Colossians 3:1-4 - Being heavenly minded

In baptism, believers participate in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. When a believer goes under the water of baptism, it signifies the death and burial of their past sinful life. When he comes out of the water, it signifies his resurrection, to live a new life in Christ. In Colossians 2:20-23, Paul dealt with the symbol of the death and burial of the believers’ old life during baptism. He now in Colossians 3:1-4, deals with the resurrected life of a believer in that same baptism.

So he began in verse 1 by saying if we believers have been risen with Christ, there are two things we must do. Here Paul put them in the imperatives. In other words, these are not options that we can choose, but commands that we must follow. Here Paul pointed out two things believers must do.

The first has to do with one’s affection. It is setting our hearts on the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. The second has to do with our minds. It is to set our minds, or more precisely to have mindsets, values and attitudes, on things that are above and not on things of this earth.

Heretics and Christians have different emphases. A heretic would seek to abandon this world in order to strife for spirituality. The Christians would consider life and desire on earth from a heavenly perspective with the view of living on earth with a heavenly mindset.      

In verses 3-4, Paul then provided the reason why we should have heavenly affections and mindsets. He saw life now from two perspectives: the past and the future. Our past is hidden in Christ. Right now, our sinful nature is covered by Christ. We have become inseparably one with Christ. Our security is in Christ because He Himself is inseparably one with God. And then when Christ, in Whom our lives are hidden and are inseparably one, shall appear in His second coming, we shall also share in the revelation of His glory.

To live an overcoming life here on earth, Paul advocated that we believers should cultivate a heavenly mindset and have a value system that is eternal. We must set our affection and thoughts on things with eternal value. Let’s not be bogged down with the mundane of the here and now. Every time we connect with Christ we sow a godly seed, and as we nurture it with healthy spiritual habits like meditation, devotion and prayer, we are inculcating a heavenly mindset. Let’s do it so that we are constantly one with Christ!