Union with Christ in Colossians 2-3

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF UNION WITH CHRIST IN COLOSSIANS 2-3

Darryl Burling

November 22, 2014

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INTRODUCTION

The doctrine of union with Christ is central to the Christian faith. John Murray is quoted

in almost every work on Union with Christ since the middle of the twentieth century as saying,

“Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation not only in its

application but also in its once-for-all accomplishment in the finished work of Christ. Indeed

the whole process of salvation has its origin in one phase of union with Christ and salvation

has in view the realization of other phases of union with Christ.”1 Union with Christ has been

described as the hub from which every element of our salvation flows.

In spite of the centrality of Union with Christ, very little is taught in the average church

about this crucial doctrine. Yet as Todd Billings experienced, “Many have testified that this

doctrine has revolutionized the way they approach the Christian life and ministry.”2 It is with

a desire to understand this central doctrine, particularly in light of its applicability in

Colossians that has driven its further examination in this paper.

Colossians is known as a book focused around the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ.

The sufficiency of Christ in Colossians is oriented around His deity and our union with Christ

as God. In Colossians 2 Paul provides a theological framework for our union with Christ, and

then in Chapter 3 he provides application based on our union with Christ in His resurrection.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the theology of union with Christ that flows out of

Colossians 2-3.

UNION WITH CHRIST AND THE INCARNATION

Paul begins his theological treatment of our Union with Christ in Colossians 2:9-14. The

1 John Murray. Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955), 161. 2 Todd Billings, Union with Christ: Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church. (Grand Rapids:

Baker Academic, 2011), 150 Kindle Edition.

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first element of union with Christ we encounter in this passage is that of the condescension of

God to unite Himself with humanity.

Colossians 2:9

In Colossians 2:9, the union of Christ with the Father is clearly in view, “In Him dwells

all the fullness of deity bodily” (my translation). This recalls Colossians 1:19 (“because in

Him, all the fullness was pleased to dwell”), which uses the same verb (to dwell) and subject

(all the fullness). However, here in 2:9 Paul makes it explicit that he has deity in mind when

he uses the word “fullness”.3 The use of the present tense verb “dwells” (κατοικεῖ) indicates

that the indwelling of God in Christ continues to the time of writing (and by implication

forever more). Letham writes, “The basis of our union with Christ is Christ’s union with us in

the incarnation. We can become one with him because he first became one with us. By taking

human nature into personal union, the Son of God has joined himself to humanity. He now

has a human body and soul.”4 Because Christ is fully God and sinless man, His human

fullness exceeds that of Adam, even before he fell. Christ is what Adam should have become.

The incarnation makes it possible for sinful man to be joined to God because God first joined

Himself to man.

Colossians 2:10

Verse 10 then reads, “and you have been filled in Him [καὶ ἐστἐ ἐν αύτῷ πεπληρωµένοι],

who is the head of every ruler and authority.” The preposition ἐν αὐτῷ is the same as that

used in the previous verse were the subject is the fullness of deity. This indicates an equality

of union between the two verses; in the same way the fullness of deity dwells in Him, so too

3Douglas J. Moo. The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon. The Pillar New Testament

Commentary. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), 193. 4 Robert Letham. Union with Christ: In Scripture, History and Theology, (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R

Publishing, 2011), 21.

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we are in Him.5 The word translated “been filled” (ESV, NET) is the same cognate word used

as the subject in v9, here used periphrastically6 to provide intensity.7 This intensification is

likely provided to counter a claim of the false teachers who likely said they offered a fullness,

or deeper spiritual experience.8 Using the same cognate as in verse 9 suggests a parallel

between the fullness dwelling in Christ in v9 and our having been completed in v10. Paul’s

point is that in our union with Christ we have received the fullness of deity that we see in

Christ (John 1:16).

Western believers, until recently, have struggled with this concept of man receiving

something of God’s fullness.9 The trinitarian defender Athanasius famously captured this

doctrine, known as theosis saying, “For He was made man that we might be made God.”10 It

should be noted that this is a different concept to the pagan notion of apotheosis, the idea that

man is elevated to the status of divinity.11 Rather the idea of theosis is the idea of Christ

completing us. In other words, our receiving of Christ’s fullness is not the adding of the

divine nature to man, rather “The Holy Spirit’s indwelling enhances… our humanity.”12

5 Constantine R. Campbell. Paul and Union with Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study, (Grand

Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 180. Campbell continues to point out that the following two verses also have similar language (ἐν ᾦ in v11 and συνταφέντες αὐτῷ and συνηγέρθητε in v12) indicating that union with Christ is clearly in view.

6 Constantine R. Campbell. Colossians and Philemon: A Handbook on the Greek Text. Ed. Martin M. Culy. Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament. (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2013),36.

7 H. E. Dana and Julius R. Mantey. A Manual of the Greek New Testament, (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1957), 232.

8 Moo, Colossians, 195. 9 Letham, Union with Christ, 91. 10 Athanasius of Alexandria. “On the Incarnation of the Word.” In St. Athanasius: Select Works and

Letters, ed Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, translated by Archibald T. Robertson. Vol. 4. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series. (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1892) §3.

11 Letham, Union with Christ, 91. Apotheosis typically means we take on the essence of God or are absorbed into God. Later Letham points out that neither are we hypostatically united to the Son (126).

12Ibid., 124.

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When God made man, he made him in His own image, meaning the structure and

functioning of man13 worked as God intended in relationship with God, man and creation.14

Man being made in God’s image in this sense separates him from every other creature,

including the angels.15 However even in Adam and Eve’s original sinless state, they were not

“yet fully developed image-bearers of God; they should have advanced to a higher stage

where their sinlessness would have been unlosable.”16 As we look at Christ, who is the image

of God (Col 1:15), we indeed see one who is fully man, yet one who was tested in all points

as Adam had been, yet without sin (Heb 4:15). It is this sense of testing that theologians are

referring to, to suggest that Adam too was being tested, and if he had passed would have

grown in his ability to image God. What we see in Christ is the image of God (Col 1:15) and

the perfect man. Man in a tested state, being unable to sin (posse non peccare) due to the

union of both divine and human natures.17.

Indeed Adam had uninterrupted fellowship with God in the garden because he had not

sinned, yet he was “unsupported in the hour of his testing”18 because he was without this

union. Redeemed man depends on union with Christ, in order to be conformed to the likeness

of His Son (Rom 8:29). This is God’s purpose in redemption, the result being, “the saints in

glory will ‘not be able to sin and die’… this unlosable perfection is what man is destined

for,”19 In other words, in union with Christ, “we become what God has intended we should

13 Anthony Hoekema, Created in God’s Image, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), 73. 14 Ibid., 75. 15 Ibid., 81. 16 Ibid., 82. 17 Lewis Sperry Chafer. Systematic Theology. vol 5 (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1993), 78. 18 Ibid. 19 Letham, Union with Christ, 92.

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be.” 20

This does not mean that we all become identical and lose our identities. Charles Feinberg

explains, “The divine nature in Christ formed the basis of His personality… if the human

nature had been the base of His person He would be a man-God, not God-man,

anthropotheistic, not theanthropic.” 21 Redeemed humans are creatures united with Christ,

meaning they are human first and receptors of God’s perfection second. So “although

penetrated by divine energy they retain their created human status.”22 In uniting us to His Son,

God is perfecting human creatures by making him what he cannot otherwise be – complete

reflectors or imagers of God’s perfect character (1 Cor 15:49).

Without the incarnation, this participation with God would be impossible due to God’s

holiness. By taking the form of man, God provided a way in which justice could be fully

satisfied, and therefore chose to unite men to this perfect God-man in order that those joined

to Him could be given what was His, regardless of the worth or deservedness of those people.

This is the ultimate demonstration of mercy and love. In the context of Colossians, The

fullness of the union between Christ and us means there is nothing more that a believer needs,

because in Christ we have been completed or filled in the past with continuing present effect.

UNION WITH CHRIST IN HIS DEATH

Having exposed the reader to our dependency of the union of God with humanity in

Christ, Paul goes on to explain the nature of this union and what it accomplishes in Colossians

2:11-14

20 Letham, Union with Christ, 123. 21 Charles Lee Feinberg, The Hypostatic Union, Part 2, in Bibliotheca Sacra 92 (1935), 419. 22 Letham, Union with Christ, 95.

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Colossians 2:11

Paul begins in verse 11 explaining that in Christ we are circumcised, being otherwise

uncircumcised (v13). What does Paul mean by “circumcised?”

The reference to circumcision is not a reference to physical circumcision but circumcision

of the heart.23 While circumcision was initially instituted as a physical sign of the covenant

between God and Abraham (Gen 17:1-14), it was only a sign, and the fullness of its intention

was made explicit to Israel in Deuteronomy 10:16 where God calls on Israel to “Circumcise

your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.” This verse uses two parallel clauses with a

disjunctive waw without a change of scene24 to illustrate by contrast that “circumcise your

heart” means to “stiffen your neck no longer” (NASB). In other words, an uncircumcised

heart is one that has no inclination to obedience, and a circumcised heart is one that is inclined

to obey God. Paul associates this uncircumcision with “the body of flesh, affirming,

“circumcision occurs by putting off the body of flesh,”25

If circumcision is a matter of the heart (Rom 2:29) and the body of flesh is removed in the

circumcision of Christ, then it follows that the body of the flesh refers to the dominion of

sin.26 Schreiner explains that throughout Romans 6, a passage paralleling Colossians 2:11, sin

is seen as a power. This power cannot be separated from our physical bodies, as “the body is

the emblem of sin that has dominated those who are in Adam (Romans 8:10).”27 Moo

23 Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ, 196. There is no indication that the false teachers were

requiring circumcision. The discussion we see in Galatians is absent here. 24Bruce K. Waltke and Michael Patrick O’Connor. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. (Winona

Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1990), 650. 25 Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ, 196. 26 Moo, Colossians, 200. 27 Thomas R. Schreiner. Romans. Vol. 6. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. (Grand

Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), 304. This is evident in the text of Romans 6 from sin’s ability to hold us in slavery (6:6) and to reign over us (6:11).

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continues, “In both verses [Rom 6:6 and Col 2:11] Paul intends to describe the body not as

sinful in itself but as under the domination of sin/the flesh.”28 This means that the

circumcision of Christ removes the dominance of sin, breaking our unwillingness to submit to

God.

Thus, one of the primary effects of being united with Christ in His death is that we are no

longer under the domination of sin. While the false teachers advocated rules and procedures to

subdue the flesh, Paul was saying that because of their union with Christ, the believers had

already removed the body of the flesh, that it no longer had power over them and therefore,

nothing more was needed to subdue the flesh.29

Colossians 2:12

Paul continues in verse 12 , “having been buried with Him in baptism.” By using a

circumstantial participle contemporaneous to the action of circumcision30 Paul is saying that,

the circumcision, or removal of the body (the dominance of sin, above) was effected, not

when Christ died, but when His burial was completed.31 The concept of burial here has two

inferences. The first is the reality of the death of the old man. Dunn explains, “Since burial

was understood as the conclusion of the event of dying, this commitment meant the enacted

willingness to identify oneself with the complete event of Jesus’ death.”32 Dunn is saying that

in baptism we identify ourselves voluntarily with Christ’s death and burial.

Since baptism is voluntary, the one who submits to baptism identifies themselves as 28 Moo, Colossians, 200. 29 Moo, Colossians, 197. 30 Karl Braune. A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Colossians. John Peter Lange, Philip Schaff Eds.

M. B. Riddle Trans. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2008), Col 2:12. 31 John Eadie. A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians. Edited by W.

Young. 2nd Ed. (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1884), 148. 32 James D. G. Dunn. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text.

New International Greek Testament Commentary. (Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1996), 159.

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having been joined to Christ in His death, and expresses their voluntary decision to continue

this identification with Christ throughout their life.

In other words, when we are baptized, we are agreeing to consider ourselves “dead to

sin… in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:11) and to “not go on presenting the members of [our] body to

sin as instruments of unrighteousness” (Rom 6:13). This represents a change of mind that

believers are to go through at the point of conversion is consequent to the reception of faith.33

This volitional change represents a second consequence of being united with Christ in His

death: we are united with Christ in how we regard sin, creating in us a desire to actively put

sin away.

Colossians 2:13.

In Colossians 2:13, the aorist middle participle “having forgiven us” (χαρισάµενος)

indicates forgiveness precedes34 being raised with Christ (συνεζωοποίησεν) identifying

forgiveness is a third result of our dying with Christ. The grammatical connection here with

our being raised with Christ suggests that as Christ’s resurrection demonstrates that He fully

paid for sin, so too our new life in union with Christ affirms the completeness of our

forgiveness in Him (Rom 4:25).

The means by which this forgiveness takes place is explained in verse 14, where we will

also discuss the concept of trespasses.

33 Wayne A. Grudem. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. (Grand Rapids:

Zondervan, 2004), 713. 34 Eadie, Colossians, 157 points out that “pardoning and life-giving are scarcely synonymous.” Most

translations consider the participle as antecedent to the verb, “having forgiven us…” (NASB, ESV, NET, KJV, NKJV). However, O’Brien regards this as causal, “because He had remitted all (πάντα) our sins the cause of spiritual death was done away” (O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 123). Certainly there is a causal connection, yet the concept of forgiveness is connected with the putting away of sin (e.g. Ps 103:12) and therefore it makes the most sense to see forgiveness as antecedent to our being made alive together.

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Colossians 2:14

While the Aorist Participle, ἐξαλείψας, at the beginning of this verse modifies

συζωοποίησεν (he made alive) in verse 1335 the nailing of the ordinances (δόγµασιν) to the

cross is antecedent to being made alive based on the perfective aspect of the aorist36 or based

on the temporal nature of the adverbial participle37 and therefore is a part of our dying with

Christ, and the means of our forgiveness,38 which is to say, the nailing of this document to the

cross explains our forgiveness.

What does Paul refer to when he speaks of this written document? The word χειρόγραφον

means a note “written in one’s own hand as a proof of obligation.”39 There are numerous

views on what this mean, but the best view that does justice to the context is that it represents

the Mosaic Law. We find first of all in Ephesians 2:15 a similar phrase, that Christ abolished

“in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances…”

(NASB).40 We learn from Romans 7:5-9 that the Law incites sin, and similarly from Rom

3:20 that the Law revals sin. Therefore, if we were to be measured against the Law of God,

we would be seen to fall short (Rom 3:23). In this way, these decrees function as an IOU,41

The handwritten element may suggest that they are personalized, which would fit the image of

the charges against the criminal being nailed to the cross.

35 Campbell, Colossians and Philemon, 40. Campbell points out that the period in the UBS and NA28 is

a editors punctuation error, which is reflected in the ESV and NASB. 36 Ibid. 37 Daniel B. Wallace. Greek Grammar beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament.

(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 624-25. 38 Campbell, Colossians and Philemon, 40. 39 Eduard Loshe, χειρόγραφον in The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Gerhard Kittel,

Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964). 9:435. 40 Moo, Colossians, 210. 41 Ibid., 211.

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Paul is saying that God forgave our sins in Christ by (i.e. through the means of) wiping

out our trespasses. Trespasses are a violation of the law of God,42 expressing a “deliberate

act”43 while uncircumcision represents a falling short. For this reason, the act of Christ on the

cross must cover both of these. To this end, 2 Cor 5:21 presents imputation as achieving both

of these ends. Our sin (trespasses) was laid on Him, and His righteousness was laid on us. Our

sins fell on Him and God’s wrath was satisfied, while that the same time, the lack in us was

made up by His righteousness. This includes the fulfillment of the Law (Col 2:17, Rom 10:4)

through Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Heb 10:1-14).

From the investigation above, we can summarize that being united with Christ in His

death results in three primary consequences. These are the dominance of sin over us being

broken “by the circumcision of Christ,” our confession and volitional repudiation of our sin,

and the forgiveness of our sins through the cancellation of the record of debt against us. This

forgiveness consists of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness for the fulfillment of the law

in us, and the imputation of our sin on Him for which He satisfied God’s justice in His death.

We can see from these effects that our union with Christ’s death affects the totality of who we

are, our legal state before God, our inclination toward Him and our will.

For the Colossians, Paul exhortation not to let anyone act as a legalistic judge (2:16) nor

cause you delight in false humility and false worship, stemmed from the reality that obedience

to regulations and extra religious activities were unnecessary in light of this union. For Paul,

the answer to false teachers who are teaching ways of dealing with sin that are disconnected

from Christ, the head of the body (2:19)is to recognize that in their union with Christ, the

42 Dunn, Colossians and Philemon, 163. 43 Bauder, W. “Παράπτωµα.” Edited by Lothar Coenen, Erich Beyreuther, and Hans Bietenhard. New

International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986).

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legal correction has been accomplished, and the power of sin over the believer is broken,

achieving what no laws and religious activities could ever accomplish.

UNION WITH CHRIST IN HIS RESURRECTION

Union with Christ also includes our being united with Him in His resurrection. God

didn’t free us from the power of sin for its own sake, but in order that we would walk in

newness of life (Rom 6:4). In other words, resurrection or new life is the purpose of our union

with Him in His death and burial.

Colossians 2:12

The use of the Aorist Passive tense with the verb συνηγέρθητε (raised together) indicates a

completed event,44 meaning our resurrection is as much a completed event as Christ’s

resurrection. However, while Christ has risen from the dead the fullness of His resurrection

glory has not yet been fully manifest, so neither is the glory of our resurrection with Him fully

manifest. Colossians 3:3-4 makes clear there the fullness our new life is yet hidden, as Christ

Himself is hidden, so there remains a future element of the resurrection yet to come. In terms

of union with Christ, this points to a future consummation.

The means by which we are raised is “through faith in the working of God who raised

Him from the dead.” This faith an understanding of the person and power of God as proven

by His work to raise Christ from the dead, an assent to His reality and ability, and a

willingness to transfer our reliance from ourselves to God.45 However, it is not the faith itself

that saves, but Christ Himself who saves. While there is a human experience of faith that we

subjectively exercise, there is a preceding objective work of God who is the ultimate source of

our faith (John 6:29, Rom 12:3). The former cannot exist without the latter. For this reason, 44 Moo, Colossians, 203. 45 John Murray. Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. (Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1955), 110-111.

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faith saves “not because of some intrinsic merit in our faith, but because we actually become

united to the object of our faith, Christ himself.”46 For this reason, it is at the reception of faith

that this union with His resurrection becomes reality.

While the Colossian false teachers are busy denying themselves and obeying rules, those

united with Christ have the same power working in them as raised Christ from the dead. The

“same power which brought Christ back from the dead… energizes them and maintains the

new life within them. In fact, the new life is nothing less than Christ’s resurrection life

imparted to all the members of his body.”47

Colossians 2:13

In verse 13 Paul restates our state prior to our union with Christ’s death. He describes this

state as being dead in trespasses (violations of God’s commands48) and uncircumcision (a

falling short based on a lack of desire to obey). The purpose of this reiteration of our state is

to contrast it with the work of God. We were actively in this state, until God made us alive

together with Christ according His own activity and prerogative.49

What does it mean to be made alive? The term “new life” is often used in theological

writing without qualification resulting in confusion. However in Colossians, we find three

primary elements that are sometimes referred to as “new life” in theological writings. These

are “new life,” “a new direction” and “renewal.”

New Life Imparted

Firstly, God made us alive together with Christ, meaning when Christ rose, His life 46 Johnson, One with Christ, 53. While the object of faith here is the working of God, our union with

Christ is not limited just to Christ, but is Trinitarian in nature, and the works of God cannot be separated from His person.

47 O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 121. 48 Dunn, Colossians and Philemon, 163. 49 Eadie, Colossians, 139.

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became our life. We see this new life explicitly in Paul’s application of our participation in

Christ’s resurrection in 3:4, when Paul says, “Christ, who is your life…” In accordance with

Christ’s words in John 14:6, “I am… the life” the new life we receive is not some third party,

nor simply a “quickening” but is the Founder of life Himself (Acts 3:15), to whom we are

inseparably joined by a spiritual union through faith. When the Word of God speaks of new

life, it is always with relationship to our union with Christ.

There are a number of attestations to this reality in Scripture. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says,

“I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

The Greek in Galatians 2:19-20 consists of several short clauses. Firstly Paul says “I have

been crucified with Christ, and I myself no longer live,” speaking of his union with Christ in

death as discussed above. Paul isolates himself entirely from the concept of “life” that

follows: “But Christ lives in me.” According to this passage, the new life Paul has, is Christ

Himself.50 This is one of the central truths of union with Christ, that Christ Himself is our life.

Our deadness was united to His death and His life was united to us in His resurrection.

Further, there are consequences of this union with Christ and His life being joined to us.

The first is that the orientation of our life is Christ, who always does the will of the Father

(John 5:19). Christ Himself works in us “to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil

2:13).

New Direction

A second consequence of being united with Christ in His resurrection is, because we died

abandoning our old lives, and because He is our life, it follows that we have a new direction.

We see this in Colossians 3:1-3. Having been raised with Christ, not only from the dead but

50 Moo, Colossians, 254. Moo also refers the reader to Phil 1:21.

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also into the heavens, the orientation of our life is also around heaven.

Colossians 3:1

Paul provides two consequential imperatives and a consequential expectation (a third

consequence) to our being united to Christ in His resurrection. The first is to “seek the things

that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (ESV). The life we live in the

body, we live by faith in the Son of God (Gal 2:20). Because we died, we laid aside our old

life, and because Christ is our life, or because He lives inside us, our purpose is no longer to

live for or seek our own things, but to seek the things above. He is not referring to seeking to

possess the things above; rather he is referring to an orientation, a direction congruent to the

realities of our union with Christ.51 This is a reference to the volitional referent of our will.52

The concept of volitional seeking is found throughout the New Testament (e.g. Phil 3:14),

but here it is given an eschatological nuance similar to that found in Matt 6:33. Paul explains

that Christ is “sitting at the right hand of God.” This echoes Ps 110:1, “The Lord said to my

Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”53 Elsewhere

Paul affirms that Jesus is at the right hand of God (Rom 8:34, 1 Cor 15:25, Eph 1:20), as does

the author of Hebrews (Heb 1:3, 8:1, 10:12-13, 12:2), and Peter (Acts 2:34-35, 1 Pet 3:22).

The significance of this is rooted in the “until” clause of Psalm 110:1. Christ is currently

seated at the right hand of God, but this is a temporary arrangement, “until I make your

enemies a footstool for your feet.”

Though it is temporary, it ought to be recognized as a position of power. The one who sits

51 Moo, Colossians, 246. 52 O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 160. Note the converse relationship of our volition. In our dying with

Christ, we volitionally die to the things of earth, in being raised with Christ we volitionally focus our lives around Christ and His priorities. This represents the effect of regeneration on our volition.

53 Dunn, Colossians and Philemon, 203.

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at the right hand of God is in a position of prominence,54 strength, powerful protection and

favor.55 This position is described with a present participle indicating a present ongoing

situation.56 This means our focus is oriented toward the present reality of the exalted Lord.

Paul is indicating that just as Christ is exalted at the right hand of God, so we too by merit

of our union with Him, are seated with Him in the heavens (Eph 2:5). But Christ’s reign is not

yet complete. “We do not yet see all things subjected to Him, but we do see Him … Jesus…

crowned with glory and honor” (Heb 2:8-9). Because of the exalted nature of our union with

Christ, the unmerited favor we have with God because of His death, and the expectation of

future glory in Christ, our orientation should be focused around Christ.

For this reason, Paul says in Philippians 3:20 that “our citizenship is in heaven…” that is

to say that we are no longer to be focused on the earth, but live as those who belong to heaven.

As those who have given up everything to follow Him, and have been joined with Him who

currently sits, waiting at the right hand of God, everything we are and have is in heaven. For

this reason, we are exhorted to direct our will to the end that God is achieving in Christ.

Colossians 3:2

In addition to a change of volitional orientation, we are to set our minds on things above

and not on the things that are on earth (3:2). In this imperative that repeats the essence of his

command, though this time with more specificity.57 The thoughts, or the life of the mind is the

driving force of man’s volition, therefore he is referring here to the inner disposition that

governs the will.58

54 Moo, Colossians, 163. 55 Dunn, Colossians and Philemon, 204. 56 O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 162. 57 Moo, Colossians, 247. 58 Eadie, Colossians, 210.

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In setting forth the command, he also provides a negative injunction, “not the things that

are upon the earth.” We see this same negative concept in Phil 3:19, where we read that those

who are enemies of Christ (3:18), “set their minds on earthly things.” In Romans 1:28, we

also find that as a result of rebellion God gives people over to a depraved mind. Later in

Romans 8, we find that those who walk according to the flesh set their minds on the flesh.

The end of those who set their mind on the flesh is destruction (Phil 3:19). A mind set on the

things on earth is the mind of unbelief, and indicates one who is walking in the flesh, rather

than by the Spirit (Rom 8:6).

On the other hand, the Word of God is filled with injunctions for believers regarding the

focus of the mind. We find in Romans 12:2 that we are to be transformed by the renewal of

our mind. The immediate purpose of being transformed by the renewing of the mind is so we

can prove (by testing) what is the will of God – which is described as “good, pleasing and

perfect.” In other words, to appreciate and walk according to the work and purposes of God,

we need to have our mind reshaped. In Phil 4:8 Paul tells us to dwell on (“to give careful

thought to, ponder, consider, let one’s mind dwell on”59) whatever is true, honorable, right,

pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and worthy of praise.

As we set our minds on Christ and His Word and will, our thinking is transformed leading

to the transformation of our lives and the resultant new direction our lives will take. The

transformation of our mind is a sure result of our union with Christ, as one of the results of

our union with Him is that we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), and the mind of Christ is

naturally drawn to what is pleasing to the Lord (John 8:29). Dunn summarizes saying, “what

is commanded is not an apocalyptic or mystical preoccupation with the furniture of heaven…

59 BDAG, 598.

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but a cast of mind, a settled way of looking at things, a sustained devotion to and enactment of

a life cause.”60

If we want to seek the things above, we need to focus our mind on things above, and allow

ourselves to be transformed accordingly. As we immerse ourselves in His purposes, the

fullness of our union with Christ, learn what pleases Him and discipline ourselves for

obedience, we will increasingly be oriented around things above, and transformed into His

image (2 Cor 3:18). This orientation is a key mark of having been united with Christ in His

resurrection.

Colossians 3:3-4

Paul uses an explanatory conjunction (for) in verse 3 to further explain the imperative

in verses 1-2.61 Paul recalls in our union with Christ’s death as a contrast, challenging us,

“given you died, why would you focus here and now when your life has been turned upside

down?”62

Not only have we died and left behind all that was hostile in us to God, but also our

life even here on earth is not yet complete. “You died and your life is now hidden with Christ

in God.” Paul again uses terminology akin to what we found in chapter 2 (“with Christ”) to

introduce us to another aspect of our union with Christ. Specifically, our lives are now hidden

with Christ (ἡ ζωὴ ὑµῶν κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστός). Unlike previous statements of our union,

Paul isn’t here referring to a sharing in an activity or event,63 but to sharing in Christ’s

60 Dunn, Colossians and Philemon, 205. 61 O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 165. 62 Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer. Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Epistles to the Philippians

and Colossians. Ed by William P. Dickson. Trans by John C. Moore. Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1875), 419.

63 Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ, 221.

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position and status.64 That we share Christ’s current exalted status is hidden in Christ, in order

to be revealed at the appropriate time. This is another consequence of being joined with Christ

in His resurrection, we have a future expectation of consummation.

Expectation of Consummation

We continue our physical existence on earth, but the reality of our life is hidden. The

perfect tense of the verb “hidden” (κέκρυπται) contrasts with the previous verb, “you died”

(ἀπεθάνετε) in that it focuses on something done with results that remain to this time, where

having died is simply a completed event.65 Our being hidden with Christ is a result of our

union with Him and His current status in heaven, out of human sight,66 while He is exalted,

this reality is hidden as Christ Himself is hidden in God having His own being in God (Col

2:9).67 This hidden life that we have is a sealed, unalterable reality waiting for the fullness of

time. This fullness of time will come, “when Christ is revealed” (v4).

The significance of union and a later revealing is consistent with the illustration of

marriage Paul uses of the union between Christ and the church, and this illustration is

pertinent to this passage. We find in Rom 7:4 that we were released from the law that we

could be joined to another, “to Him who was raised from the dead.” Similarly, in Eph 5:32,

Paul explains the love a godly husband has for his wife, explaining that the husband loves his

wife as Christ does, sanctifying her, “that He might present to Himself the church in all her

glory” (Eph 5:27). Paul then makes it explicit that he is speaking not merely of marriage

between a man and woman, but between Christ and His church (5:32). This presenting the

64 Ibid., 222. 65 O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 165. 66 Moo, Colossians, 250. 67 O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 166.

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church to Himself constitutes the full consummation of our union with Christ and is

connected to our being revealed in glory. The revealing of Christ referred to in Colossians 3:4

is the same manifestation we find in Revelation 19, where again we find a close association

with marriage.

In Revelation 19:7-8 we read of the “marriage of the lamb,” whose bride “clothes

herself in fine linen, bright and clean.” As we’ve seen the New Testament regards the church

as the bride of Christ, who waits for her bridegroom to come.68 This bride has clothed herself

(Rev 19:7) reflecting the church’s responsibility to prepare herself, yet at the same time,

dependent on the work of the bridegroom (Eph 5:25-26).69 The preparation in Revelation 19:8

is specified as “fine linen, bright and clean… the righteous acts of the saints.” That the church

does these righteous acts can hardly be disputed (Eph 2:10), and the impossibility that

someone other than the church should wear these acts further strengthens the case for the

bride in Rev 19:7 being the church.

When in Rev 19:11-15 we find that at the appearing of Christ at His second coming,

the armies of heaven follow Him, “clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” Thomas concludes,

“these armies are redeemed men” because their clothing “closely identifies them with the

Lamb’s bride whose apparel is… ‘bright, clean fine linen’”70

In Colossians 3:3-4 our life is hidden until Christ is revealed, which corresponds

exactly with the marriage of the lamb and His subsequent appearance at His second coming

accompanied by the saints. This is the consummation of the union fully realized, when the

bride of Christ will be revealed to the world as partakers of His glory. Then believers who 68 Robert L. Thomas. Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary. (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995),

368. 69 Ibid., 367. 70 Ibid.,388.

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have overcome (1 John 5:4) will rule with a rod of Iron (Rev 3:26-27) as will Christ when He

is revealed (Rev 19:15).

Therefore, those who have been united with Christ have Christ Himself living in them,

a new orientation, and the expectation of the full consummation of our union with Christ

ahead. There is one more element to our union with Christ revealed in Colossians to which we

will quickly turn before concluding.

Renewal

The final consequence of our being raised with Christ in His resurrection is the

renewal that comes as a result of His life, power and resistance to sin dwelling in us.

Col 3:5-14

The conjunction οὖν (therefore) in v5 indicates a connection that follows on from the

reality of our being raised with Christ and having new direction. This connection is threefold,

practically that we are to firstly “put to death what is earthly in you…” (v5) and put away the

characteristics of the old self (v8, 9) in accordance with the new self.

The old “self” or “man” (ἄνθρωπον) refers to the whole person who died in Christ.

The new man is, as in 2 Cor 5:17, the believer who is now joined with Christ so as to be a

new creation, one who is being renewed.71 In Galatians 2:20, the life now lived in the flesh

(by which Paul means “the whole material part of a living being”72), which is lived by faith in

the Son of God (Gal 2:20), is this new man being renewed after the image of its creator. As

the mind of this new creature is focused on the realities associated with our union with Christ,

the ethical injunctions (v12-14) are the focus of the believer energized by the life of Christ in

71 Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ, 317. 72 Ernest De Witt Burton. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians.

International Critical Commentary. (New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1920), 492.

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him (Phil 2:12-13).

This new person is not yet totally new,73 and the current state of this new creature is

one of “being renewed” (ἀνακαινούµενον - present passive participle). While we wait for the

consummation of our union with Christ, the effects of our current union with Christ are that

the new life of Christ in us begins to conform our material life to His likeness (Rom 8:29).

While in this state, we still have the sin principle in us, though the power of Christ in us is

greater than the power of sin, resulting inevitably in our renewal, and the fruit that

accompanies the life lived by the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).

CONCLUSION

As we have examined Colossians 2-3 we have seen that in Colossians, Paul reveals

that our union with Christ is dependent firstly on God’s union of Himself with humanity in

the person of Christ. Through the efficacy of Christ’s life, God made union with Himself

possible.

We also saw that we have been united with Christ in His death providing three key

benefits, the breaking of the power of sin, the voluntary departure from our old life and

forgiveness of our trespasses and the imputation of righteousness. The purpose of our being

put to death with Christ was that we might have new life, participating with Him in His

resurrection. This four benefits in Colossians, new life as Christ Himself is spiritually united

to us through faith, a new orientation, the expectation of future consummation of our union

with Christ and in the meantime the renewal that comes because of the working of His power

in us. In this manner, we can see that union with Christ encapsulates and governs every part of

our salvation.

73 Hoekema, Created in God’s Image, 110.

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