Colossians 3:4

"Sometimes we say of a man, ’Music is his life-Sport is his life-He lives for his work.’ Such a man finds life and all that life means in music, in sport, in work, as the case may be. For the Christian, Christ is his life. Jesus Christ dominates his thought and fills his life." [Note: Barclay, p. 179. Cf. Philippians 1:21.]

"Whenever" indicates that a revelation of Christ in the future is certain, but its time is unknown. The Greek word phaneroo ("revealed") stresses the open display of Christ at His coming. This is probably a reference to the Rapture. When He is revealed to us then, our lives will no longer be hidden in Him but revealed for what they are in our glorification. The Rapture will be a glorious revelation of Him to us and us in our glorified state. Now our eternal life is hidden (Colossians 3:3), but then it will be manifest.

"In Colossians . . . there is an emphasis on realized eschatology. Within the ’already-not yet’ tension the stress falls upon the former, called forth by the circumstances of the letter. . . . The ’already’ of salvation needed to be asserted repeatedly over against those who were interested in the heavenly realm but who had false notions about it, believing it could be reached by legalistic observances, knowledge, visionary experiences and the like. . .

"But if the ’already’ pole received the emphasis, the ’not yet’ of salvation still needed to be mentioned, and here in Colossians 3:4 we find a clear future reference." [Note: O’Brien, Colossians . . ., pp. 171-72.]

In view of this prospect the Colossians and we need not pursue another system that claims to provide more than we have in Christ. God has provided all we need for acceptance with Him and godly living in Christ. All we need to do is act on the implications of these truths, which Paul proceeded to help his readers do.