`Buried with' (Rom. 6:4).

This has life in view:

`Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as

Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so

we also should walk in newness of Life'.

`Quickened with' (Eph. 2:5).

As this contains the very word `life'

zao, nothing need be added to it.

`Raised with' (Col. 2:12).

This too necessitates the gift of life.

`Seated with' (Eph. 2:6).  This the last of three verbs used in the

context that necessarily imply life, the first being `quickened with' the

second `raised with'.  Every step has dealt with some obstacle to the

entering in of abundant life, and here, in Colossians 3, the blessed moment

of complete emancipation is brought before us:

`For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  When

Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with

Him in glory' (Col. 3:3,4).

Three divisions of this passage present themselves for review:

The Colossians could be `warned' and called upon to `beware' that no

man beguile them of their `reward', but no warning is uttered about the

possibility of losing their life.  That is untouchable, it is hid with Christ

in God.  The apostle has said something in the first chapter of Colossians

that prepares the way for this great truth:

`For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven' (Col. 1:5).

This same expression is used in 2 Timothy 4:8, where it speaks of `the

crown of righteousness' that was `laid up' for the apostle, and for all who

have loved `His appearing'.  While therefore we must keep the Hope and the

Prize distinct, we observe that they are both `laid up', and both connected

with `His appearing', the hope being `the appearing' itself (Col. 3:1 -4),

the crown being awarded to those who love that appearing.  It is natural that

in connection with a `Mystery' certain essential elements should have been

`hid', otherwise the word mystery would be emptied of meaning:

`And to make all men see what is the fellowship (dispensation R.V.) of

the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been Hid In

God' (Eph. 3:9).

`Even the mystery which hath been Hid from ages and from generations,

but now is made manifest to His saints' (Col. 1:26).

`To the acknowledgment of the mystery of God -- Christ (Revised texts);

in Whom are Hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Col.

`Your life is Hid with Christ In God' (Col. 3:3).

These four passages which use the word `hid' fall into a simple form of

introverted parallelism: