Logos Bible Software.
12. Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), p. 255. p/o Logos Bible Software.
13. James Burton Coffman Commentary on Colossians, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
14. J. Hampton Keathley III, 10. The Supremacy of the Work of Christ Part 3, The Propagation of Christ’s Work (Col. 1:24-2:3).
15. Ibid.

The primary sources for this study use J. Hampton Keathley III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, from bible.org, Copyright ©1996-2020 Bible.org, and all attributions are reprinted with permission granted by bible.org, and John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992).

This study uses many of the commentaries, dictionaries and the Greek Lexicon which are all part of 'The Online Bible', Computer Program, © 2023, Larry Pierce, http://www.onlinebible.net/, unless otherwise referenced. See Greetings and Thanksgiving, Colossians 1:1-4 for full attribution.

Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p/o Logos Bible Software, Faithlife, LLC, © 2023.

All Scriptures quotes are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Revision, unless otherwise noted. Verse links from Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/