Connect Colossians 3:3 with Galatians 2:20 about being crucified with Christ. Our New Position: Hidden with Christ “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” • When Paul says “you died,” he is referring to a past, completed fact for every believer. • The old, sin-dominated self was put to death the moment we trusted Christ. • “Hidden with Christ” pictures our secure, protected, and intimate union with Him—out of the reach of condemnation (Romans 8:1). Crucified, Yet Living “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” • Paul personalizes the same truth: our old self was nailed to the cross with Jesus. • Though physically alive, we now draw spiritual life from Christ dwelling within. • Faith is the moment-by-moment means by which His risen life is expressed through us. Connecting the Two Passages 1. A shared death – Colossians: “you died.” – Galatians: “I have been crucified.” One speaks corporately, the other individually, but both point to the same historical event—the cross. 2. A shared life – Colossians: “your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” – Galatians: “Christ lives in me.” We are simultaneously in Christ, and Christ is in us. This double union guarantees security and power. 3. A shared outcome – Colossians emphasizes safety and future glory (v. 4). – Galatians emphasizes present transformation by faith. Together they show that salvation provides both eternal assurance and daily victory. Supporting Scripture Snapshots • Romans 6:6–8—Our old self was crucified so we might “no longer be enslaved to sin.” • 2 Corinthians 5:17—“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” • Ephesians 2:5–6—God “made us alive with Christ… and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms.” Practical Takeaways • Stand on fact, not feeling – Whether conscious of it or not, your old self is dead. Choose to believe what God says. • Cultivate Christ-centered identity – Define yourself by who you are in Him, not by past failures or present struggles. • Live by faith, not effort – Yield to the indwelling Christ. Trust His sufficiency rather than striving in self-power. • Guard your hidden life – Since your life is tucked away with Christ, pursue the things above (Colossians 3:1–2) and refuse the pull of the old ways. Looking Forward Colossians 3:4 promises, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” The crucified past and the hidden present both point toward a revealed future. Until that day, the secret of victorious living is simple: reckon yourself dead with Christ, rely on Christ alive in you, and rest secure—hidden in the heart of God. |
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