Passage
When Christ which is our life, shall appeare, then shall ye also appeare with him in glory.
Colossians 3:4 (GNV)
Nearby Context
Colossians 3:2 Set your affections on things which are aboue, and not on things which are on the earth.
Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ which is our life, shall appeare, then shall ye also appeare with him in glory.
Colossians 3:5 Mortifie therefore your members which are on the earth, fornication, vncleannes, the inordinate affection, euill concupiscence, and couetousnes which is idolatrie.
Colossians 3:6 For the which things sake ye wrath of God commeth on the children of disobedience.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "christ", "life", "shall", "appeare", and "glory". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "christ" and "life", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 3's "For ye are dead and your life..." into verse 5's "Mortifie therefore your members which are on...", so "christ" 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 "christ" and "life" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.