Colossians 3 - "What Do You Have Your Heart Set On?"

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Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Though we still live in an earthly body and deal with the issues in this world, our position is in and with Christ. We are dead to sin and have been raised to new life in Christ. Therefore, Paul urges us to set our hearts on things above, where Jesus is. 

We should also set our minds on things above where Jesus is seated. You might say our new life as a believer is about where we "set" our hearts and minds on. Where is your focus? What do you think about the most? What do you watch on TV, or look at on the internet? What books do you read? What do you do with your free time? How do you take care of your body? 

All of our decision in this life are related to what we "set" our hearts and minds on. And Paul suggests that when we do these two things our lives will be "hidden" in Christ. What does he mean by "hidden in Christ?" 

There are things the world cannot see when they look at us. They cannot see that we are redeemed by God and our citizenship is now in heaven. They cannot see how our old life of sin is now hidden by the new life we have in Christ. 

Our true identity is hidden. “By no means everything about Christian living is apparent, not only to outsiders, for whom much of it appears foolish, but also to Christians themselves, for whom there remains mystery and much questioning until the final revelation…. Its hiddenness necessitates that Christians live by faith and not by sight and, therefore, without all the answers to the meaning of many events in their lives” (A. T. Lincoln, New Interpreter’s Bible IX, 641).

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Though our life is hidden with God in Christ, and we have a new identity and a new destiny, this doesn't mean that our live is lived out passively. Because we have set our hearts and minds on things above, we need to put to death the things which once enslaved us. Paul gives a list of different aspects of our sinful nature which we inherited from Adam at birth. 

These used to be our calling card. As someone has said, "We could sin without batting an eye!"

Paul calls this the "old self". Some people nickname this, 'My B.C. days!" I.e. Before Christ days. But when we are born again, we have been given a new nature. This is the nature of Christ in us. Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and the life I know live is by faith in the son of God." 

When we are "born again", we are called a "baby Christian". We are still easily led back into old habits and behaviors. But as we grow in Christ, we are renewed in our knowledge of God and slowly are transformed to become the kind of person Jesus would be if he were us. This new life cannot be categorized by our nationality (Jew or Greek), religious background (circumcised or uncircumcised), economic background (slave or free). 

This is why the basis of our unity as Christ is Christ himself living in us, the hope of glory. When Christians try to rally and unite around other things like specific moral or political issues, we have lost our moorings. The only sure and solid foundation we have is our new life in Christ, which we live out together in the church. 

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

As God has chosen us and set us apart as holy, we respond by developing our character. When Paul says, "Clothe yourselves", we see we play an active role in become the type of person Jesus would be if he would be if would be if he were us. The five qualities he lists are similar the fruits of the Spirit, which Paul lists in Galatians 5:22. Importantly these fruits are developed IN US, as we allow the Holy Spirit to run our lives. 

Notice all of these character qualities are lived out in both the church and the world. We develop Christlikeness, as we love others as ourselves. All of these qualities are the same qualities that Jesus exhibited every day in his life on earth. This character continues with forgiving others who offend you.

The greatest quality we live out is love. As we learn from 1 Corinthians 13, we can do a lot things but if they are not done in a Spirit of love, we are only like a loud gong or clanging cymbal. 

Which of all of these different qualities do you need to work on as one of God's chosen people set apart to be his ambassador in the world? 

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Though we all experience anxiety in this life, God does not want us to live like this. In verse 15, Paul says, "the peace of Christ must RULE in our hearts!" Note it is not earthly peace or even our own peace, but the peace of Christ!  Part of this involves being thankful. If our minds are focused on everything God has given us, especially his grace, we are less likely worry about things that are out of our control anyways. 

So how do we keep this peace? We need to let the message of Christ (the gospel) dwell in us. It dwells us as a community of faith! Paul gives three aspects of our life together. Teaching, admonishing, and worshipping. Teaching is an essential aspect of the church. Teaching, as mentioned earlier, ensures the gospel is not distorted into works righteousness. It also help believers to understand the written word in the time it was written. Teachers continue to remind us of the timeless truths of the bible, so we are encouraged and built up, especially as we apply these truths in our lives. 

Verse 17 is another great verse to memorize.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Whatever you do. Our whole lives are meant to reflect being a follower of Jesus Christ. There was a time in my life when I claimed to be a Christian but my words and deeds were not glorifying God in a consistent way. Of course, we all have times when we don't do that, but generally speaking do our words and actions show the faith we have been given and the Jesus who lives inside of us. 

Do it all in the name of Jesus. In Jesus' day the name of the person you were representing was importantly, especially if they were in authority. Authority means the right to exercise power. When we pray or do things in Jesus' name, we are doing it in His power. We learn from other passages that Jesus' name is the name of above all names. That at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue that He is Lord. 

Giving thanks. Everything we do in Jesus' name should have an element of thanksgiving. We are thankful that we have power to do things in Jesus' name. We are thankful for the new life of meaning and purpose we have in Christ. We thanks that through Jesus we have access the Father and have been reconciled to Him through Jesus' death on the cross. 

Instructions for Christian Households

18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers,[c] do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

Like in his other letters, Paul ends with some practical instructions for households. You can see that the nature of the relationships are different but it is always a mutual submission. Children need to obey their parents, but for the parent's part they can't embitter their children. These are the checks and balances. Wives submit to your husbands, but husbands need to love and care for their wives. Therefore, a husband would never take advantage of their wife but use their authority to love them, care for them, and provide for them. 

This passage has often been used to say the bible promotes male dominance, or misogynistic behaviors, or the degradation of women by men. But as you can see that is farthest thing from Paul's mind. We submit to each other out of love for Christ, but there is still roles to play as husbands, wives, children, and parents. This misunderstanding has caused all kinds of problems and breakdown of the family. 

Finally, here is another verse you should put to memory. 

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 

A Christian should be the hardest worker in their company. Everything we say and do should reflect who our true boss is. Though we submit to earthly authorities, we know it is in obedience to our true King. As live our lives hidden in Christ and serve Him in all we say and do, we can expect an inheritance in heaven that will never fade away. 

Though we may be put in difficult situations at home, work, or in our relationships, we know that everything we say and do should be done with all of our hearts, as if we were working for their Lord. Some people strive for excellence because of the earthly rewards they will get. Christians should strive for excellence to reflect who are true master is. It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving!

Do you think your new life in Christ is reflected in what you say and/or do? Where is your life out of alignment with what Paul is talking about in this passage? Remember to set your hearts and minds on things above, where Christ is seated with the Father. By having the proper perspective it will help you to live out your new life in Christ and not be tempted to go back to your old, often sinful ways!