The words "who were" here are incorrect; ontas is the present participle of the verb

"to be", and must be translated "being" (compare the singular word ontas in Eph. 2: 20:

"Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone"). It is the present condition of the

members of the church that is in view in Eph. 2: 1, not their past condition. And this at

once raises an obvious difficulty. How can we say that the present condition of any

member of the church is that he is "dead in sins"? The answer is that the Scripture,

rightly translated, does not teach this. The words translated "in trespasses and sins" are in

the dative case, exactly as we find it in Rom. 6: 10. The preposition en is not used in

either passage. Parallel with Rom. 6: 10 and Eph. 2: 1 is I Pet. 2: 24, where the fact

of having died to sins is at once followed by living to righteousness. Eph. 2: 1 therefore

declares that the members of the body of Christ are dead to sins, but alive to God. And in

verse 5, where the theme is renewed, it is immediately followed by the words: "He hat

quickened (made alive) together with Christ."

Colossians traverses the same ground as Ephesians. In Col. 2: the believer is seen

complete in Him, that completeness involving true circumcision and true baptism. In

other words: "And you, being dead to your trespasses and to the uncircumcision of your

flesh, hath He made alive together with Him" (Col. 2: 13). All this wonderful truth is in

mind when the apostle says in Col. 3: 3, "For ye died". Some readers may remember

that we covered much the same ground when dealing with Col. 2: 13. We believe the

teaching to be so important that no apology is necessary for a re-statement. Besides

which, new readers must be thought of in these matters of faith. We must now follow the

teaching of the apostle further.

"Your life hath been hid with Christ in God."--There seem to be at least two reasons

for the use of the expression "hid" in this verse:--

(1) There is the association of the life which the believer has in Christ, with the

mystery which also had been hid in God, from the ages and from the generations. That

mystery had its own particular time of manifestation (Col. 1: 26), closely linked with "the

hope of glory" (Col. 1: 26, 27). Before the mystery was revealed to and through Paul, no

one had any knowledge of its existence. So too, says the apostle, others looking at

you have no knowledge of that equally hidden life which is nevertheless yours. The very

fact that Christ was now preached among the Gentiles was their "hope of glory"; and

this preaching coincided with the mystery being "made manifest to His saints"

(Col. 1: 26, 27). In like manner, the manifestation (the word "appear") of Christ would

synchronize with the manifestation of the saints with Him in glory.

(2) The fact that his life was hid with Christ in God would be a blessed assurance to

the believer when contemplating the attempts of the enemy to spoil and beguile of his

reward. He would remember Col. 2: 3, 4: "In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom

and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words."

The power of "that blessed hope" is next made evident:--