Revealed with him in glory
Hidden now, revealed then
Paul makes a breathtaking promise about the believer's future: when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. The same Christ whose appearing the pilgrim longs for will bring with him the revealing of his people — and we will appear not in our present obscurity and weakness, but with him, in glory. The hidden life will be gloriously revealed.
The key is the contrast between now and then. Now, Paul has just said, our life is hidden with Christ in God — our true identity and glory concealed, not yet visible, even to ourselves. We do not yet look glorious; we look ordinary, weak, unremarkable, our real status as children of God largely invisible. But a day is coming when what is now hidden will be revealed in full, and we will appear with Christ in glory.
This dignifies the obscurity of the present and fuels hope for the future. If your life of faith feels hidden and unremarkable now — your devotion unseen, your true self concealed, your glory not yet apparent — that is exactly what Paul describes as the present condition of those whose life is hidden with Christ. But it is hidden, not lost, and it will appear. When Christ appears, you will appear with him in glory, and what is now concealed will shine. The hidden pilgrim is destined for open glory.
“When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.”
— Paul, to the Colossians — Colossians 3:4 (WEB)
Take heart that the hidden life of faith is destined for open glory — for when Christ appears, you will appear with him, and all that is now concealed will shine.
“When he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.”
The hiddenness of a faithful life can feel like a verdict — unseen devotion read as unimportant, an ordinary surface mistaken for an empty interior. The interior work is to receive Paul's reversal, that our life is now hidden with Christ and will one day appear with him in glory, so the present obscurity is understood as concealment and not absence — a glory reserved, awaiting its unveiling, not a glory we lack.
This week, when your life of faith feels hidden, unseen, and unremarkable, hold Paul's promise: my life is hidden with Christ now, but I will appear with him in glory. Let the coming revelation dignify the present obscurity rather than despising it.
Discouragement does its quietest work right here, whispering that because no one sees your devotion it cannot matter much. But a soul that knows its hidden life is set to appear with Christ in radiant glory cannot be talked into despising a present that is only concealment, never loss.
The life of faith often feels hidden and unremarkable. Our devotion goes unseen, our struggles are invisible to others, and our true status as children of God is not apparent — we look ordinary, even weak, with no visible glory. Paul names this as exactly the present condition of believers: our life is now hidden with Christ in God, concealed, not yet revealed even to ourselves.
But hidden is not lost, and Paul promises a great reversal: when Christ, who is our life, appears, then we also will appear with him in glory. What is now concealed will be openly revealed; the obscure pilgrim is destined for radiant glory. This dignifies the present obscurity and fuels hope. If your life of faith feels hidden and unremarkable now, take heart — that is precisely the condition of those whose glory is reserved, not absent. The day is coming when Christ appears, and you appear with him in glory, and all that is now hidden will shine.
- Does the hiddenness of my faith make me feel insignificant?
- Can I see my present obscurity as concealment, not absence, of glory?
- What would it mean to live toward the day I appear with Christ in glory?
Lord, my life of faith feels hidden and unremarkable, and I mistake the obscurity for insignificance. But my life is hidden with you, and when you appear I will appear with you in glory. Let that coming revelation dignify my hidden present, and fix my hope on the glory to come. Amen.