So Paul states the reason why the thought and affection of the Colossians should be directed toward heaven. They have died (see 2.20), as their baptism testifies (see 2.12), and their life has been hidden with Christ in God. It is not easy to understand Paul’s statement, except that it reflects the concept that the revelation of the complete meaning of a Christian’s life must await the full revelation of Christ (verse 4); until then it is “hidden,” just as Christ’s real power and glory are as yet invisible. In God in Paul’s letters is found only in 1 Thes 1.1, 2 Thes 1.1; the thought is that the believer’s true life, his risen life, is identified with Christ’s present unseen existence in union with God.

You have died must of course be understood in a figurative sense, and therefore it may be necessary to provide a clue to such an interpretation by saying “you have died, as it were” or “it is just as though you had died.”

The clause your life is hidden with Christ in God is perhaps one of the most difficult expressions to communicate effectively in some languages. Your life is obviously more than mere existence; in fact the focus is upon the true life of the believer which will be revealed when Christ appears. But how to say that this true life is hidden in God and together with Christ is extremely difficult. It may be best to interpret is hidden as “has not yet been revealed,” since this would appear to be in line with the explanation of this meaning as it occurs in verse 4. With Christ can be interpreted as “as in the case of Christ,” and in a sense in God actually marks the agent who has caused the life of the believer to be as yet unrevealed. On the other hand, it is also possible to understand in God as “by being closely related to God” or “in your relationship to God.” Your life is hidden with Christ in God may, therefore, be rendered in some instances as “your real life is as yet not revealed, as also in the case of Christ, and all of this is true in view of your relationship to God” or “… because of your close union with God.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .