Your Life Is Hidden Text: Colossians 3:1-4
Introduction: A Crisis of Location
We live in a frantic and disoriented age. Modern man is desperately trying to find himself. He looks for his identity in his sexuality, in his politics, in his career, in his ethnic grievances, or in the murky depths of his own psychological swamp. He is told to "look within," to "discover his truth," to "be authentic." This is the great spiritual project of our time, and it is a ruinous fool's errand. It is like trying to find your car keys by looking for them in a bowl of soup. The reason modern man cannot find himself is that he is looking in the wrong place. More than that, he is looking for the wrong thing. He is looking for a man who is, in fact, dead.
The Apostle Paul, in this majestic passage, does not offer us a better technique for self-discovery. He does not give us seven steps to a more authentic you. He informs us, in the most straightforward terms, that our search is over because the man we are looking for has been executed. And in his place, a new man has been raised, and his life is no longer located on earth. It has been relocated. It has been transferred to the safest place in the universe.
This passage is not a gentle suggestion to be a bit more spiritual. It is a radical reorientation of our entire existence. It follows Paul's demolition work in chapter 2, where he tore down the "elemental principles of the world," the hollow and deceptive philosophies, the legalistic regulations, and the worship of angels. Having cleared the ground of all that rubbish, he now begins to build. And the foundation of all Christian living, the absolute starting point, is a matter of geography. It is a matter of knowing where you are. If you get your location wrong, everything else will be wrong. The "therefore" in verse one is the hinge on which everything turns. Because of Christ's total victory and sufficiency, this is the logical, necessary, and glorious consequence.
The Text
Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you died and your life has been hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.
(Colossians 3:1-4 LSB)
The Premise and the Pursuit (v. 1)
Paul begins with a foundational reality and the command that flows from it.
"Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." (Colossians 3:1)
The "if" here is not an "if" of doubt, but an "if" of settled assumption. Paul is saying, "Given the fact that this is true of you..." What is true? That you "have been raised up with Christ." This is in the aorist tense in Greek, indicating a past, completed event. This is not something you are trying to do; it is something that has been done to you. When you were united to Christ by faith, you were united to Him in His resurrection (Col. 2:12). Your old life ended at His tomb, and your new life began when He walked out of it. This is a judicial fact, a spiritual reality more real than the chair you are sitting on. You are a resurrected person, walking around in a world of dead men.
Because this is true, what is the logical imperative? "Keep seeking the things above." The verb is a present active imperative, meaning this is to be the continuous, habitual practice of your life. It is your new instinct. A resurrected man should not be found grubbing in the dirt for worms. He should be looking up. And this is not a vague, mystical quest. It is a targeted search. We are to seek "where Christ is." Our spiritual GPS is locked onto a Person. And where is He? "Seated at the right hand of God."
This is crucial. Christ is not in heaven anxiously pacing, wondering how His project on earth is going to turn out. He is "seated." His work of redemption is finished. And He is seated at the "right hand of God," the position of supreme authority and sovereign power over the entire cosmos. He is running the universe from that chair. So, to "seek the things above" is not to escape the world, but to get your orders for the world from the One who is running it. It is to align your life, your prayers, and your ambitions with the realities of His victorious reign.
The Mental Orientation (v. 2)
The external pursuit is driven by an internal mindset.
"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2 LSB)
This command clarifies the previous one. To seek the things above requires you to "set your mind" on them. This is a deliberate act of the will. It means to fix your thinking, your worldview, your affections, and your values on heaven's realities. It is the internal discipline that fuels the external pursuit. You cannot seek what you do not think about.
Paul places this in sharp contrast: "not on the things that are on earth." He does not mean we should ignore our jobs, our families, or the physical world. God made the earth and called it good. The "things on earth" here refers to the earth-bound philosophies and values he just dismantled in chapter 2. It means a life lived "under the sun," as Ecclesiastes puts it. It is a mindset that sees this world as all there is, that defines success in purely material terms, that seeks approval from men, and that operates according to the world's power games and anxieties. The Christian is to have his head in the heavens so that his hands can be of any real use on earth. We are to interpret all of earthly life, from politics to plumbing, through the grid of Christ's throne room.
The Hidden Reality (v. 3)
Paul now gives the profound reason why our minds must be set on things above. It is a simple matter of location. That is where our life is.
"For you died and your life has been hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3 LSB)
Here is the obituary notice for your old self. "For you died." Past tense. Finished. The person you were in Adam, the person defined by sin and the law, the person who was trying to justify himself, has been crucified with Christ. To continue to live as though that person is still in charge is to live as a ghost. It is to be haunted by a dead man.
And what happened to your new life? It "has been hidden with Christ in God." Your true identity, your eternal life, is not on public display. It is not available for inspection by the world, or even by you. It is "hidden." It is concealed, protected, and kept in perfect security. Where is this vault? Your life is hidden "with Christ." He is its guardian. And He, in turn, is "in God." Your life is locked away in the safest place in existence: the very being of the Triune God. No demon can pry it open. No worldly philosophy can corrupt it. No failure on your part can cause you to lose it. Your identity is not a fragile thing you must protect; it is a hidden thing that God is protecting for you. This is the bedrock of our assurance.
The Future Unveiling (v. 4)
The life that is now hidden will not be hidden forever. There is a day of revelation coming.
"When Christ, who is our life, is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:4 LSB)
Paul makes the connection explicit: "Christ, who is our life." Your life is not a principle, a force, or an experience. Your life is a Person. Jesus Christ is not an addition to your life; He IS your life. This is the end of all autonomous self-creation.
One day, this Christ "is manifested." The word means to be revealed, to be made visible. This refers to His second coming, when He will return not as a humble servant, but as the conquering King. The whole world will see Him for who He is.
And on that day, the great secret will be out. "Then you also will be manifested with Him in glory." The day Christ is revealed is the day we are revealed. The world, which now scoffs at us, misunderstands us, and dismisses us, will see us for who we truly are: sons of God, joint-heirs with Christ, sharing in His very own glory. The life that was hidden will be put on glorious display. This is our great hope. We are not living for the applause of this age, but for the "well done" of the age to come. We are living for the day of manifestation.
Conclusion: Living from Heaven
So what does this mean for us on a Tuesday morning? It means everything. It means you must stop trying to find your life down here. Stop looking for ultimate meaning in your job, your marriage, your kids, or your political party. Those are all good things, but they are terrible gods. They cannot bear the weight of your worship.
Your life is not here. It is hidden with Christ in God. Therefore, you are free. You are free from the need to impress people. You are free from the fear of failure. You are free from the anxiety of having to carve out an identity for yourself. Your identity is settled. You are dead, and Christ is your life.
To seek the things above is to live out this reality. It is to read God's Word as a letter from your King. It is to pray as one who has access to the throne of grace. It is to worship with the saints as a citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem. And it is to go about your earthly tasks, changing diapers, writing code, or balancing budgets, as an ambassador of the reigning Christ, bringing His heavenly order to bear on your little patch of His earth.
This is not a call to be so heavenly-minded that you are no earthly good. It is a call to be so heavenly-minded that you are the only one who is any earthly good. Because you are not fighting for a victory that is in doubt. You are living out a victory that has already been won. Your King is seated. You have been raised. Your life is hidden. And glory is coming.