3:3a

For: The conjunction For connects 3:3 with 3:2. It provides the basis for what Paul said in 3:2. He said that since our old sinful nature has died, we should not continually think about earthly things, but rather concentrate on the things of heaven.

you died: See the notes on 2:12a and 2:20a. Again, Paul did not mean that the Colossians had actually died, but that their sinful nature had died.

3:3b

your life is now hidden: The word hidden here contrasts with “appear” in 3:4b. When Paul said that a believer’s new life was hidden, he meant that it was hidden from the world and its evil influences—just as a dead body that has been buried is hidden and cannot be seen. People who do not know God cannot see or understand the believer’s new life.

with Christ: As in 2:12a–b, the phrase with Christ shows identification with Christ. It means “together with Christ.”

in God: Scholars do not agree about how to understand this phrase or how it fits with the rest of this verse. It may mean “in God’s presence” (the SSA discusses this). Most English versions leave it ambiguous.

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