FOR YOU HAVE DIED: apethanete (2PAAI) gar: (Col 2:12-note, Col 2:20-note, Ro 6:2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 7, 4, 5, 6-see notes on Ro 6:2 , 6:7, 6:8-10, 6:11, 7:4-6, Gal 2:18, Gal 2:20-note ; Gal 5:24-note; Gal 6:14; 1Pe 2:24-note)  

Note "died" is first in Greek sentence to emphasize this life changing event.

"For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died" (Amp)

For (gar) introduces and explains the reason "living in the heavenlies" (seeking and thinking the things above) is to be the norm for each believer even though we are still on terra firma. Believers have died to the world system (Gal 6:14), through their faith and intimate union with Christ in His death and resurrection. 

You have died (599) (apothnesko from apo = away from + thnesko = die) means literally to die off and so to cease to have vital functions, whether at an earthly or transcendent level.

Apothnesko is a very common verb in the NT used some 111 times - Mt 8:32; 9:24; 22:24, 27; 26:35; Mk 5:35, 39; 9:26; 12:19, 20, 21; 15:44; Lk 8:42, 52, 53; 16:22; 20:28, 29, 31, 32, 36; Jn. 4:47, 49; 6:49, 50, 58; 8:21, 24, 52, 53; 11:14, 16, 21, 25, 26, 32, 37, 50, 51; 12:24, 33; 18:14, 32; 19:7; 21:23; Acts 7:4; 9:37; 21:13; 25:11; Ro 5:6, 7, 8, 15; 6:2, 7, 8, 9; 7:2, 3, 6, 10; 8:13, 34; 14:7, 8, 9, 15; 1Co 8:11; 9:15; 15:3, 22, 31, 32, 36; 2Co 5:14, 15; 6:9; Gal. 2:19, 21; Php 1:21; Col. 2:20; 3:3; 1Th 4:14; 5:10; He 7:8; 9:27; 10:28; 11:4, 13, 21, 37; Jude 1:12; Re 3:2; 8:9, 11; 9:6; 14:13; 16:3.

The tense of died is aorist which speaks of a past completed action -- believers died with Christ the moment they placed their faith in. This same truth is taught elsewhere by Paul especially in Romans 6 (note the repetition of this truth in that section)...

Colossians 2:20 (see note) If (since) you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as

Romans 6:2 (see notes) May it never be! How shall we who died to sin (Sin) still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized (identified with) into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him (How many times does Paul state the believer has died with Christ? Why the repetition?)

Gal 2:20 (see note) "I have been crucified with (Word study) (perfect tense = past completed action with ongoing effect/results) Christ ;  and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

The mood of have died is indicative which is the mood of reality indicating that our death with Christ was a real event even though we cannot fully comprehend the nature of this supernatural transaction (cp 1Cor 13:12).

The practical truth is that when we died with Christ in the past, we died to the power, rule, mastery, enslavement to the old task master Sin, which has now been rendered inoperative (Ro 6:6-note "done away with" = Word study of this verb katargeo) by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus and our faith in His finished work has brought into this vital, eternal, new covenant union with Christ and His victory over sin and death.

To be sure the presence and power of SIN (see "the Sin") will continue to harangue us for the remainder of our physical earthly existence but it can no longer condemn us (eg, see Gal 5:16-note, Gal 5:17-note). The question that each of us must address to ourselves is "Am I living like one who has died with Christ?" Since we have died and have been raised with Christ, anything profane or offensive to Jesus should be profane or offensive to us. Although our co-crucifixion with Christ is a "done deal" so to speak, we still need to make daily daily choices in light of and consistent with this truth. Stated another way, our position is Christ is fixed forever, but this position should lead us to a practice commensurate with that position. We no longer have an excuse for "sloppy" Christian living. Now empowered by the Spirit of Christ we can practice "death to self" (and God will give us manifold opportunities each day!), a truth often emphasized by Jesus as a marker of those were His disciples (see Mt 16:25; Mk 8:35; Lk 9:24; 17:33; Jn 12:25 See Torrey's Topic on "Self Denial").

In this section of Colossians Paul is explaining what "death to self" should look like in our personal moral/ethical life, our speech, our interpersonal relationships, our marriages, our families and our jobs (Col 3:5-4:6). Dying to self and living to God (Christ increasing, us decreasing Jn 3:30) is the essence of the heavenly minded "much fruit" life (Jn 15:8) our Father desires for all His children to experience so that their joy might be full. But praise be to God it is no longer we who are "living" but Christ living His life in and through us (see Ga 2:20-note). Don't misunderstand for Paul is not absolving believers of personal responsibility. As discussed above, we must each continually make decisions that are God pleasing, but now we do so empowered by His Spirit (Gal 5:16-bite, Gal 5:18-note, Gal 5:25-note, Eph 5:18-note) and His provision of grace abundantly available to every yielded, humble saint ("the gravity of grace" - it flows down from on high! Cp 2Co 12:9, 10, Jas 4:6, 1Pe 5:5-note, Lk 1:52, 2Chr 32:26, 33:12, 19, 23, 34:27, Isa 57:15).

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater;
He sendeth more grace when the labours increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done:
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
- Annie Johnson Flint

John Eadie adds

Neither “seek nor savour” the things of earth; for having died, and having been even buried with Christ, your sphere of being, action, and enjoyment, is totally different from your former state. As Luther says— “we live not in the flesh, but we dwell in the flesh.” When they did die, their death was but a birth into a new life. (Eadie, John: Commentary on Paul's Epistle to the Colossians - Download 377 page Pdf - 1884)

Spurgeon (click complete text) has some insightful comments regarding the our death and new life in the Spirit:

Aforetime we were natural men and discerned not the things that be of the Spirit of God. We minded earthly things and were moved by carnal lustings after the things which are seen; but now through divine grace a spirit has been created in us which feeds on spiritual bread, lives for spiritual objects, is swayed by spiritual motives and rejoices in spiritual truth. This change from the natural to the spiritual is such as only God himself could have wrought, and yet we have experienced it. To God be the glory. So that by virtue of our rising in Christ we have received life and have become the subjects of a wondrous change,- “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2Cor 5:17)

MacArthur notes that

"By using such phrases as with Christ (Col 3:1-note); where Christ (Col 3:1-note); with Christ (Col 3:3); when Christ (Col 3:4-note); and with Him (Col 3:4-note), he stresses again Christ’s total sufficiency (cf. Col 2:10-note). Unfortunately, many Christians fail to understand and pursue the fullness of Christ. Consequently, because of not knowing what Scripture says, or not applying it properly, they are intimidated into thinking they need something more than Him alone to live the Christian life. They fall prey to false philosophy, legalism, mysticism, or asceticism."

Rob Morgan commenting on Colossians 3:1-4 offers an interesting sermon title "The Best Christians are Dead Christians" noting that in Colossians 3:1-note Dead People Have a New Master, Colossians 3:2-note Dead People Have New Values, Colossians 3:3-note Dead People Have a New Perspective, and Colossians 3:4-note Dead People Have a New Future. (Morgan, R. J. Nelson's Annual Preacher's Sourcebook: 2002 Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Spurgeon...

The old life is dead. You are dead to it. You will not be consumed by it; you cannot be controlled by it. You have a newer and higher life. Let it have full scope.

You have a new life now; it is up yonder, “where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” Do you not feel drawings upward? Are there no longings after the high and heavenly estate where Jesus is? Come, beloved, let your soul break loose for a while; and, like a lark that, having found its liberty, ascends with joyous wing, singing as it rises till it is out of mortal sight, so let it be with you.

You profess to be dead to the world; is that profession false? You have observed that Scriptural ordinance in which you profess to be buried with Christ; was that observance only an empty form?

AND YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN: kai e zoe humon kekruptai (2SRPI): (John 4:14; 5:21,24,40; 6:39,40; 10:28, 29, 30; 14:19; Ro 5:10,21; 8:2,34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39; 1Co 15:45)

and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God (Amp)

you have a secret life with Christ (BBE) (Ed note: But He should show forth to those around you! Don't keep the secret to yourself!)

Life (2222) (zoe) in Scripture is used (1) to refer to physical life (Ro 8:38-note, 1Co 3:22, Php 1:20-note, James 4:14, etc) but more often to (2) to supernatural life (which is what Paul is emphasizing in this section of Colossians) in contrast to a life subject to eternal death (Jn 3:36). This quality of life speaks of fullness of life which alone belongs to God the Giver of life and is available to His children now (Ro 6:4-note, Ep 4:18-note) as well as in eternity future (Mk 10:30, Titus 1:2-note on Eternal Life).

Hidden (krupto) is a verb meaning to keep something from being seen and thus to hide, conceal or cover. In some contexts krupto means to hide so as to keep secret (eg, Lk 19:42), but in the present context refers to hiding so as to provide protection or safety and thus prevent one from being harmed by anything.

Krupto is used 18 times in the NT - Matt. 5:14; 11:25; 13:35, 44; 25:18, 25; Lk. 18:34; 19:42; Jn. 8:59; 12:36; 19:38; Col. 3:3; 1 Tim. 5:25; Heb. 11:23; Rev. 2:17; 6:15, 16.

Krupto is in the perfect tense which indicates that it was hidden at some point in time (day of your salvation) and remains hidden or concealed which conveys the ideas of permanency and irrevocability. The death (aorist tense) is over, but the results of the hiding (perfect tense) of the life in Him abide. Safe in the arms of Jesus, the title of Fanny Crosby's hymn (which was played on August 8, 1885, when U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant was laid to rest in Riverside Park, on the banks of the Hudson River - but believers are safe not just in eternity future but eternity present!)...

Safe in the arms of Jesus
(Play)

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.
Hark! ’tis the voice of angels, borne in a song to me.
Over the fields of glory, over the jasper sea.

Refrain
Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast
There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe from corroding care,
Safe from the world’s temptations, sin cannot harm me there.
Free from the blight of sorrow, free from my doubts and fears;
Only a few more trials, only a few more tears!
Refrain

Jesus, my heart’s dear Refuge, Jesus has died for me;
Firm on the Rock of Ages, ever my trust shall be.
Here let me wait with patience, wait till the night is over;
Wait till I see the morning break on the golden shore.
Refrain

As Handley Moule says,

The ‘death’ is fact accomplished, the resulting ‘life’ is fact continuing. (PTL!)

As missionary James Calvert approached the Fiji Islands, the captain of the ship tried to discourage him from setting ashore on a cannibal island. “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages,” he said. Calvert only replied, “We died before we came here.” Clearly Calvert believed and lived out the truth that “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” We do well to imitate the lives of godly men like James Calvert (cp Jn 13:15, 2Ti 3:10-note, Php 3:17-note, He 6:11,12-note, He 13:7-note, 1Th 1:6, 7-note, 2Th 3:7, 8, 9).

John Eadie explains our hidden life as the

"life is at once divine and mediatorial—God's gift to believers through Christ; and the gift, along with its medium and its destiny, are hidden in the Giver, as the infinite source. But this concealment is no argument against present and partial enjoyment; for one may drink of the stream and be unable either to detect its source, which hides itself far away and high among the mountains, or conjecture at what distant point its deepening current pours itself into the ocean. The life is not said, by the apostle, to be hidden in itself, either from the world or from believers themselves, as so many commentators suppose. True, indeed, it is mysterious. It is not among things of vulgar gaze. It is a strange experience; none can know it save he who has it. For Christians die and yet live; nay, the moment of death is that of life—the instant of expiry is that of birth. Yet this life is now enjoyed—is therefore now a matter of secret consciousness, though much about it is beyond inquiry and analysis. No one can lay bare the principle of physical life; the knife of the anatomist cannot uncover the cord which binds the conscious thinking essence to its material organ and habitation. But the special thought of the apostle is, that the ethereal nature of spiritual life eludes research, alike in its origin and destiny. Its source is too high for us to climb to it, and its destiny is too noble to be written in human language. As to the former, it is hidden with Christ in God; and as to the latter, it shall not be fully revealed till Christ come the second time in glory. But it shall be ultimately disclosed. For Christ, with whom our life is hidden, shall reveal Himself, and we whose life is so hidden with Him shall also appear with Him in glory. When its medium is revealed, its character and destiny shall also be laid bare." (Eadie, John: Commentary on Paul's Epistle to the Colossians - Download 377 page Pdf - 1884)

Vincent notes that a believer's

"new spiritual life is no longer in the sphere of the earthly and sensual, but is with the life of the risen Christ, who is unseen with God".

As Paul reminds the Philippians

our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (see note Philippians 3:20)

Believers were a colony from heaven in Philippi! Christians are citizens of a kingdom not of this world for as our Lord has said

My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm. (John 18:36)

Spurgeon in Morning and Evening writes that...

Regeneration is a subject which lies at the very basis of salvation, and we should be very diligent to take heed that we really are "born again," (Jn 3:3, Ga 6:15, Titus 3:5-note, Jas 1:18-note, 1Pe 1:3-note, 1Pe 1:23-note, 1Jn 2:29, 3:9, 5:1, 18) for there are many who fancy they are, who are not. Be assured that the name of a Christian is not the nature of a Christian; and that being born in a Christian land, and being recognized as professing the Christian religion is of no avail whatever, unless there be something more added to it--the being "born again," is a matter so mysterious, that human words cannot describe it. "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Nevertheless, it is a change which is known and felt: known by works of holiness, and felt by a gracious experience. This great work is supernatural. It is not an operation which a man performs for himself: a new principle is infused, which works in the heart, renews the soul, and affects the entire man. It is not a change of my name, but a renewal of my nature, so that I am not the man I used to be, but a new man in Christ Jesus.

To wash and dress a corpse is a far different thing from making it alive: man can do the one, God alone can do the other. If you have then, been "born again," your acknowledgment will be, "O Lord Jesus, the everlasting Father, Thou art my spiritual Parent; unless Thy Spirit had breathed into me the breath of a new, holy, and spiritual life, I had been to this day 'dead in trespasses and sins.' My heavenly life is wholly derived from Thee, to Thee I ascribe it. 'My life is hid with Christ in God.' It is no longer I who live, but Christ who liveth in me." May the Lord enable us to be well assured on this vital point, for to be unregenerate is to be unsaved, unpardoned, without God, and without hope.

Three thoughts are suggested by the verb hidden...

(1) Safety or security

Believers are permanently hidden, securely locked together with Christ. Satan can’t break the lock and no burglar (even false teachers) can break the combination. Thus a believer's salvation is safe & secure with Christ (Jn 10:28). Indeed as Paul writes elsewhere, who shall ''separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'' (Ro 8:35,36, 37, 38, 39-see notes vv35-36, 37-39)

(2) Identity

Believers are now intimately linked "together with" (sun) Christ in (en) God. This picture expresses the fellowship of the believer, his identity with his risen Lord. Ignatius wrote,

“You are then all fellow travelers and carry with you God, and the Temple, and Christ, and holiness, and are in all ways adorned by commandments of Jesus Christ.”

He used the word christophoroi, which means Christ-bearers, and it is a lovely description of a Christian identified with Christ, who is in the bosom of the Father (cf Jn 1:18, 10:27, 28, 29, 30).

(3). Secrecy.

The believer’s life is nourished by secret springs and located “where the world sees Him no more” (cf. Jn 14:19). Thus, his bent of life is to be directed toward its source and away from the visible and carnal.

Oswald Chambers writes that...

The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that "is hidden with Christ in God." Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and "walk in the light" (1John 1:7) (Read full devotional)

A B Simpson explains that our life....

is hid from the world which cannot understand us. It is hid from the devil who cannot steal it. It is hid often from our own consciousness, and, when we think it gone and mourn our lack of feeling, we find that Christ is still there waiting till the eclipse is over to reveal Himself in unchanging love. The security of our life is not in our experience, but in Him. (A. B. Simpson. Christ in the Bible - Colossians)

T. R. Kelly has this devotional thought (entitled "Constant Presence") on a practical aspect of our lives being hidden with Christ in God

There is a way of life so hid with Christ in God that in the midst of the day's business one is inwardly lifting brief prayers, short sudden utterances of praise, subdued whispers of adoration and of tender love to the Beyond that is within. No one need know about it. I only speak to you because it is a sacred trust, not mine but to be given to others. One can live in a well-nigh continuous state of unworded prayer, directed toward God, directed toward people and enterprises we have on our heart. There is no hurry about it all; it is a life unspeakable and full of glory, an inner world of splendor within which we, unworthy may live. Some of you know it and live in it; others of you may wistfully long for it; it can be yours.

Larry Richards gives an interesting illustration of our new life with Christ:

In Tarpon Springs, a little city about 10 miles from where we live, one of the major occupations is sponge diving. The sponge diver puts a helmet on his head, drops into the water, and as he gathers sponges he breathes through air lines fed by pumps in a boat far above him. Without that connection to a source of life far above him, the diver would be unable to survive. Paul is telling us that we too live this life in a dangerous and deadly environment. But we too are connected to a source of life far above us. Whenever we feel down, or get discouraged, or feel endangered, we’re to fix our minds not on what surrounds us, but on what sustains us. The very life force of Jesus flows into and through us. Because we are connected to Him, we will not only survive. We will triumph. (Ro 8:37-note)

WITH CHRIST IN GOD: sun to Christo en to theo: (Jn 14:19, Php 4:7-note;1Jn 3:2) 

With is sun/syn which conveys the picture of intimate union, bringing out the truth that we are now in (new) covenant with Him and our oneness and identity with Christ.

A T Robertson adds that your life

remains concealed, locked “together with” (sun) Christ, “in” (en) God. No hellish burglar can break that combination.

Believers now share a common life with the Father and Son (cf 1Co 6:17) that by the precious and magnificent promises we might become “partakers of the divine nature” (2Pe 1:4-note). Furthermore our new life with Christ in God is concealed from the world and unbelievers are unable to grasp the full import of the believer’s new life (1Co 2:14). The true manifestation of the sons of God is yet to come in the next world, so that people cannot see what believers really are like (Ro 8:19-note, Ga 5:5, Php 3:20, 21-note; 1Jn 3:2-note)

 Wiersbe comments that

"While attending a convention in Washington, D.C., I watched a Senate committee hearing over television. I believe they were considering a new ambassador to the United Nations. The late Senator Hubert Humphrey was making a comment as I turned on the television set: “You must remember that in politics, how you stand depends on where you sit.” He was referring, of course, to the political party seating arrangement in the Senate, but I immediately applied it to my position in Christ. How I stand—and walk—depends on where I sit; and I am seated with Christ in the heavenlies! When the nation of Israel came to the border of the Promised Land, they refused to enter; and, because of their stubborn unbelief, they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years (Nu 13-14). That whole generation, starting with the twenty-year-olds, died in the wilderness, except for Caleb and Joshua, the only two spies who believed God. How were Caleb and Joshua able to “get the victory” during those forty difficult years in the wilderness? Their minds and hearts were in Canaan! They knew they had an inheritance coming, and they lived in the light of that inheritance. (cf Nu 14:23, 24 regarding Caleb)" (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)

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This verse reminds one of the beautiful phrase in the Song of Solomon and although I believe that it referred literally to a love relationship that Solomon was describing, by way of application, this phrase certainly would be applicable to all believers today...

"My Beloved is mine, and I am His!" Song 2:16

"I know," says the spouse (2Cor 11:2, Jn 3:29, Ep 5:31-note, Ep 5:32-note, Re 19:7, 8,9-note; Re 21:9-note), "that Jesus Christ  is mine! I can with the greatest confidence and boldness (He 4:16-note, He 10:19, 20, 21-note, He 10:22-note) affirm it. He is . . .

my Head,
my Husband,
my Lord,
my Redeemer,
my Justifier,
my Savior.

And I am His!

I am sure that I am His.
I am His by purchase;
I am His by conquest;
I am His by election;
I am His by covenant;
I am His by marriage;
I am wholly His;
I am specially His;
I am universally His;
I am eternally His!"

A well-grounded assurance (1Jn 5:13, 14, 15) will make a man . . .

patient in waiting,
courageous in doing,
cheerful in suffering.

It will make a heaven in a man's heart—on this side heaven; and make him go singing into paradise, despite all of life's calamities and miseries—as he realizes that he is . . .

everlastingly chosen and beloved of God,
that God's heart is set upon him,
that his name is written in the book of life,
that there is laid up for him a crown of righteousness,
and that nothing shall be able to separate him from
Him who is his light, his life, his crown, his all in all.

Ah, Christians! only remember what Christ has done for you, and what He is still a-doing for you in heaven (Heb 7:25-note, He 9:24-note, Ro 8:34-note, 1Jn 2:1, 2), and what He will do for you to all eternity (Ep 2:7-note)—and you will not be able to spend your days in whining and whimpering.

Christians, your mercies are greater than your miseries! One hour's being in the bosom of Christ, will recompense you for all your trouble and travail on earth! Why, then, do you spend more time in sighing, than in rejoicing?

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Safe in Christ - British clergyman F. B. Meyer wrote about two Germans who wanted to climb the Matterhorn. They hired three guides and began the steep and treacherous ascent. They roped themselves together in this order: guide, traveler, guide, traveler, guide.

They had gone only a little way when the last man lost his footing. He was held up by the other four, because each had a toehold in the niches they had cut in the ice. But then the next man slipped and pulled down the two above him. The only one to hold on was the first guide, who had driven a spike deep into the ice. Because he held on, all the men beneath him regained their footing.

Meyer concluded his story by drawing a spiritual application. He said, "I am like one of those men who slipped, but thank God, I am bound in a living partnership to Christ. And because He stands I will never perish."

All of us slip again and again as we walk the Christian pathway. But we are held securely by the Lord, and we can be restored to close fellowship with Him when we confess our sins (1 Jn. 1:9).

Yes, we are safe in Christ (Col. 3:3). We can have the confidence that He will keep us and bring us to our final destination. — Richard De Haan

Although we stumble every day,
The Lord is always there
To pick us up, forgive our sin,
And show His love and care. --Sper

Our salvation is secure
because God is doing the holding.

Torrey's Topic
Union With Christ

WHEN CHRIST {WHO IS} OUR LIFE IS REVEALED: hotan o Christos phanerothe (3SAPS), e zoe humon hotan ho Christos phanerôthêi (1APS): (Jn 11:25; 14:6; 14:19, 20:31; Ro 5:10, Ga 2:20;Php 1:21, 2Ti 1:1; 1Jo 1:1,2; 5:12; Rev 2:7; 22:1,14) (1Ti 6:14; 2Ti 4:8; Titus 2:13; Heb 9:28; 1Pet 5:4; 1John 2:28; 3:2)

"when the Christ (Messiah) --our life--may be manifested..." (Young's Literal)

CHRIST OUR LIFE
IS NOT A METAPHOR
BUT A REALITY!

John 11:25 Jesus said to her (Jn 11:24), “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,

Jn 14:6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

2 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus (Where is real life found? In what sphere? See in Christ;  in Christ Jesus;  in Christ -2)

1 John 1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—

1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

Christ (5547) (Christos from chrio = to anoint, rub with oil, consecrate to an office) is the Anointed One, the Messiah, Christos being the Greek equivalent of the transliterated Hebrew word Messiah, the One Who fulfills the expectation of Israel of a deliverer.

Christos in Colossians - Col 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:7, 1:24, 1:27, 1:28, 2:2, 2:5, 2:6, 2:8, 2:11, 2:17, 2:20, 3:1, 3:3, 3:4, 3:11, 3:13, 3:16, 3:24, 4:3, 4:12
 

The Christos was literally the one had been anointed, this anointing symbolizing his appointment to the task of fulfilling the role of the Messiah sent from God (eg, cp Ro 11:26-note)

Life (2222) (zoe [word study]) here refers to that supernatural life which includes a fullness of life which alone belongs to God the Giver of life and is available to His children now (Ro 6:4-note, Ep 4:18-note) forever, amen (Mk 10:30, Titus 1:2-note on Eternal Life).

The hidden life is not hidden forever. There shall be a glorious consummation at the manifestation of the Son. The writer of Hebrews expresses the aim of the Father as that of "bringing many sons to glory" (see note Hebrews 2:10).

“Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
 Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine”

Revealed (5319) (phaneroo [word study] from phanerós = manifest, visible, conspicuous from phaino = give light; become visible from phos = light) describes an external manifestation to the senses which is open to all. The idea is to make visible that which has been hidden and the primary reference is to what is visible to sensory perception. To cause to become visible, to make appear, to cause to be seen, uncover, lay bare, reveal.

Phaneroo is used 49 times in the NT - Mk 4:22; 16:12, 14; Jn 1:31; 2:11; 3:21; 7:4; 9:3; 17:6; 21:1, 14; Ro 1:19; 3:21; 16:26; 1Co. 4:5; 2Co. 2:14; 3:3; 4:10, 11; 5:10, 11; 7:12; 11:6; Eph. 5:13, 14; Col. 1:26; 3:4; 4:4; 1Ti 3:16; 2Ti 1:10; Titus 1:3; He 9:8, 26; 1Pe 1:20; 5:4; 1Jn. 1:2; 2:19, 28; 3:2, 5, 8; 4:9; Re 3:18; 15:4.
 

The point is that one day we will be seen externally as we really are & the lost world will see who we are in Christ for when we see Christ we shall be like Him. (1 John 3:2) This refers to Messiah's second coming, which in the meantime is to be earnestly expectantly looked for. The first "phase" of His return is what most evangelicals refer to as the 'Rapture" describe in (see notes on The Rapture - the Greek word harpazo) (See Table comparing Rapture vs Second Coming)

As the Bible Knowledge Commentary notes

Paul added a new direction to the believers’ focus of attention: they should look UPWARD to Christ’s reign over them in heaven and also FORWARD to His return for them in the clouds. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible knowledge commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books).

Who is - This phrase is added by translators. The literal reading of Christ our life is even better! Christ does not merely give life; He is life. We as His bride are to be so focused on His return to take us home to His Father's house that we are motivated to lay aside our old filthy fleshly garments and put on His robe of righteous acts (Col 3:5, 10, 12-see notes 3:5, 3:10, 3:12 for what those ''acts'' consist of...they in fact constitute our wedding gowns that we are in the process of making ready cf. Re 19:7-note). See John 1:4. The life is not only "with" Christ, it "is" Christ. For the change of person, "our" for "your" [Col 2:13-note] (See related topic in Christ and in Christ Jesus)

Wiersbe: “Eternal life is not some heavenly substance that God imparts when we, as sinners, trust the Saviour. Eternal life is Jesus Christ Himself.”

Wuest: “not just the Giver of our eternal life but the Essence of that life”

Eadie comments that Christ

"is our life, not simply because he reveals it, and He alone has “the words of eternal life;” nor yet because coming that we “might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly,” He “died that we might live,” and has given us this blessed pledge—“as I live, ye shall live also;” but specially, because by His Spirit, as His representative, He enters into the heart and gives it life—fans and fosters it by his continuous abode—gratifies all its instincts, and evokes all its susceptibilities by His word and His presence. “If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Eadie, John: Commentary on Paul's Epistle to the Colossians - Go to Page 207+ - 1884)

In his first epistle John affirms

"the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life." (1John 5:11, 12)

Many believe that Christ gave us life as one would put a living seed into a flower pot. The pot would hold a detached thing—life. But Christ is more than that. He Himself is in the believer. The life that is in Christ is in the believer. To show His love, Jesus died for us; to show our love, we should live for Him! If your life does not demonstrate this NEW LIFE IN CHRIST you have missed the whole point about what this new life is about.

As Wayne Barber emphasizes

"Living the Christ life is daily surrendering to His will and Word which allows us to enter into His divine enablement. I must decrease and He must increase. (John 3:30) As I am willing to deny self, and surrender to Him, He takes it from there and energizes my very being, empowering me to do what He has commanded me to do. (Php 1:21-note) " For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain".

The key to living the risen life is to have a life centered on Christ (see Guy King's illustration below). The Son, not this present world, is the center of the believer’s universe.

Oswald Chambers writes that...

"God nowhere tells us TO GIVE UP THINGS for the sake of giving them up; He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, viz. LIFE WITH HIMSELF."

Barclay adds that...

This is the kind of peak of devotion which we can only dimly understand and only haltingly and imperfectly express. Sometimes we say of a man, "Music is his life-Sport is his life-He lives for his work." Such a man finds life and all that it means in music, in sport, in work, as the case may be. For the Christian, Christ is his life. And here we come back to where this passage started-that is precisely why the Christian sets his mind and heart on the things which are above and not on the things of this world. He judges everything in the light of the Cross and in the light of the love which gave itself for him. In the light of that Cross the world's wealth and ambitions and activities are seen at their true value; and, the Christian is enabled to set his whole heart on the things which are above." (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press)

Guy King...

"Christ who is our life," (Col 3:4). Not only brings, or gives, but "is," in Himself.

(1) Its Entrance - "He that hath the Son hath [the] life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not [the] life," 1Jn 5:12. This latter has a physical life; but he has not "the" (Gk.) life, the spiritual life. He is our life.

(2) Its Continuance - "I give unto them eternal life" John 10:28. Being eternal it continues: it lasts because He lasts.

(3) Its Abundance - "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly". Jn 10:10. There is a world of difference between the two qualities. The hospital patient in that bed, only just alive - like some Christians, who, while having life, because they have Him, are only just Christians. they haven't grown. The hospital nurse bustling about the ward, full of life - that is the kind of Christian we are meant to be.

(4) Its Influence - "By reason of him [Lazarus] many . . . believed on Jesus," John 12:11. His new life, because of the Saviour, made this man a real advertisement for the Master, and enabled him to wield a powerful influence for Him on others.

(5) Its Fragrance - "He could not be hid," Mark 7:24. If He be in our heart and life in any effective degree, the fact is sure to be noticed. A friend of mine speaks of having met one day a lot of girls emerging from a factory for their lunch break. He says that they carried a most attractive aroma. As he then passed the ga e he saw that it was a scent factory. Just so is it that if our life is "hid" in Him, something of His fragrance will be upon us - "the savour of life," 2Corinthians 2:16 calls it.

I fancy it is true that fragrance comes from sacrifice. Anyhow, that was so when "the house was filled with the odour of the ointment," John 12:3. When the box was broken, the fragrance was released.

Certainly it is true that when the self is broken, the savour of CHRIST is known - "not I, but Christ," Galatians 2:20. Well, all this that we have been saying is to emphasize the blessed truth that CHRIST Himself is the Living Centre of the resurrection life. Is He, then, the real centre of our life?

We are all aware of the teachings of old astronomers concerning our planetary universe. Ptolemy was the first in the field (A.D. 127-51), one of the most eminent of the scientific men of the ancient world. He taught that our earth was the centre of the universe, and that all else revolved around it. How grand to think of ourselves as the hub of the universe! It took something like thirteen hundred years to dispel the illusion. Copernicus (A.D. 1473-1543) demonstrated that the sun was the centre, with the earth and all else revolving around it. I wonder if we have changed our life's centre? Because we begin by giving self that position - everything turns round ourselves: what we wish, we think, we propose. It often takes a long time for us to see the falsity, and futility, of the idea that this self, this bit of earth is the hub. It is a happy moment when we alter the outlook, and recognise "the Sun of Righteousness," Malachi 4:2, as our new Centre. Thenceforward, every aspect of life rotates round Him. Such, then, is the resurrection life of Full Salvation. (Colossians 3:1-4 His Encouragement of Ambition)

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C H Spurgeon's Devotional from Morning and Evening, August 10, AM...

CHRIST
WHO IS OUR LIFE

"Paul's marvelously rich expression indicates, that Christ is the source of our life. "You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." That same voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb (Jn 11:43) raised us to newness of life (Ro 6:4, 11-see notes Ro 6:4,11). He is now the Substance of our spiritual life. It is by His life that we live; He is in us, the hope of glory (Col 1:27-note), the spring of our actions, the central thought which moves every other thought.  Christ is the Sustenance of our life. What can the Christian feed upon but Jesus' flesh and blood? "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die." (Jn 6:50, cf 6:33) O way worn pilgrims (Heb 11:13-note, 1Pe 2:11-note both KJV) in this wilderness of sin, you never get a morsel to satisfy the hunger of your spirits, except ye find it in Him! (cf Mt 5:6-note) Christ is the Solace of our life. All our true joys come from Him; and in times of trouble, His presence is our consolation (He 13:5,6-see notes 13:5; 13:6). There is nothing worth living for but Him; and His lovingkindness is better than life!  (Ps 63:3 - note) Christ is the Object of our life. As speeds the ship towards the port, so hastes the believer towards the haven of his Saviour's bosom. As flies the arrow to its goal, so flies the Christian towards the perfecting of his fellowship with Christ Jesus (Php 3:10,11-note v10; v11). As the soldier fights for his captain, and is crowned in his captain's victory, so the believer contends for Christ, and gets his triumph out of the triumphs of his Master. "For him to live is Christ." (Php 1:21-note and Spurgeon's Devotional) Christ is the Exemplar (one that serves as a model for another) of our life. Where there is the same life within, there will, there must be, to a great extent, the same developments without; and if we live in near fellowship with the Lord Jesus we shall grow like Him. We shall set Him before us as our Divine copy, and we shall seek to tread in His footsteps (1Pe 2:21-note), until He shall become the crown of our life in glory. Oh! how safe, how honored, how happy is the Christian, since Christ is our life!"

THEN YOU ALSO (WITH HIM) WILL BE REVEALED IN GLORY: kai humeis sun autôi: phanerôthêsesthe (FPI) en doxêi: (Ps 17:15; 73:24; Isa 25:8,9; Mt 13:43; Jn 6:39,40; 14:3; 17:24;Ro 5:2, Ro 8:18,24-25, 1Cor 15:43; 2Cor 4:17; Php 3:21; 1Thes 4:17; 2Thes 1:10-12; Titus 2:13,1Pet 5:10, Jude 1:24)

David prophesied of this "glory" writing...

As for me, I shall behold Thy face (which is "glory") in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Thy likeness (which is "glory") when I awake. (Ps 17:15 -Spurgeon's note)

Asaph wrote

With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. (Ps 73:24, Spurgeon's note)

Isaiah spoke of this glorious day writing that God...

will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for Whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation." (Isa 25:8,9)

Jesus declared that at His Second Coming...

Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Mt 13:43)
 

In a sense the fulfillment of this verse in Colossians is an answer to Jesus' prayer...

Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24)

Paul explaining how this glory is now possible for believers concludes

Therefore having been justified (declared righteous) by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand (perfect tense = speaks of the permanence = another verse refuting the idea one can lose genuine salvation); and we exult in hope of the glory of God. (see note Romans 5:1-2)
 

Paul described that our body...

is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power (1Cor 15:43)
 

This certainty of future glory should encourage saints to remain steadfast in afflictions...

For momentary (in the context of eternity), light affliction is producing (Is achieving or working out in each of us to completion) for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2Cor 4:17-18)

Writing to the saints at Philippi Paul reiterates the truth of our future glory explaining to strangers and aliens on earth that...

our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (see note Philippians 3:20-21)

Revealed (5319) (phaneroo see note above) means to be manifested or revealed as to one's true character.
 

That is the joy of this blessed hope (see notes on the "Blessed Hope" = Titus 2:13,14, 15 -see notes 2:13; 14; 15; see study The Blessed Hope). For this the called (see note on "the called") are kept (Jude1:1) and though the adversaries and difficulties are many, “Faithful is He Who calls” (1Th 5:24-note). Our calling is accompanied with a great hope (Ep 4:4-note). Those that experience the call not only partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification in this life, but when Christ who is their life shall appear, they shall also appear with Him in glory.

John Eadie explains our "revelation" this way

"When it is said—Christ our life shall appear, the meaning is, that He shall appear in the character of our life. In this peculiar aspect of His operation shall He make Himself manifest. To appear as our life, implies our relation to Him as His living ones; and the unveiling of the Fountain shall allow the eye to discover the myriads of rivulets which issue out of it; or, as our life is hid with Christ, so, when Christ comes out of His hiding-place, our life shall accompany Him into openness and light. Nay more, as our life, He appears to perfect it, and to give it fulness and finality of development. At present it is checked by a variety of causes. It exists in a body “dead because of sin,” (Ep 2:1-note) and it feels the chill of a mortality that so closely envelops it. The distance, too, implied in the fact—that it is hidden with Christ in God—keeps it from its perfect strength, and induces occasional debility and lassitude; but the revelation of Christ brings it into nearness and vigour. Nay more, at that period, the body is to be brought into harmony with it, and mortality shall be swallowed up of life. For He who is our life shall diffuse life through us—change our vile body, and fashion it like unto His own glorious body. (Php 3:21-note) The physical frame then to be raised, spiritualized, and imbued with life, shall be a fit receptacle for the living soul within it, which shall then indulge its tastes without hindrance, feeling no barrier to activity in any of its occupations—no stint to capacity in any of its enjoyments.

Eadie continues, explaining that the phrase in glory means...

It is here the result of life— vita gloriosa , of life in its highest form and fullest manifestation — life diffused through “spirit, soul, and body.” Nor is our appearance in glory with Christ a momentary gleam; it is rather the first burst of unending splendour. And it has, or shall have, for its elements— final freedom from the sins and sorrows of earth; perfect holiness beyond the possibility of loss, with unmingled felicity beyond the reach of forfeit; an endless abode in heaven, and in the brightest province of it; the rapturous adoration of God, and unbroken fellowship with Christ; the exalted companionship of angels and genial spirits of human kindred; and the successful pursuit of Divine knowledge in a realm where no shadow ever falls, but where is chanted the high halleluiah, welling out of the consciousness that all this ecstasy is of sovereign grace, ay, all of it sealed to us for eternity, in connection with Christ our life. (Eadie, John: Commentary on Paul's Epistle to the Colossians - Download 377 page Pdf - 1884)

Life with Christ is an endless hope,
Without Him a hopeless end.

Then we will be manifested is to be revealed in one's true character. Paul’s teaching is that when Christ is thus manifested, believers also “will appear with him in glory.” “The veil which now shrouds your higher life from others, and even partly from yourselves, will be withdrawn. The world which persecutes, despises, ignores now, will then be blinded with the dazzling glory of the revelation” (Lightfoot).

Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thyself rely;
And let me ne'er my trust betray,
But press to realms on high.
                                   --Wesley

Paul could think more deeply than any man who ever tried to express the Christian faith; he could travel along uncharted pathways of thought; he could scale the heights of the human mind, where even the best equipped theologian finds it hard to follow him; but always at the end of his letters he turns to the practical consequences of it all. He always ends with an uncompromising and crystal clear statement of the ethical demands of Christianity in the situation in which his friends are at the moment.

Lewis Johnson sums up this section beautifully

"There have been many attempts to describe heaven, but it, of course, is indescribable. The fact that it is a place is clear, but otherwise it is for the most part beyond us. Most of the Biblical statements about it are couched in negatives; it is not like things down here. For the believer the fundamental aspects of it are expressed in two simple phrases: “like Him” and “with Him.” Having these assurances, we are content to wait patiently for the complete manifestation. In the meantime, let us in the power of grace seek and set our affection on the things above and live in the power of the hidden life we have. The taboos are taboo!"

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WE WERE THERE! - Christa McAuliffe was one of the seven astronauts who lost their lives in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. She had been selected from among many applicants to be the first teacher in space. Her commitment to education and the space program had captured the imagination of many. At a memorial service, one teacher said, "When Christa stepped onto that shuttle, we stepped on with her. And when she died, a part of us died too."

These comments about Christa remind me of a much deeper identification—the believer's spiritual union with Christ. Because of our relationship to Him, we can say, "When He was lifted up on that cross, we were there with Him. When He died, we died!" The apostle Paul said that we died with Christ (Col 2:20, 3:3-see notes 2:20; 3:3), and we were also raised with Him (Col 3:1-note). Therefore, in Him we are accepted and forgiven by God (Ep 1:6, 7-notes 1:6; 1:7).

What remains to be seen is whether our lives show that we really do believe we were united with Christ in His death and resurrection. Our confession of faith must be more than a memorial statement. It must show that we have put away our old life of sin and have set our mind on things above. —M R De Haan II  (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

I have been to the cross where my Savior died,
And all my life is made new—
In the person of Him I am crucified;
I have been to the cross—have you? —Anon.

To show His love, Jesus died for us;
To show our love, we must live for Him!

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The Eagle - The Scottish preacher John McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so it couldn’t fly, and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It wasn’t long till the eagle began to act like the chickens, scratching and pecking at the ground. This bird that once soared high in the heavens seemed satisfied to live the barnyard life of the lowly hen. One day the farmer was visited by a shepherd who came down from the mountains where the eagles lived. Seeing the eagle, the shepherd said to the farmer, “What a shame to keep that bird hobbled here in your barnyard! Why don’t you let it go?” The farmer agreed, so they cut off the restraint. But the eagle continued to wander around, scratching and pecking as before. The shepherd picked it up and set it on a high stone wall. For the first time in months, the eagle saw the grand expanse of blue sky and the glowing sun. Then it spread its wings and with a leap soared off into a tremendous spiral flight, up and up and up. At last it was acting like an eagle again. Perhaps you have let yourself be comfortable in the barnyard of the world—refusing to claim your lofty position as God’s child. He wants you to live in a higher realm. Confess your sins, and “seek those things which are above.” You will soon be longing to rise above the mundane things of this world. Like the eagle, it’s not too late to soar to greater heights again." (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

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HAPPY ENDING - When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. --Colossians 3:4

By the end of his life, musician Giuseppe Verdi was recognized as a master of dramatic composition. But he didn't begin his career with such success. As a youth, he had obvious musical ability, but he was denied entrance to the Milan Conservatory because he lacked the required education and background. Yet time does strange things. After Verdi's fame had spread worldwide, the school was renamed the Verdi Conservatory of Music.

Verdi's experience reminds me of the experience of our Lord and of all who trust in Him. The Son of God was rejected by His countrymen because they didn't feel He had adequate training or the right family background (Mt. 13:53-58). Even though Jesus spoke the truth in a powerful, irrefutable way, and even though His works spoke for themselves, He did not receive the recognition He deserved. Yet someday everyone will bow before Him and give Him the honor due His name (Phil. 2:9, 10, 11).

We who have put our faith in Christ as our personal Savior will have a part in that great day, for He plans to share the honor with us (Ep 1:18; 2Ti 2:12; Re 22:5). Even though our beginnings may seem insignificant, we can look forward to a glorious, happy ending. --M R De Haan II

My Father's own Son, the Savior of men,
Once wandered o'er earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is reigning forever on high,
And will give me a home in heaven by and by. --Buell

All that we long to become
will find fulfillment when we see Jesus.