A Life Hidden in Christ: Colossians 3:3-4

In today’s post, the second part of our study Renewed: Putting on the New Self, we look at Colossians 3:3-4 and discuss A Life Hidden in Christ.

Let’s look together at the verses we’ll be studying in this post.

3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

For You Have Died…

When we become Believers in Jesus Christ, something amazing happens! Our dead spirits are quickened to new life in Him, and our sinful old flesh dies as it is crucified with Christ.

It’s pretty amazing when you think about it; it almost makes my head spin. People without Jesus walk around feeling so alive, but they are dead of spirit. And people with Jesus feel so alive and renewed spiritually (and rightly so, because we are!), but they “have died.” (Colossians 3:3)

What does it mean that we “have died?” This section of Colossians connects to some previous verses where Paul was explaining things to the Believers in Colossae. In Colossians 2:20 we read,

“If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you… [do these things…]” (Colossians 2:20)

Going back a bit further, we see this,

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human traditions, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

When we look at all of this together, we see that Paul was explaining to the church at Colossae that when they became Christians, they died to “elemental spirits of the world,” who are spirits whose teaching goes against Christ. Their teaching is empty and deceitful and is passed down through humans, but ultimately comes from Satan.

We have died to that teaching! We’ve also died to following ourselves. (See below.) We follow Christ and exalt Him as our living Teacher of truth.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Your Life Is Hidden With Christ

I love the reminder that when God looks at me, He sees Jesus in my heart. It’s such an elementary principle that even young children can understand. And it’s so precious!

It’s simple to understand, but it’s a theologically deep truth. Because Christ is in me, and I am in His hands, my life is “hidden” in Him.

It reminds me of when my  daughters were little. Outside on a bright sunny day,  they would hide their shadows in mine. They all but disappeared, but of course, we both knew they were still standing their on the sidewalk with me; they were just hidden.

This is a bit how it is with Christ. Of course, as His saved children, we are always “in Him.” But we also know that we should seek to stay right there in His shadow! That is a beautiful and wise place to be! When we step outside of His will, it never fares well for us.

As we study this entire passage (vv. 1-17) God will show us some specifics of what being hidden with Christ looks like on a practical level.  As I stated in the introduction to this series,

“This particular portion of Scripture has been called “guidelines for holy living.” But we must be careful not to read it as simply a list of rules to follow. There are directives to obey, yes, but the focus is Christ! We tend to want to make passages like this about us, don’t we? It’s good to remember that the aim of a holy life is to glorify Jesus.”

Christ, Who Is Your Life

What does Paul mean when he says, “When Christ, who is your life…?” I think the Book of John gives us insight.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…’” (John 11:25)

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)

Yes, Christ is our life! Whether we live and act like it, or we don’t, it remains true. This truth should result in the worshipful obedience of holy living (as we’ll see farther along in the passage.)

When He Appears…

Christ is coming back! He will return and rule His kingdom for 1,000 years (see Matthew 24:29-31 and Revelations 19 and 20). The doctrine of future things is very complex and I feel like I know so little. But this I know for certain: He will return.

And when He does, it will be a powerful and glorious event!

“Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30)

And what a privilege and honor for us to be allowed to appear with Him in glory! Wow!

What a process of renewal it is and will be, isn’t it? From death to life to glory? God is incredible and He loves us so much.

He is worth living for. Let’s live renewed today!

What do you need to do or what do you need to pray in response to today’s Bible study? What is God laying on your heart?

Be blessed as you put away earthly things to live for Christ, your life, today. Put on the new self and look to the Savior as the example of how to live, serve, and love others.

Hidden in Christ,
Ali