Christ Preeminence is Detailed to the Colossians Volume 26

Paul Reminds the Colossian Believers that Christ is their Life

Colossians 3:3-4 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. KJV

Now the Apostle Paul gives the reason for wanting and deeply desiring these Colossian believers and we believers today to spend our time setting our affections on heaven and not on this temporary, fading away earthly life by saying, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:4) (KJV). What does Paul mean by telling men and women, boys and girls who were definately physically alive and breathing that they were 'dead'? The English phrase 'ye are dead' Paul uses here is translated by one Greek word apothnesko meaning here figuratively to be off of or removed away from something near; it is a sign or indication of something being slain; likewise it denotes seperation from something. In other words, Paul is declaring here to these Colossian Christians and we Christians today and of every generation past, present, and future that we have be removed from the world being our biggest influence and motivator or we have been seperated from pleasing the world and its clouded, crooked, and corrupt system of business and operation. The world's system set up by Satan and run by him says do whatever and hurt whomever to get all you can and all you want by any means necessary, for it will satisfy you and last forever, however, now these Colossian believers and we believers today have died to this philosophy and way of living.

We find this so elequently detailed for us in this account our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ gave of a certain man who followed the world's system, "Someone from the crowd said to Him, Master, order my brother to divide the inheritance {and} share it with me. But He told him, 'Man, who has appointed Me a judge or umpire {and} divider over you?' And He said to them, 'Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man's life does not consist in {and} is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance {or} that which is over and above his needs.' Then He told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man was fertile {and} yielded plentifully. And he considered {and} debated within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together my harvest. And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain {or produce} and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, {and} enjoy yourself merrily. But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is with the one who continues to lay up {and} hoard possessions for himself and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares].'" (Luke 12:13-21) (Amplified Bible).

Now that Jesus Christ has manifested Himself in the flesh and suffered, bled, and died for our sins on the Cross @ Calvary, we now 'in Him' have died to this worldly system and our new resurrected life from spiritrual death is hidden 'in Him' and this English phrase 'is hid' Paul uses here is translated by one Greek word krupto which is a primary verb meaning to conceal (properly by covering): - hide (self), keep secret, secret [-ly]. In other words, this new spiritual resurrection life we have is not only given to us from our Lord Jesus Christ, but it is concealed, covered, and consist in Him, therefore making it completely impenetrable by the devil and his principalities and powers or the human instruments or as I like to refer to them as the two-legged devils all about and around us as we sojourn here away from our heavenly home on the earth as our Lord Jesus Himself said with these words, "The sheep that are My own hear {and} are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it {or} perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater {and} mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are One." (John 10:27-30) (Amplified Bible).

Also as the Apostle Paul spoke of this same concept when he said these words to Brother Timothy, "And this is why I am suffering as I do. Still I am not ashamed, for I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on), and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guard {and} keep that which has been entrusted to me {and} which I have committed [to Him] until that day." (2 Timothy 1:12) (Amplified Bible) and also as the Apostle John wrote with these words, "Beloved, we are [even here and] now God's children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes {and} is manifested, we shall [as God's children] resemble {and} be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is." (1 John 3:2) (Amplified Bible). Paul now declares that although this new resurrected spiritual life given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ is hid 'in Him' and with Him, He is going to manifest or reveal His Glory to the entire world one day and likewise at that time will our complete glory be also revealed for all to see as Paul says with these words, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:4) (KJV). The key word in this verse is the English word 'appear' and it is translated by the Greek word phaneroo meaning to render apparent (literally or figuratively): - appear, manifestly declare, (make) manifest (forth), shew (self). In other words, when our Lord Jesus Christ raptures us up in the clouds to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17) then we will be instantly and immediately glorified eternally and that Eternal Glory that we have now hidden in us and in Him will be revealed in our permanent Glorified bodies.

And it will be just like His as He prayed these words as recorded for us by the Apostle John, "I have given to them the glory {and} honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one {and} perfectly united, that the world may know {and} [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You have entrusted to Me [as Your gift to Me] may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me [Your love gift to Me]; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." (John 17:22-24) (Amplified Bible) and also as this same Apostle Paul wrote with these words to the Roman believers, "[But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us {and} in us {and} for us {and} conferred on us! For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly {and} longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship]." (Romans 8:18-19) (Amplified Bible) and finally also again as this same Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian believers with these words, "But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we earnestly {and} patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior, Who will transform {and} fashion anew the body of our humiliation to conform to {and} be like the body of His glory {and} majesty, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself." (Philippians 3:20-21) (Amplified Bible).

"As yet Christians do not always recognize the 'life' of one another, so hidden is it, and even at times doubt as to their own life, so weak is it, and so harassed with temptations (Psa_51:1-19; Rom_7:1-25). in God — to whom Christ has ascended. Our 'life' is 'laid up for' us in God (Col_1:5), and is secured by the decree of Him who is invisible to the world (2Ti_4:8)." JFB Commentary

"The language here is taken probably from treasure which is 'hid' or concealed in a place of security; and the idea is, that eternal life is an invaluable jewel or treasure, which is laid up with Christ in heaven where God is. There it is safely deposited. It has this security, that it is with the Redeemer, and that He is in the presence of God; and thus nothing can reach it or take it away. It is not left with us, or intrusted to our keeping - for then it might be lost as we might lose an invaluable jewel; or it might be wrested from us; or we might be defrauded of it; but it is now laid up far out of our sight, and far from the reach of all our enemies, and with one who can 'keep that which we have committed to Him against that day;' 2 Timothy 1:12. Our eternal life, therefore, is as secure as it could possibly be made. The true condition of the Christian is, that he is 'dead' to this world, but that he has immortal life in prospect, and that is secure, being in the holy keeping of his Redeemer, now in the presence of God. From this it follows that he should regard himself as living for heaven." Albert Barnes

"We cannot make too much of 'Christ our sacrifice,' but some of us make too little of 'Christ our life,' and thereby fail to understand in all its fullness that other truth on which they fasten so exclusively. Union with Christ in the possession of His life in us, and the consequent rooting of our lives in Him, is a truth which much of the evangelical Christianity of this day needs to see more clearly. The life is 'hid,' as being united with Jesus, and consequently withdrawn from the world, which neither comprehends nor sustains it. A Christian man is bound to manifest to the utmost of his power what is the motive and aim of his life; but the devout life is, like the divine life, a mystery, unrevealed after all revelation. The practical conclusion from this blessed union with Jesus is that we are, as Christians, bound to be true in our conduct to the facts of our spiritual life, and to turn away from the world, which is now not our home, and set our mind (not only our 'affections') on things above. Surely the Christ, 'seated on the right hand of God,' will be as a magnet to draw our conscious being upwards to Himself. Surely union with Him in His death will lead us to die to the world which is alien to us, and to live in aspiration, thought, desire, love, and obedience with Him in His calm abode, whence He rules and blesses the souls whom, through their faith, He has made to live the new life of heaven on earth." Alexander MacLaren

"The resurrected life that we have been given by our Lord Jesus Christ is not entirely hidden from us (but from the rest of the world), for we see internally the changes that have manifested or evidenced by our changes in thinking, doing, and our attitudes towards certain issues that are seen as controversial, for example one big one for me was the use of profanity, before Christ I saw nothing wrong with me speaking such words often and even all the time, now it makes me cringe and feel creepy when these words come out of my mouth or even when I hear them spoken, for our Lord Jesus said this of the words spoken by men, 'The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.' (Luke 6:45) (Amplified Bible), also my thoughts on abortion before Christ were simple then and that was a women should be able to do with here own body whatever she felt best for her, but now I see and know that human life begins at the very moment of conception, that is, this new unique individual soul formed by God the Father as He spoke of the Prophet Jeremiah with these words, 'Then the word of the Lord came to me [Jeremiah], saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated {and} set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.' (Jeremiah 1:4-5) (Amplified Bible), so then abortion done for any reason other than to save the Mother's life is the murdering of human life according to God the Father." Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…