Colossians 3:3 (ESV) -- For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Have you ever watched kids playing, and one of them starts running from the other until they can find an adult to hide behind? I’ve watched this so many times. Maybe they’re playing chase, or one has aggravated the other to the point where one is mad and chasing them. Either way, the goal of hiding behind an adult is the person hiding feels safe. They are secure behind the adult. 

This image is what our passage today shows us the Christian life is like. Paul writes, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” What does it mean to be hidden with Christ? This is a crucial question, and the answer contains the heart of the gospel message. 

Each person is born into sin. We are born into Adam. This means that he is our representative before God. His sin is our sin. His failing our failing. His guilt our guilt. We are “in” Adam. This is why Paul talks so frequently in his writings about the need to be found “in Christ.” To be “in Christ” is to no longer be represented by Adam, but by Jesus. This means His finished work at the cross, and His resurrection, is the grounds for our justification. His righteous life is the grounds for our righteousness. We place our faith in all that Jesus has accomplished, and as a result, we are now “in Christ.” 

What does this mean? It means that we stand behind Jesus. When the Father looks at us, He sees His Son. When we approach God, we approach with Jesus’ righteousness covering us. We approach with no sin, no guilt, and no shame. We are right before God because Jesus made us this way. We are hidden in Christ. Our old lives are considered gone. Our new life is “in Christ.” 

Give thanks today for what Jesus has accomplished for you. Stand with confidence and assurance that you are accepted before God because you are hidden in Christ.

Reflection & Journal:
- What does it mean to be in Adam?
- How do people go from being “in Adam” to being “in Christ”?  
- What should the life of a Christian look like in light of being hidden in Christ?

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