Today we looked at Colossians 3:1-4 and the fact that God’s people are described as ‘hidden with Christ in God.’ The identification between the Christian and Christ is so strong that only Christ is visible. We are “hidden with Christ in God” through the work of the Holy Spirit, who baptises all believers into one body—the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–13). At salvation, we essentially step into Christ, being buried with Him through baptism and raised to life because of His resurrection (see Romans 6:4-7).
This identification with Christ (see also Gal 2:20) is not mere imagination, but is a work that God does in us. It is largely invisible, but Paul urges us to set our minds and hearts on things above, harnessing our thoughts and feelings so that they are aligned with God’s word. God’s word acts as the correcting lens to our thoughts and feelings, realigning us with the reality of His truths. Instead of us being influenced and directed by all we see and hear around us, instead of being swept along by wrong thinking or damaging emotions, God’s word realigns us with truth so that we can see life from His perspective. As we fix our minds and hearts on things above, we see Christ, seated at the right hand of God. (Col 3:1) We see God as King, as ruler, as the sovereign maker of heaven and earth. We see history as His story; we understand the significance of the cross; we see God’s power displayed in the resurrection. We begin to take God seriously, and as a result, our lives are changed.
Being with Christ in God gives us security, a safe refuge (see Ps 17:8, Ps 143:9, Ps 91). We are thus able to live without fear and anxiety, for we know God is in control. This means we are strengthened in our ‘inner being’ (see Eph 3) and are given an eternal perspective that is able to take the ‘long view’ of life (which includes glory to come.)
This identity leads to a changed priority (with God as the central importance in life), a changed practice (developed through personal prayer times, as Jesus modelled for us) and a changed perspective. We wait for our ultimate transformation (see also 1 John 3:1-3, 1 Cor 13), knowing that God is at work in all His people.
Our identity as the people of God is shaped by God, by what He has done for us in Christ, and by what He is still doing for us, a transformation that is ongoing and largely invisible. By faith we believe that we have been raised with Christ, that we have died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. Our response is to set our hearts on things above, to set our minds on things above, to live with the daily expectation of Christ’s appearing and to hold on to hope, no matter what our physical eyes may see or our human emotions may feel. Just as so much of what we experience daily is invisible but still real – who can see the wind? – so God’s truths are real, even if invisible. Let’s do our part by looking up! As The Message version puts it, ‘Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.’ (Col 3:2)