What if Jesus really lives in you?

Now there’s a question that has the power to stop us in our tracks.

It sounds almost too good to be true and too bold to be believable, doesn’t it? For many Christians, however, the idea of faith is often reduced to simply forgiveness. We know Jesus died for our sins. We know He offers mercy and eternal life. We might even speak about Him “walking with us,” “being on our side,” and “helping us in our weaknesses,” but the New Testament, especially the book of Colossians, presses us further: not only does Jesus save us, but He takes up residence in us.

Paul calls this “the mystery” of the gospel: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

That’s not merely poetic language. That’s a radical claim about what it means to belong to God by faith in Christ.

The Bold Claim of Colossians

Paul was writing to a young church in Colossae—ordinary people trying to figure out how to live out their new faith in a world filled with competing philosophies, religious rituals, and cultural pressures. Sound familiar? Into that environment, Paul proclaims something almost unbelievable: the Risen Jesus is not only above you, beside you, and before you—He is in you.

This is the heartbeat of Paul’s message. The Christian life isn’t primarily about us striving to reach God through our effort, ritual, or morality. In other words, you don’t behave your way into the Kingdom. Rather, it’s about God Himself choosing to dwell within His people – by faith – through the Holy Spirit.

Theologians, spiritual directors, and others call this union with Christ. It’s not a metaphorical idea, a theology to be grasped, a doctrine to be dissected, or a cute spiritual slogan; it is the overarching reality of biblical Christianity and the ultimate goal all of humanity is striving for whether they know it or not! The Resurrected Savior of the World shares His very life with us. Our hope, our identity, our power, our purpose, our future—all of it flows from this astonishing truth: By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus of Nazareth lives in the people of God.

Let’s slow down and ask what this really means.

Think about the difference between having a guest in your home and having the rightful owner live there. A guest shows up for a weekend. You tidy up, offer them a meal, and show hospitality. Once they leave, however, life goes back to normal. The owner belongs there. Their presence changes everything about the house—the way it’s organized, the way it feels, the way decisions get made, etc.

Jesus does not move into your life as a temporary guest. He takes up permanent residence as Lord and Savior, Leader and Forgiver, or Master and Rescuer. In other words, your life is His home and if He is the owner then He can rearrange the furniture any way He wants to! So, deal with it.

This means that His Spirit shapes how we think, how we speak, how we respond in difficult moments. It means His peace can guard us when anxiety rises (Colossians 3:15). It means His love becomes the bond that holds our relationships together (Colossians 3:14). It means His power strengthens us to endure trials with hope (Colossians 1:11). And, that’s just a few truths to hang onto!!

Christ in you is not a small add-on TO your life. It is a total re-centering OF your life.

A Different Kind of Daily Life

When Paul writes about this mystery, he’s not speaking in vague spiritual terms. He quickly ties the indwelling of Christ to very practical outcomes.

• Our inner world is transformed. “Set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (Colossians 3:1). Because Christ is in us, our hearts can rise above despair and be fixed on what lasts forever.
• Our outward actions are reshaped. “Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Because Jesus is in us, our behavior toward others can mirror His character.
• Our community is redefined. “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives” (Colossians 3:16). Because Christ is in us, the way we worship, grow, serve, live, pray, give, and encourage one another is no longer shallow—it’s centered on Him.

This is both deeply personal and profoundly missional. To embrace the truth that Jesus Christ lives in us is to cultivate practices like prayer, confession, Scripture meditation, Sabbath, community, silence, fasting, giving, serving, and surrender (to name a few). Not because you have to, but because you get to! Our lives become extensions of His as we display His compassion, forgiveness, hospitality, generosity, and merciful love to others around us.

What If We Actually Believed This?

So just imagine. What if Christians truly lived as though Jesus dwelled in them.

• How many anxious hearts would be steadied by His peace?
• How many grudges would dissolve under His forgiveness?
• How many weary souls would find rest because His strength carried them?

Unfortunately, we far too often settle for a surface-level faith—believing Jesus died for us, but not living as though He dwells in us. The result is a kind of nominal Christianity that feels weak, emaciated, powerless, joyless, and disconnected from the radical gospel seen throughout Scripture.

And if you’re reading this as a skeptic or seeker, maybe you’ve dismissed Christianity because it seemed like a list of rules or rituals, but what if it’s something more profound? What if the claim is that the living Christ wants to share His life with you? What if faith is not about striving to reach God, but opening your life to the God who already longs to live within you?

That, my friend, is worth wrestling with.

The Radical Invitation

Colossians 1:27 doesn’t just describe a theological reality. It is an invitation. I reason I love invitational language is it places the decision in your hands. As a Wesleyan Christian, I believe we have human agency and the ability to choose our response to God’s invitation.

For the believer: Will you yield fully to this reality? Will you stop treating Jesus like a weekend guest and instead allow Him to rearrange the furniture of your life? His indwelling presence isn’t meant to stay hidden. It is meant to shine through your words, choices, and relationships.

For the skeptic or nominal Christian: Will you dare to consider that the Christian faith is not external performance, but internal transformation? Jesus offers to live in you— by faith – not just to pardon you, but to fill you with His very life.

This is the mystery, the wonder, the beauty, the power, and the hope of glory.

Conclusion: A Prayerful Reflection

If the radical claim of Colossians is true, then it’s also a radical gift. Jesus doesn’t merely walk beside us. He lives within us. And if that is true, then the Christian life is not lived in our own strength, but in His.

So, maybe the question we should carry is the same one we began with: What if Jesus really lives in you? What if you took Him at His word? What if you embraced His presence, moment by moment?

I would dare say it just might change everything.

A Simple Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You that You are not distant. Thank You for the mystery of the gospel—Christ in me, the hope of glory. Teach me to live in the reality of Your presence. Holy Spirit, come and rearrange the furniture of life so that as you shape my thoughts, words, and actions others might see You in me. Amen.

Thanks for reading,

JC

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