Colossians 3:3-4 3For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God.4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
Paul now helps the Colossians reflect back on their decision to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. The death mentioned was the cessation of the old life of sin and self. The verb tenses are noteworthy in verse 3. Died (apethanete) is aorist tense, meaning that this decision was in the past and made by a decisive decision. Death happens in a moment of time though there is a dying process that leads up to it. The Colossians chose to put their faith in Jesus. They may not necessarily have been able to point to a day on the calendar. That is not the point. Rather, they made a decision to end the control of the old life under sin, deception, and ignorance. Has been hidden (kekryptai) is perfect tense, meaning that the new life of the Colossians became hidden with Christ in God in the past and remains that way. They continue to live in this hiddenness of being “in Christ.”
The idea of being hidden has several possible implications. First, it could refer to identity. The Colossians have a new identity of them in Christ and Christ in them. They are known now as “Christians,” followers of Jesus. Their worldview has shifted from human effort and empty philosophies to the knowledge of God found in Jesus Christ. They shifted their thinking and outlook on life and now were found in Christ. When people looked at the Colossians, they would see Jesus because of the relationship the Colossians had with Jesus.
Second, they are also protected from the onslaught of the devil and the forces of evil and have a hope that outlasts persecution from people. To have one’s life hidden means that one’s identity is kept safe because what people encounter is the very power of the one who created the universe and holds it together. The Colossians had put themselves in the place of power from anything this creation has to offer, even if it means suffering. By having their lives hidden in Christ, they now have a hope that guide them to eternity.
Paul essentially tells them to become who they are. They must live out their new life in Christ. Let this life blossom, grow, and bear fruit. Christ is their very life. Without him, there is no hope and no eternal life. But Paul is not referring simply to eternity in this verse but the life the Colossians had at that moment. They are to embrace the new way of living to which this new life in Christ points. The last part of verse 4 expresses this hope, that one day when Christ comes again, the faithfulness of the Colossians will prove worthwhile because they will experience the glory of God and will be honored and exalted by the one who created them. This is a powerful incentive for us today to remain faithful also and to keep our focus on what really matters: our relationship with God through Christ.
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