Read Colossians 3:3–4
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear
with him in glory.
Colossians 3:4
Christ not only died for us (substitution), but we died with Him
(identification). Christ not only died for sin, bearing its penalty; He
also died unto sin, breaking its power. Because we are “in Christ”
through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), we died with
Christ. This means that we can have victory over the old sin nature
that wants to control us.
Someone has said, “Life is what you are alive to.” A child may
come alive when you talk about a baseball game or an ice-cream cone.
A teenager may come alive when you mention cars or dates. Paul
wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). Christ was Paul’s life,
and he was alive to anything that related to Christ. So should it be
with every believer.
Years ago I heard a story about two sisters who enjoyed attending
dances and wild parties. Then they were converted and found new life
in Christ. They received an invitation to a party and sent their RSVP
in these words: “We regret that we cannot attend because we recently
died.”
Something to Ponder
What makes you “come alive”? Do any of these things interfere with
your being able to exclaim, “For to me, to live is Christ”?