From Colossians: The Hidden Life with Christ in God
Orientation
The desire to be godly through our own effort is a subtle deception that redirects our gaze from Christ to ourselves.
- Self-driven striving for Christlikeness is a trap, not a noble pursuit.
- It makes us susceptible to teachings focused on earthly performance and religious ordinances.
- This pattern mirrors Adam and Eve seeking through effort what they already possessed in God's image.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
— Colossians 2:8
Clarification
Godliness is not ethical behavior or external conformity, but the person of Christ being manifested in the believer.
- Superficial Christian ethics produce outwardly respectable but inwardly self-indulgent lives.
- The genuine Christian life is marked by fellowship with Jesus, thanksgiving, peace, and love for fellow believers.
- This love recognizes fellow believers by their testimony of grace and the blood of Christ, not by moral perfection.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)
— Philippians 1:21
Structure
The Christian life is the manifestation of Christ Himself within believers, who are already complete in Him through spiritual death and resurrection.
- Believers have been crucified and raised with Christ; their life is now hidden with Christ in God.
- We are called to set our affections on this heavenly reality, not on earthly efforts.
- When Christ appears, we will be manifested with Him in glory, fulfilling the mystery of godliness.
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. (Colossians 3:3-4)
— Colossians 3:3-4
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core assertion is that the Christian life is not achieved but manifested. It is Christ as our life (Colossians 3:4). This truth dismantles the system of self-effort, which Paul categorizes as ‘vain deceit’ and ‘traditions of men’ (Colossians 2:8). These deceptive teachings focus the believer on the ‘things on the earth’—religious performance, ethical self-improvement, and external conformity. This is the way of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, an attempt to obtain by effort what is already possessed in Christ. The Pauline solution is the ‘circumcision of Christ’ (Colossians 2:11), which is the putting off of the body of the flesh—the weakening of our natural, religious strength, as seen in God’s dealing with Jacob. This is not a process we perform, but a reality we acknowledge: we are risen with Christ (Colossians 3:1). Our rule of life is our union with Him in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:5-14; Galatians 2:20), not outward commands. Any teaching that redirects the believer to their own effort for godliness nullifies the finished work of Christ and returns them to a system of works.
Integration
Your life is hidden with Christ in God. This is your present, secure, and complete reality. There is no pressure to advance or strive to become something you are not. Christ is your life. The manifestation of godliness is not your project; it is His person being expressed in you. Rest in this. Set your affection on things above, where Christ is seated—this is simply agreeing with what is already true. When He appears, you will appear with Him in glory. This assurance is your anchor, freeing you from every deceptive call to self-improvement. The peace, joy, and love that mark genuine fellowship are the fruit of this hidden life, not the product of your effort. You are complete in Him.