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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Colossians 3:1–4. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The apostle, having described our privileges by Christ in the former part of the epistle, and our discharge from the yoke of the ceremonial law, comes here to press upon us our duty as inferred thence. Though we are made free from the obligation of the ceremonial law, it does not therefore follow that we may live as we list. We must walk the more closely with God in all the instances of evangelical obedience. He begins with exhorting them to set their hearts on heaven, and take them off from this world: If you then have risen with Christ. It is our privilege that we have risen with Christ; that is, have benefit by the resurrection of Christ, and by virtue of our union and communion with him are justified and sanctified, and shall be glorified. Hence he infers that we must seek those things which are above. We must mind the concerns of another world more than the concerns of this. We must make heaven our scope and aim, seek the favour of God above, keep up our communion with the upper world by faith, and hope, and holy love, and make it our constant care and business to secure our title to and qualifications for the heavenly bliss. And the reason is because Christ sits at the right hand of God. He who is our best friend and our head is advanced to the highest dignity and honour in heaven, and has gone before to secure to us the heavenly happiness; and therefore we should seek and secure what he has purchased at so vast an expense, and is taking so much care about. We must live such a life as Christ lived here on earth and lives now in heaven, according to our capacities.
I.He explains this duty (Col 3:2):
Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. Observe, To seek heavenly things is to set our affections upon them, to love them and let our desires be towards them. Upon the wings of affection the heart soars upwards, and is carried forth towards spiritual and divine objects. We must acquaint ourselves with them, esteem them above all other things, and lay out ourselves in preparation for the enjoyment of them. David gave this proof of his loving the house of God, that he diligently sought after it, and prepared for it, Psa 27:4. This is to be spiritually minded (Rom 8:6), and to seek and desire a better country, that is, a heavenly, Heb 11:14, Heb 11:16. Things on earth are here set in opposition to things above. We must not dote upon them, nor expect too much from them, that we may set our affections on heaven; for heaven and earth are contrary one to the other, and a supreme regard to both is inconsistent; and the prevalence of our affection to one will proportionably weaken and abate our affection to the other.
II.He assigns three reasons for this, Col 3:3, Col 3:4.
1.That we are dead; that is, to present things, and as our portion. We are so in profession and obligation; for we are buried with Christ, and planted into the likeness of his death. Every Christian is crucified unto the world, and the world is crucified unto him, Gal 6:14. And if we are dead to the earth, and have renounced it as our happiness, it is absurd for us to set our affections upon it, and seek it. We should be like a dead thing to it, unmoved and unaffected towards it.
2.Our true life lies in the other world: You are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God, Col 3:3. The new man has its livelihood thence. It is born and nourished from above; and the perfection of its life is reserved for that state. It is hid with Christ; not hid from us only, in point of secrecy, but hid for us, denoting security. The life of a Christian is hid with Christ. Because I live you shall live also, Joh 14:19. Christ is at present a hidden Christ, or one whom we have not seen; but this is our comfort, that our life is hid with him, and laid up safely with him. As we have reason to love him whom we have not seen (Pe1 1:8), so we may take the comfort of a happiness out of sight, and reserved in heaven for us.
3.Because at the second coming of Christ we hope for the perfection of our happiness. If we live a life of Christian purity and devotion now, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we shall also appear with him in glory, Col 3:4. Observe,
(1.)Christ is a believer's life. I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, Gal 2:20. He is the principle and end of the Christian's life. He lives in us by his Spirit, and we live to him in all we do. To me to live is Christ, Phi 1:21.
(2.)Christ will appear again. He is now hid; and the heavens must contain him; but he will appear in all the pomp of the upper world, with his holy angels, and in his own glory and his Father's glory, Mar 8:38; Luk 9:26.
(3.)We shall then appear with him in glory. It will be his glory to have his redeemed with him; he will come to be glorified in his saints (Th2 1:10); and it will be their glory to come with him, and be with him for ever. At the second coming of Christ there will be a general meeting of all the saints; and those whose life is now hid with Christ shall then appear with Christ in that glory which he himself enjoys, Joh 17:24. Do we look for such a happiness, and should we not set our affections upon that world, and live above this? What is there here to make us fond of it? What is there not there to draw our hearts to it? Our head is there, our home is there, our treasure is there, and we hope to be there for ever.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
3 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Now the mystery of this "sign" was in various ways predicted; (a "sign") in which the foundation of life was forelaid for mankind; (a "sign") in which the Jews were not to believe: just as Moses beforetime kept on announcing in Exodus, saying, "Ye shall be ejected from the land into which ye shall enter; and in those nations ye shall not be able to rest: and there shall be instabilityof the print of thy foot: and God shall give thee a wearying heart, and a pining soul, and failing eyes, that they see not: and thy life shall hang on the tree before thine eyes; and thou shalt not trust thy life.
"Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in glory."
This is not your life, he saith, it is some other one. He is now urgent to remove them, and insists upon showing that they are seated above, and are dead; from both considerations establishing the position, that they are not to seek the things which are here. For whether ye be dead, ye ought not to seek them; or whether ye be above, ye ought not to seek them. Doth Christ appear? Neither doth your life. It is in God, above. What then? When shall we live? When Christ shall be manifested, who is your life; then seek ye glory, then life, then enjoyment.
This is to prepare the way for drawing them off from pleasure and ease. Such is his wont: when establishing one position, he darts off to another; as, for instance, when discoursing of those who at supper were beforehand with one another, he all at once falls upon the observance of the Mysteries. For he hath a great rebuke when it is administered unsuspected. "It is hid," he saith, from you. "Then shall ye also with Him be manifested." So that, now, ye do not appear. See how he hath removed them into the very heaven. For, as I said, he is always bent upon showing that they have the very same things which Christ hath; and through all his Epistles, the tenor is this, to show that in all things they are partakers with Him. Therefore he uses the terms, Head, and Body, and does everything to convey this to them.
If therefore we shall then be manifested, let us not grieve, when we enjoy not honor: if this life be not life, but it be hidden, we ought to live this life as though dead. "Then shall ye also," he saith, "with Him be manifested in glory." "In glory," he said, not merely "manifested." For the pearl too is hidden so long as it is within the oyster. If then we be treated with insult, let us not grieve; or whatever it be we suffer; for this life is not our life, we are strangers and sojourners. "For ye died," he saith. Who is so witless, as for a corpse, dead and buried, either to buy servants, or build houses, or prepare costly raiment? None. Neither then do ye; but as we seek one thing only, namely, that we be not in a naked state, so here too let us seek one thing and no more. Our first man is buried: buried not in earth, but in water; not death-destroyed, but buried by death's destroyer, not by the law of nature, but by the governing command that is stronger than nature. For what has been done by nature, may perchance be undone; but what has been done by His command, never. Nothing is more blessed than this burial, whereat all are rejoicing, both Angels, and men, and the Lord of Angels. At this burial, no need is there of vestments, nor of coffin, nor of anything else of that kind. Wouldest thou see the symbol of this? I will show thee a pool wherein the one was buried, the other raised; in the Red Sea the Egyptians were sunk beneath it, but the Israelites went up from out of it; in the same act he buries the one, generates the other.
Marvel not that generation and destruction take place in Baptism; for, tell me, dissolving and cementing, are they not opposite? It is evident to all. Such is the effect of fire; for fire dissolves and destroys wax, but it cements together metallic earth, and works it into gold. So in truth here also, the force of the fire, having obliterated the statue of wax, has displayed a golden one in its stead; for in truth before the Bath we were of clay, but after it of gold. Whence is this evident? Hear him saying, "The first man is of the earth, earthy, the second man is the Lord from heaven." I spoke of a difference as great as that between clay and gold; but greater still do I find the difference between heavenly and earthy; not so widely do clay and gold differ, as do things earthy and heavenly. Waxen we were, and clay-formed. For the flame of lust did much more melt us, than fire doth wax, and any chance temptation did far rather shatter us than a stone doth things of clay.
But what did he go on to say? “When Christ appears, your life, then you also will appear with him in glory.” So now is the time for groaning, then it will be for rejoicing; now for desiring, then for embracing. What we desire now is not present; but let us not falter in desire; let long, continuous desire be our daily exercise, because the one who made the promise doesn’t cheat us. ..
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Summary
Colossians 3:4 provides a glorious eschatological anchor for the believer's present spiritual reality, revealing that the life currently hidden with Christ in God will be publicly manifested at His glorious return. This verse serves as the ultimate motivation for heavenly-minded living, assuring believers of their inseparable union with Christ and their certain participation in His future triumph and splendor, culminating in a perfected state of shared glory.
Context
Literary Context
Colossians 3:4 stands as the climax and ultimate motivation for the preceding exhortations in Colossians 3:1-3. Paul begins this chapter by calling believers, who have been "raised with Christ," to "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1). He then intensifies this by urging them to "set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2). The immediate preceding verse, Colossians 3:3, provides the profound theological basis: "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:4 then unveils the future manifestation of this hidden life, providing the powerful "why" behind living a life oriented towards Christ and heavenly realities, countering the earthly, legalistic, and mystical philosophies that threatened the Colossian church. It transitions from the present, unseen spiritual reality to the future, visible eschatological hope.
Historical & Cultural Context
The city of Colossae, located in the Lycus Valley of Asia Minor, was a relatively small but strategically important center. The church there faced a complex syncretistic heresy, often referred to as the "Colossian heresy," which blended elements of Jewish legalism (circumcision, dietary laws, observance of festivals), asceticism (severe self-discipline), angel worship, and a form of mystical knowledge (Gnosticism). This heresy diminished the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ, suggesting that spiritual maturity required adherence to these additional practices or secret knowledge. Paul's letter, written from prison, directly addresses these challenges by exalting Christ as the preeminent Lord of creation and redemption, in whom "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). Colossians 3:4, with its emphasis on Christ's future appearing and shared glory, directly counters the idea that believers need anything more than Christ for their ultimate salvation and glorification, reinforcing His absolute sufficiency against any human-devised spiritual system.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in Colossians and Pauline theology. Firstly, it underscores the Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ, asserting that Christ is not merely a component of spiritual life but its very essence and source. He is "our life," meaning our spiritual vitality, identity, and ultimate hope are found exclusively in Him, a truth that directly refutes the Colossian heresy's attempts to add other mediators or practices. Secondly, it highlights the Believer's Union with Christ, emphasizing an inseparable bond where the believer's destiny is inextricably linked to Christ's. Because Christ lives, believers also live, and because He will appear in glory, they too will share in that glory. This deep union is foundational to Paul's theology, as seen in passages like Romans 6:5. Finally, Colossians 3:4 articulates the Eschatological Hope of Glorification, pointing to the future Second Coming of Christ (the Parousia) as the definitive moment when the believer's hidden life will be publicly revealed and perfected. This future glory is the ultimate consummation of salvation, assuring believers of a transformed existence free from sin and suffering, a hope also articulated in 1 John 3:2.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
From the verb zaō (to live), zōḗ refers to life in its fullest sense, often spiritual or eternal life, as opposed to mere physical existence (bios). In this context, it signifies Christ as the very source, essence, and dynamic principle of the believer's spiritual existence. It is not just that Christ gives life, but that He is our life, indicating an intimate, indwelling reality that defines our identity and vitality.
Derived from phaneros (visible, manifest), phaneróō means "to make visible, to reveal, to manifest, or to bring to light." It implies a public, unmistakable, and glorious disclosure. When Christ "shall appear," it refers to His Second Coming, an event that will be universally witnessed, contrasting with His present hiddenness from the world. The same term is used for the believer's appearing, signifying their public manifestation alongside Christ.
This term, from the base of dokeō (to seem, to think), denotes splendor, honor, renown, and divine majesty. It can refer to God's inherent radiant majesty, the honor bestowed upon someone, or the transformed state of believers in the eschatological future. Here, it speaks of the divine splendor and honor that will characterize Christ's return and in which believers will participate, reflecting His own radiant perfection and majesty.
Verse Breakdown
"When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear"
This opening clause establishes the central figure and the pivotal event. "Christ, who is our life" powerfully identifies Jesus not merely as a historical figure or a distant deity, but as the very core and animating principle of the believer's existence. Our spiritual vitality, identity, and purpose are intrinsically bound up in Him. The phrase "shall appear" points definitively to the future, visible, and glorious Second Coming of Christ, an event that will mark the culmination of God's redemptive plan. This "appearing" is not a quiet, private event, but a public manifestation of His divine majesty.
"then shall ye also appear with him in glory"
This second clause describes the profound consequence and hope for believers. The adverb "then" emphasizes the direct correlation between Christ's appearing and the believer's manifestation. "Ye also appear" signifies that believers, whose lives are currently "hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3), will be publicly revealed alongside Him. The phrase "with him" underscores the unbreakable union between Christ and His church, emphasizing shared destiny and triumph. Finally, "in glory" describes the state and sphere of this appearing. Believers will not merely be present, but will participate in Christ's own divine splendor, transformed into His likeness, sharing in His honor and radiant majesty, a testament to God's completed work of salvation and glorification.
Literary Devices
Colossians 3:4 employs several potent literary devices. Metaphor is evident in the phrase "Christ, who is our life," where Christ is not merely compared to life but is declared to be the very essence and source of the believer's spiritual existence. This deep identification highlights the inseparable union between Christ and His followers. Anticipation and Eschatological Language are central, as the verse directs the reader's gaze firmly to the future "appearing" of Christ and the subsequent "appearing... in glory" of believers. This forward-looking perspective provides hope and motivation for present living. Furthermore, there is a clear Contrast implied between the present, "hidden" life of the believer (from Colossians 3:3) and the future, manifest "appearing... in glory." This contrast underscores the radical transformation and ultimate vindication awaiting those united with Christ.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Colossians 3:4 serves as a powerful theological statement on the believer's ultimate destiny, rooted in the person and work of Christ. It affirms that the Christian life is not merely about moral improvement or intellectual assent, but a radical union with Christ Himself, who is the very fount of our spiritual existence. This verse assures us that our present, often unseen, spiritual reality will culminate in a visible, glorious manifestation at Christ's return. Our future glorification is not a separate reward but an inseparable aspect of our union with Him, guaranteeing that where Christ is, and in whatever state He appears, His people will be with Him, sharing in His triumph and splendor. This promise provides immense hope, anchoring our present struggles in the certainty of a future perfected state.
Reflection and Application
Colossians 3:4 offers a profound and practical call to live with an eternal perspective, shaping our daily choices and priorities. If Christ is truly "our life," then our identity, purpose, and ultimate hope are not found in earthly pursuits, possessions, or recognition, but solely in Him. This truth liberates us from the anxieties of this world and empowers us to live for a greater reality. The certainty of Christ's glorious appearing and our participation in that glory provides an unshakeable foundation for hope amidst trials, suffering, and the fleeting nature of this present age. It motivates us to pursue holiness and spiritual maturity, knowing that our hidden life in Christ will one day be fully revealed and perfected. This verse encourages us to cultivate a "heavenly mindset" (Colossians 3:2), understanding that our true home and ultimate destiny are with Christ in glory, transforming our present walk as we eagerly await His magnificent return.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean that Christ "is our life"?
The phrase "Christ, who is our life" signifies a profound spiritual reality for believers. It means that Jesus Christ is not merely a historical figure, a moral teacher, or even just a Savior who died for our sins; He is the very source, essence, and animating principle of the Christian's spiritual existence. Our identity, purpose, vitality, and ultimate hope are found exclusively in Him. Paul emphasizes that our life is not self-generated or sustained by external factors, but completely dependent on and derived from Christ. This concept is foundational to the "new creation" theology, where believers are "in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17), drawing their spiritual breath and direction from their union with Him. It implies that to live truly is to live in Christ, and apart from Him, there is no true spiritual life.
What is the significance of "appearing with him in glory"?
The significance of "appearing with him in glory" is multifaceted and deeply encouraging for believers. Firstly, it refers to the Parousia, the glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when He will return visibly and powerfully to the earth. Currently, Christ's reign is spiritual and unseen by the world, and the believer's life is "hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). However, this verse promises a future public manifestation. Secondly, "ye also appear with him" signifies that believers will not merely be spectators but will be publicly revealed and vindicated alongside Christ. Our true identity as children of God, currently hidden from the world, will be fully displayed. Thirdly, "in glory" means that believers will participate in Christ's own divine splendor and majesty. This includes the transformation of our perishable bodies into glorious, immortal bodies like His (Philippians 3:21), and a perfected state of being, free from sin, suffering, and death. It is the ultimate consummation of salvation, where the believer fully experiences the inheritance and honor prepared for them in Christ.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Colossians 3:4 finds its Christ-centered fulfillment in the comprehensive work of Jesus, from His incarnation to His promised return. Christ is "our life" because He uniquely possesses and imparts divine life, being the "Word of life" (1 John 1:1) and the "resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection were not merely historical events but the means by which believers died to sin and were raised to new life "in Him" (Romans 6:4-5). This verse then points to the ultimate manifestation of this life when Christ, who ascended to the Father's right hand (Hebrews 1:3), "shall appear" in His full, unveiled glory. This future appearing is the climactic moment when all that Christ accomplished for us will be fully realized in us. Our "appearing with him in glory" is a direct consequence of His own glorification and His unbreakable union with His church. It signifies that the Son of God, who became man to share in our humanity, will return to share His divine glory with those who are united to Him, fulfilling the ultimate purpose of redemption: for humanity to be transformed into the image of the glorious Son (Romans 8:29).