Look Up! (Colossians 3:1-4)

We’ve reached the halfway point in our study of Colossians (hooray!). At this point, Paul begins to shift focus. He has finished laying out the doctrine of the complete sufficiency of Jesus Christ, and now he begins to focus on the practical applications of that doctrine. If you believe that Christ is completely sufficient for all of your spiritual needs, how ought you to act? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again because it bears repeating: You cannot exhort right behavior without laying the doctrinal foundation for that behavior; or put another way, right thinking leads to right behavior.

This past presidential election bears this out. The number one thing that motivated the voters this year was the matter of values—morality. I can’t tell you how many people who supported John Kerry are saying, “What’s the big deal about values? What about important issues such as the war in Iraq, the economy, a woman’s right to choose, or gay rights?” Look, no one makes decisions in a vacuum. A person’s value system informs, or determines, one’s stance on these issues. You cannot divorce the issues from the values that inform them. With that said, Paul opens the practical section of this letter with a call to focus our attention heavenward. These four verses serve as the bridge that connects the doctrinal section with the practical section.

1. Look Back! (v. 1).

Paul begins this section with a little recap of his previous arguments. “If then you have been raised with Christ,” points us back to 2:12. Again, the “if” is better translated as a “since.” The concept of being “raised with Christ” is a reference to our spiritual rebirth. Christ died to give us life—spiritual life. Everyone is born into this world spiritually dead (cf. Ephesians 2). It is through our faith in Christ that we are “born again”—i.e., born spiritually (John 3) or made spiritually alive (Ephesians 2). Baptism is the symbolic representation of this spiritual reality. So we have been raised with Christ, now what? “Seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” This thought is developed more fully in v. 2, but Paul is basically saying, “You’ve been raised with Christ, start focusing your life where he is at.” When Christ was resurrected from the dead, he spent 40 days with the disciples before ascending into heaven (Luke 24, Acts 1). Where did he go? He is in heaven, seated at God’s right hand. To be seated signifies a cessation of activity. The work of the atonement was finished—there is nothing more that needs to be done. Furthermore, to be seated at God’s right hand, is to be seated at the place of highest honor (cf. Philippians 2:9). Finally, Jesus’ proximity to God allows him to make continual intercession for us (cf. Hebrews 7:25).

2. Look Up! (v. 2).

The thought that was introduced in v. 1 is stated more fully in v. 2. This exhortation to Christian living sets the stage for the remainder of the epistle. “Set your minds on things that are above.” What does it mean to “set your mind?” Think of a radio receiver. In order to receive a particular radio station’s signal, it is necessary to tune in the receiver to the sender’s frequency. Once that’s done, you can receive the radio signal loud and clear. Similarly, God is “transmitting” his signal to us through his word and through faithful preachers and through loving brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to set our minds on things that are above; once we do so, we are “tuned in” to God’s frequency, and he is being picked up loud and clear.

Conversely, if we are to set our minds on things above, then we aren’t to set our minds “on things that are on earth.” A couple of things need to be said here. First, by not setting our minds on things that are on the earth, Paul doesn’t mean we are to ignore earthly things. Back to the radio analogy, just because a radio is tuned into a particular station doesn’t mean that other radio signals disappear. It just means that the radio is focused on one particular signal. Likewise, a Christian with his mind set on God is focused on the things of God; and by doing that, all other things fall into their proper place. The second thing I want to say about that is the things of the earth aren’t all necessarily evil. In fact, many earthly things are good, but it’s been said that many good things can drown out the one excellent thing (cf. Luke 10:38-42).

3. Look Forward (vv. 3-4).

Alright, why all the fuss? Why should we be so worked about setting our minds on things above? Good question! Paul’s basic answer is in v. 3: “For you have died.” News flash: We’re dead! Not physically dead, nor spiritually dead. What are we dead to then? Dead to sin’s power in our lives. Dead to the things that once had power over our lives and kept us in bondage (cf. Colossians 2:20). To put it another way, before Christ were dead in sin; after Christ we are dead to sin. Does a physically dead person still react to physical stimuli? No! Similarly, a person who is dead to sin has no business lingering in sinful patterns.

Paul continues, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” This is connected to the fact that we are dead to the power of sin. What does it mean to be hidden with Christ in God? Commentators say different things, but here is my take. One of the pictures of redemption in the Bible is the sinner being bought out of slavery (cf. Colossians 1:13-14). The concept of “hidden” therefore is the idea that we are now in Christ’s care and protection. Just as a mother would hide her baby to shield him from danger, Christ hides us with him in God. So we are to set our focus heavenward because we have died to sin, and we are hidden with Christ.

The final reason Paul offers us is in v. 4. Christ is coming back (in case you didn’t know)! What happens when he appears? We’re going to be transformed (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:50-54). Paul here says we will “appear with him in glory.” Right now, we’re not glorified, but when Christ appears (not “if” but “when”), we will be glorified. When that happens, we don’t want to be standing there at the end of a life spent focusing on the wrong things!

4. Application Time.

Paul is going to spend the rest of this letter exhorting us to right and holy living. But it will mean nothing if we don’t have the right focus. Step number one in Christian living is tuning into God’s frequency. Trying to live a holy life without setting our minds on things above is legalism—and that saves no one.

5. Bottom Line.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).

Have a blessed day!

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