Colossians 3:3 (ASV)

Passage

For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:1 If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.

Colossians 3:3 For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:4 When Christ, [who is] our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.

Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "died", "life", and "christ". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "died" and "life", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Set your mind on the things that..." into verse 4's "When Christ who is our life shall...", so "died" and "life" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "died" and "life" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.