Colossians: Alive In Christ Ihe Atụ

As believers we have two lives: an outward life and a secret life. The outward life is our life in this world – our relationships, our jobs, our circumstances. This is what people call our ‘normal’ life. The secret life, though, is what we have through Jesus Christ (v. 3). It’s a secret life because it’s hidden and invisible at the moment, but it’s the life we get through being united to Christ. (The phrase ‘with Christ’ is mentioned twice in these verses.) In fact, we’re so closely united to him that Paul can say that we’ve died and been raised with Christ (v. 3 and v. 1). We’ve become new people with a new life. Our outward, ‘normal’ life will one day come to an end, but our secret life with Christ will go on forever. The full glory of this secret life will be revealed when Jesus comes back (v. 4).  

Given that we have this new, secret life, Paul commands us to seek it and set our minds on it (vv. 1–2). Notice how realistic he is about us – he knows that the concerns of our outward lives tend to crowd out the hidden life we have in Christ. Amazing as our privileges are, there are a thousand distractions, subtle comforts and sins that pull us away from him. So, we must be disciplined to seek this life and focus our minds on it. The original wording points to this being a regular, ongoing thing. We must continually seek the life above with Jesus Christ, or we’ll be drawn away. 

The Scripture is saying to us here: be what you have become in Christ! You’ve gained a new life, now live that out. You’ve been raised, so think about where you belong. Let your life today be shaped not by your circumstances or the opinions of others but by your hidden life in Christ. 

Reflection

1. How does your new life in Christ reshape how you look at your outward life?

2. Are there any routines or habits you could develop that might help you to refocus regularly on the life that you have in Christ?