Three truths are found in our passage for today. We have died with Christ, our life is hidden with Christ, and we will be revealed with Him. Like three prongs on an anchor, they secure us to the Rock. Let’s look at each of these.

We have died with Christ. This is a recurring theme with the apostle Paul. Not only is he building on the truth of Colossians 2:20-23 and our freedom from man-made rituals, but this truth forms the critical link in his teaching on sanctification in Romans. “Our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin … if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, … consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:6, 8, 11). Sanctification begins with our spiritual death. Obviously Paul is speaking figuratively and spiritually here, but the imagery is powerful and conveys an enormous truth. We have spiritually died with Christ, when He died physically on the cross. God wants us to “set your minds on things above …” (Col 3:2), namely, that from the spiritual perspective (“above”) we are dead.

The second truth, our life is hidden with Christ in God, is equally important. Remember the Colossians were being tempted toward the Gnostic way of thinking, that certain mysteries lay hidden to all but the elite, the spiritually initiated. However, as believers in Christ, we ourselves are hidden with Christ. We have already been initiated, through His death, into the mysteries of God, namely, that He has reconciled the church to Himself, regardless of whether Jew or Gentile. We are in Him, a new person, a collective whole, and not just certain “enlightened” ones. Since Christ is raised from the dead, we are not just spiritually dead to the world and sin, but we are alive in Him. Paul intoned this when he wrote, “Christ, who is our life” (vs. 4a). This new life will never end, since it is a raised life.

Finally, Paul explains that while our life in Christ may not be fully recognized here on earth, there is coming a time when Christ Himself will be revealed to all the world. It will be seen at that time that we believers have the “inside” relationship with Him, we are part of the inner circle of fellowship, we are in fact the true initiates. We take a backseat to no one in terms of knowing God. What a privilege we have in being hidden in Him with a glory that is to be revealed when He returns.