“When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:4)
Paul wrote this letter from Rome when he was imprisoned. The consensus is that Paul never went to Colossae because of what he wrote in Colossians 2:1: “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;” (Colossians 2:1) He’d spent three years in Ephesus. Colossae is nearby but it’s believed that Epaphras whom Paul considered a fellow servant founded the church of Colossians.
There are two things in this Scripture, Christ is our life, and we will appear with Jesus in glory. John put it clearly. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1John 5:12) Those of us who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior know there is a different life in Jesus. It’s unmistakably as different as day and night. We recognize it as a supernatural episode directly as a result of our declaration and acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” (1John 5:11) The first thing we notice after our commitment to Jesus, is that there is a profound desire to know more of God and this Lord, Jesus. There is an undeniable joy unrelated to anything but knowing that God has done a supernatural work in us. We know it by the Holy Spirit, although at the time, we don’t know anything about the Holy Spirit. But we have a knowing in ourselves of this change.
It's this eternal life that has come into us that has made a difference in us. “(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” (1John 1:2-4) It’s God living in us by the Holy Spirit. It’s fellowship with God in the spirit through the Holy Spirit living in us. God speaking to us. Us listening to Him and obeying Him. We know how wrong our sin is and turn away completely from it. We have made our declaration, now we live it and by the power of the Holy Spirit are able to overcome its pull on us.
And although we don’t see it, we have received a bit of God’s light. It’s not evident with our natural eyes. But it’s evident in the spiritual. “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4) Jesus is the Light and gives us of His light. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) His light is able to give light to the whole of the new Jerusalem. “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Revelation 21:23) And just as Moses’ face shone with the light of the Lord, our spirits shine forth with His presence in us. So many marvelous things have happened in the spiritual realm that we are not even aware how miraculous and wonderful this salvation is, but we feel it. Even after years of study, I don’t think we fully understand the miracle of what God has done for us.
So yes, Jesus is our life. And through the years with our limited understanding, we live this life in Jesus. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
The second part of the Scripture of this lesson is another study altogether. But let it suffice to just say we will be glorified in body as Jesus was. “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21) And when Jesus returns to reign and rule, we will be with Him, with our glorified bodies. “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” (1Thesalonians 3:12-13) And again Jude also speaks of this. “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints...” (Jude 1:14)
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