Thursday, December 12, 2013

Some Things Are Hidden; Some Things Must Not Be



The Bible study I lead on Wednesday nights for adults has been in the book of Colossians since late-August. I started the third chapter last night. Yes, that's two chapters in about three months. To be fair, we've had a few Wednesdays when we've had other things scheduled. So it's more like eight or nine lessons covering two chapters. I should finish the study of Colossians in February. That's about six months...which is shorter than the twelve months it took to teach the book of James.

The first four verses of the third chapter contain a sentence that caused me to really think about what it means to live the Christian life: "your life is now hidden with Christ in God" in verse three.

One way to think about this is that our life - specifically, our eternal life - is secure with Christ just as your car is secure when parked in the garage out of sight. Thieves are less likely to steal your car when it is out of sight. Vandals aren't likely to damage your car when it's hidden in the garage. So the Christian's life is secure - totally secure - with Christ, who died for our salvation. This fact should give us confidence and hope as we live here and now.

Another way to think about our life being hidden is that the reason we trust Christ for salvation and live for him is a mystery to those who do not know Christ. Paul wrote in a letter to Christians in Corinth that spiritual things (like salvation) are considered foolishness to unbelievers because they do not have God's Spirit to help them understand spiritual things. So the hope of eternal life Christians have and the reason for living as we do is hidden from those who do not believe because these are spiritual things.

Both of these explanations of the passage lead me to wonder, "Do we sometimes live a Christian life that is TOO hidden?" Do you know people who profess to be Christians but don't live like it? Do you know someone who thinks he is a Christian but none of his friends know he is? In other words, is his Christian life hidden?

Is it even possible to be a hidden Christian? Aren't Christians supposed to be visible? Shouldn't we be the light of the world? "A city on a hill cannot be hidden"! (See Matthew 5:14-16) How will those who do not know Christ as Savior ever know him without a witness? And that witness comes from those of us who are believers. We have to speak up and live out our faith openly.

The reason we place our trust in Christ for salvation and the reason we live in obedience to him and the reason we have hope of eternal life may be hidden from them, but the fact that we follow Christ and the impact he's had on our lives must be out in the open so they can see and hear our witness. Then the Holy Spirit can use our witness to reveal the mystery to them and they might be saved.

No comments: