Hidden With Christ
“…your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:3
Imputed righteousness. You may never have heard the term before, but it’s one of the most foundational doctrines of our faith. In essence, it means that through our faith in Christ, His righteousness is put to our account.
The Chinese language has a great symbol for this truth. As many of you know the language is made up of characters, not letters. Estimates are there are more than 100,000 of these characters.
The character or “word” for righteousness (yi) is a combination of two pictures. On the top is a lamb. Beneath the lamb is a person. The lamb covers the person. Literally, it means “the lamb over me”.
The Lamb Over Me
What are the implications of this in the spiritual realm? They are profound, indeed. Whenever the Father looks down on you, what does He see? He sees His Son, the perfect Lamb of God, over you, hiding you.
We are literally covered by the Lamb or, in the words of the Apostle Paul, hidden in Christ. That being the case, God doesn’t see us in all of our imperfection. He sees His Son in all of His perfection.
And how does God respond when He sees Jesus? We’re told in Mark 1:1 when the Father rent the heavens and declared, “This is My Son, whom I love. With Him I am well-pleased.”
How God Sees Me
Friends, we who have come to Christ by faith don’t live under God’s frown. We stir in Him an ear-to-ear smile of joy.
We who have come to Christ by faith don’t live under God’s frown. We stir in Him an ear-to-ear smile of joy.
The prophet Zephaniah commented on it in this way: ‘He will rejoice over you with gladness…He will exult over you with loud singing.”
Because My Life is Hidden
How might grasping this reality mark your life? I can think of several ways:
It can alleviate the shame and guilt of your past. Covered by Christ, that is no longer in play.
It can motivate you to live in light of your new identity. Grateful for Christ, you will desire to live in ways that honor the One who has done this for you.
It can mitigate against man’s rejection. You cannot keep people from rejecting you, but that rejection doesn’t have the last word – God’s acceptance does.
Whisper the words over and over: “…your life is now hidden in Christ.” Now make it personal: “…my life is now hidden in Christ.”
Once that fact grips you, you will never be the same.
PRAYER
Lord, I am stunned by the immensity of this reality. My life – past, present, and future – is hidden in Christ. I bow in worship and gratitude. And I arise to glorify the One who has done this for me.
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