Colossians 3:1-4<\/p>\n\n\n
1 Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the 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.<\/p>\n\n\n
Paul says so much here in just a few words.<\/p>\n\n\n
A few early notes on the passage I will be preaching this coming Sunday …<\/p>\n\n\n
Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n
Verse 1 – The verb “strive for” is the same word Jesus uses in Matthew 6:13, there translated as “seek”: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”<\/p>\n\n\n
The image of Christ seated at the right hand of God is significant. “In Jewish traditions, God alone sits in the heavens, while the other subordinating angelic beings (i.e. the divine council) stand before him. Christ’s being seated at the right hand of God, therefore, points to his sharing of God’s sovereign rule.” (Pao, p.211)<\/p>\n\n\n
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n
Verse 2 – If the main feature of “the things above” is Jesus seated in power – as King – alongside the Father, then “setting your mind on things above” has to do with giving serious thought to God’s will. In contrast, “the earthly things” are “practices that refuse to acknowledge Christ as the sovereign Lord of all”. (Pao, p.212)<\/p>\n\n\n
“Believers are not to escape from this material world; rather, they are to focus on Christ as they live faithfully on earth.” (Pao, p.213)<\/p>\n\n\n
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n
Verse 3 – In Colossians 2:3, Paul has already asserted that “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden” in Christ. Now, he says the believer himself is hidden there. This is a place of safety, security, and fulfillment, as well as identity.<\/p>\n\n\n
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n
Verse 4 – This “hiddenness”, and the security which it brings, lasts right up until the moment Christ returns – when He is “revealed”. When His glory is revealed, we who were hidden with Him will also erupt into glory!\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Colossians 3:1-4 1 Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3482"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3483,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3482\/revisions\/3483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevegrossblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}