High calling: Life transforming implications: (chap.3):
In the final two chapters of Colossians, Paul moved into the practical application of the doctrines he had been teaching. In the days of Paul, there was little respect for personal morality. A worshiper could bow before an idol, put his offering on the altar, and go back to live the same old life of sin. What a person believed had no direct relationship with how he behaved, and no one would condemn a person for his behaviour. But the Christian faith brought a whole new concept into pagan society. It is true that what we believe has a very definite connection with how we behave! After all, faith in Christ means being united to Christ and if we share His life, we must follow His example. He cannot live in us by His Spirit and permit us to live in sin.
Put on and Put off: (3:1-17).
Paul speaks to believers what to put on and what to put off in order to display Christian behaviour.
- Setting heart and mind above: (3:1-2): Setting our hearts on things means striving to put heaven’s priorities into daily practice. Our desires, aspirations and passions must be on the heavenly things. Similarly setting our minds on things above means concentrating on the eternal rather than the temporal. Our hearts must be entirely engrossed on them. Earthly things are not all evil, but some of them are. Even things harmless in themselves become harmful if permitted to take the place that should be reserved for the things above.” The Christian’s real home is where Christ lives (Jn. 14:2,3). Again to set our minds on things above means to look at life from God’s perspective and to seek what He desires. This is antidote to materialism. We must not attach ourselves too much with this world.
Ex: In a compass, the arrow is always pointing to North irrespective of its location. Similarly TV antenna in olden days are erected on roof tops, the receiver is turned towards the signals.
Ex: We can correlate the earthly things to the life of a swine (pig). The swine always look down, enjoys in the dirty environment throughout the day. It would never look up into the sky. The only time it would stare up the sky is when the hunter carries on a stick after tying the pig’s legs. This is the meaning of setting our minds on earthly things.
- Died with Christ and live in Christ: (3:3-4): The Lord Jesus Christ died for sin breaking its power. Because we are in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.12:13), we died with Christ. This means that we can have victory over the old sin nature that wants to control us. Further Christ is our life. Eternal life is not some heavenly substance that God imparts when we, as sinners, trust the Saviour. Eternal life is Jesus Christ Himself. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 Jn.5:12). We are dead and alive at the same time, dead to sin and alive in Christ. Paul said: “For to me to live is Christ” (Phil.1:21). Christ was Paul’s life and he was alive to do anything that related to Christ. So it should be with every believer.
Ex: Years ago I heard a story about two sisters who enjoyed attending dances and wild parties. Then they were converted and found new life in Christ. They received an invitation to a party and sent their RSVP in these words: “We regret that we cannot attend because we have recently died.”
- A Glorified life in Christ: (3:4b): The Christian life is a hidden life as far as the world is concerned, because the world does not know Christ. Our sphere of life is not this earth, but heaven; and the things that attract us and excite us belong to heaven, not to earth. This does not mean that we should ignore our earthly responsibilities. Rather it means that our motives and our strength come from heaven, not earth. But Christ who is now seated at the Father’s right hand will one day come to take His people home (1 Thess. 4:13-18). When He comes, we shall enter into eternal glory with Christ. But Apostle Paul says: we have already been glorified! (Rom.8:30) This glory simply has not yet been revealed. Christ has already given us His glory (Jn.17:22), but the full revelation of the glory awaits the return of the Saviour (Rom.8:17-25). Because of our wonderful identification with Christ, we have a great responsibility: Seek those things which are above. Through Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, we have been separated from the old life of this world, and we now belong to a new heavenly life.
Make it a habit to set our mind, our attention on things above, not on things on the earth. Our feet must be on earth, but our minds must be in heaven.
Ex: D.L. Moody used to say, some people are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly use. Some people are so earthly minded that they are of no use for heaven.