Hidden in Christ: Living Out Your New Identity

Paul’s letter to the Colossians comes against the same mess that still tries to creep into the church: legalism, mysticism, idol worship, and the lie that grace needs human rules added onto it. Christ stands as the fullness of the Godhead bodily, lacking nothing, and Colossians says those who are in Him are complete too. Salvation comes by grace through faith, not by works, ceremonies, or somebody else deciding who looks saved enough.

Identity becomes the foundation for everything else. Colossians says believers have been raised with Christ, are dead to the old life, and are hidden in Christ Jesus. Christ does not merely live in a believer’s heart as some small part of life. Believers live in Him. That hidden place means failure, struggle, and weakness do not make Christ give up on those He has redeemed, because He sees the beginning from the end.

Paul then turns identity into action. The mind must be set on things above, because affection is not just emotion. Affection directs thoughts, choices, and decision making. Eternal reward must matter more than a moment of temporal gratification. A tongue, a temper, a phone, a set of eyes, and a mind all have to come under the rule of a new nature.

The command to mortify earthly members goes after the root instead of merely the fruit. Fornication, uncleanness, evil desire, and covetousness do not get conquered just by feeling bad after the fact. The flesh must be starved at the entry points. Eyes, ears, thoughts, and words must be guarded because those members produce the fruit that later brings shame.

Paul also refuses to let religious people rank sins. Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, gossip, and bitterness belong in the same putting-off pile as the sins people usually point at first. A sincere person fighting lust, repenting, and loving Jesus has more room for growth than a secret bitter person destroying others with their mouth.

Honor and submission receive the same Christ-centered order. Wives submit “as in the Lord,” while husbands must first be submitted to Christ and love without bitterness. Children honor parents, not because parents always deserve agreement, but because God commands honor. Martha’s run toward Jesus becomes the final call: offense, confusion, grief, and unanswered questions must not keep anybody away. God can raise joy, hope, peace, and every dead thing when hearts run to Jesus.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Grace gives a complete standing Salvation does not leave believers halfway accepted, waiting for works to finish what Christ started. Christ is the fullness of God, and those placed in Him lack nothing in their spiritual standing. Works matter as fruit, reward, and evidence of a changed nature, but they never become the price of belonging to God. [81:34]
• 2. Believers are hidden in Christ Christ holds His people even while He deals with the parts still being changed. The hidden life does not excuse sin, but it means struggle is not stronger than covenant mercy. Christ sees the person He is forming, not merely the weakness visible in the present moment. [90:17]
• 3. Kill roots, not just fruit Sinful actions grow through earthly members, thoughts, eyes, ears, desires, and words. Repentance must reach farther than regret after damage has been done. A guarded mind and a disciplined tongue strike at the root before the fruit has time to grow. [94:47]
• 4. Bitterness belongs on the altar Anger, malice, filthy language, and gossip can hide behind religious appearances while wrecking people from the inside out. Paul does not permit the church to condemn public struggles while excusing private poison. A new nature must bring conviction wherever rebellion takes root. [101:12]
• 5. Run to Jesus with questions Martha ran to Jesus while carrying offense, heartbreak, and confusion about His delay. God does not require pain to be neatly resolved before a wounded heart comes near. Christ can raise what looks dead when disappointment stops becoming distance.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [65:32] - Opening the Word in Colossians 3
• [67:58] - Guarding Healing and Miracles
• [71:11] - Colossians as a Letter to the Church
• [74:05] - Grace Against Legalism and Idols
• [78:01] - Christ’s Fullness and Believer Identity
• [81:19] - Complete, Secure, and Saved by Grace
• [85:10] - Setting Affections on Things Above
• [88:27] - Hidden in Christ Jesus
• [93:28] - Killing the Root of Sin
• [98:29] - Raised Into a New Position
• [100:21] - Putting Off Anger and Malice
• [103:02] - Submission, Love, and Honor
• [107:16] - Martha Ran to Jesus
• [111:22] - An Invitation to Run to Jesus

Bible Reading

Colossians 3:1-17
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” [01:05:35]

Colossians 2:9-10
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” [01:18:43]

Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” [01:14:18]

Observation questions

1. In Colossians 2:9–10, what is said about Christ’s fullness, and what is said about the believer’s standing in Him? [01:19:31]
2. In Colossians 3:1–4, what words describe the believer’s new position, focus, and life in Christ?
3. What kinds of sins and attitudes are included in the “put off” list in Colossians 3:8–9, and which ones might people be more tempted to overlook? [01:41:12]
4. According to Colossians 3:5, what earthly “members” or entry points were identified as needing to be guarded in order to deal with sin at its root? [01:33:28]

Interpretation questions

1. Ephesians 2:8–9 says salvation is by grace through faith and not by works. How does that truth differ from saying that a believer’s choices and behavior do not matter? [01:20:19]
2. Paul says believers have died and their lives are hidden with Christ. How can this bring security to someone who is sincerely struggling, while still calling that person to repentance and change? [01:30:59]
3. What does it mean to set affection on things above in daily life? How does an eternal focus shape decisions made in a tense, tempting, or frustrating moment? [01:27:17]
4. Why might Paul place anger, malice, slander, filthy language, and lying alongside sins that churches often consider more serious? What does this reveal about the kind of heart Christ is forming? [01:41:54]

Application questions

1. Is there an area where it is easy to measure spiritual standing by performance, rules, or the opinions of other people? How can being complete in Christ replace that pressure with gratitude and obedience? [01:21:34]
2. What has recently been pulling your mind and decision-making toward “things on the earth”—a craving, conflict, screen, relationship, fear, or desire for approval? What would setting your affection above look like in that specific situation this week? [01:27:38]
3. Think about a repeated struggle in your life. What is usually the root or entry point before the visible fruit appears—what you watch, hear, rehearse in your mind, say, or allow to build up? What practical guard could help you address the root? [01:35:03]
4. Anger, gossip, bitterness, and harmful words can be easier to excuse than public sins. Is there any resentment, harsh speech, or private bitterness that needs to be brought into the light before it damages someone else? [01:42:01]
5. In family relationships, how can honor be shown even when there is disagreement, hurt, or a complicated history? What is one respectful action or conversation God may be inviting you to take? [01:45:23]
6. Is there an area of disappointment, grief, offense, or unanswered prayer that has caused you to keep Jesus at a distance? What could it look like to run to Him honestly with the questions instead of running toward anger, distraction, or escape? [01:50:39]