DIGGING DEEP NO. 1075 March 18, 2025 A STUDY OF THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS (PART 7) HEAVEN ON EARTH Col.3: 1 – 11.

In the final two chapters of Colossians, Paul moved into the practical application of the doctrines he had been teaching. After all, it does little good if Christians declare and defend the truth, but fail to demonstrate it in their lives. There are some Christians who will defend the truth at the drop of a hat, but their personal lives deny the doctrines they profess to love Tit.1: 16. A worshipper 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 behavior. However, the Christian faith brought a whole new concept into pagan society. 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 follow His example. He cannot live in us by His Spirit and permit us to live in sin. We are given three instructions in this section.

1. Seek The Heavenly – Col.3: 1- 4. The emphasis is on the believer’s relationship with Christ. We died with Christ Vs.3a. Christ not only died for us (Substitution), but we died with Him (Identification). Christ not only died for sin, bearing its penalty, but He died unto 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 sinful nature that wants to control us Rom.6: 2.

We live in Christ Vs.4a. Christ is our life. Eternal life is Jesus Christ Himself 1Jh.5: 12. We are dead and alive at the same time. Dead to sin and alive in Christ. Someone has said, “Life is what you are alive to.” A child may come alive when you talk about a baseball game or an ice cream cone. A teenager may come alive when you mention cars. Paul wrote, “For to me to live is Christ.” Phil.1: 21 Christ was Paul’s life, and he was alive in anything related to Christ. So should it be with every believer?

We are raised with Christ Vs.1a. When Jesus gave us His life, He lifted us out of the grave and set us on the throne in heaven! Christ is seated at the right hand of God and we are seated there “in Christ.” All of us as believers, are identified with Christ in death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Our exalted position in Christ is not a hypothetical thing or a goal for which we strive. It is an accomplished fact if we remain in Christ.

We are hidden in Christ Vs.3b.  We no longer belong to the world, but to Christ; and the sources of life that we enjoy come only from Him. “Hidden in Christ” means security and satisfaction. Nothing can separate us from the love of God Rom.8: 31- 39. The Christian life is a hidden life as far as the world is concerned because the world does not know Christ 1Jh.4: 1- 6. Our sphere of life is not this earth. This does not mean we should ignore our earthly responsibilities. Rather it means that our motives and our strength come from heaven, not earth.

We are glorified in Christ Vs.4b. Christ is now seated at the Father’s right hand, but one day He will come to take His people home 1Thes.4: 13- 18. When He does, we shall enter into eternal glory with Christ. When He is revealed in His glory, we shall also be revealed in glory. According to Apostle Paul, we have already been glorified Rom.8: 30. This glory simply has not yet been revealed. Christ has already given us His glory Jh.17: 22; but the full revelation of the glory awaits the return of the Savior Rom.8: 17- 25. Now, in view of our wonderful identification with Christ, we have a great responsibility: “Seek those things which are above” Col.3: 1. 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. But how do we seek those things which are above? The secret is found in Col.3: 2 “Habitually set your mind; your attention on things above not on things on the earth. Our feet must be on earth, but our minds must be in heaven. This is not to suggest that we become so heavenly-minded that we are no earthly good. It means that the practical everyday affairs of life get their direction from Christ in heaven. We must constantly keep our affection and our attention fixed on the things of heaven, through the Word and prayer, as well as through worship and service. We can enjoy days of heaven upon the earth Deut.11: 21.

2. Slay the earthly – Col.3: 5- 9. The word mortify means “put to death.” Because we have died with Christ(Col.3: 3), we have the spiritual power to slay the earthly, fleshly desires that want to control us. The sins mentioned here belong to the old life and have no place in our new life in Christ Jesus. God’s judgment falls on those who practice these sins, and God is no respecter of persons. God’s wrath fell on the Gentile world because of these sins Rom.1: 18, and His wrath will fall again Col.3: 6. Covetousness is the sin of always wanting more, whether it be more things or more pleasures. The covetous person is never satisfied with what he has, and he is usually envious of what other people have. A covetous person will dishonor God, take God’s name in vain, lie, steal, and commit every other sin in order to satisfy his sinful desires.

After warning us against the sensual sins, Paul then pointed out the dangers of the social sins Col.3: 8- 10. The picture here is that of a person changing clothes: Put off; put on. This relates to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, for when He arose from the dead, Jesus Christ left the graveclothes behind Jh.20: 1- 10. The graveclothes represent the old life with it’s sinful deeds. Now that we have new life in Christ, we must walk in the newness of life by putting off the old deeds and desires Rom.6: 4.

3. Strengthen the Christly – Col.3: 10- 11. Because we are alive in Christ, we must seek the things that are above. And, because we died with Christ, we must put off the things that belong to the earthly life of past sin. The result is that we can become like Jesus Christ! God wants to renew us and make us into the image of His Son.

In Conclusion – We are alive in Christ; therefore, we should seek the heavenly. We are dead in Christ; therefore, we should slay the earthly. We can become like Christ; therefore, we must strengthen the Christly and permit the Spirit to renew our minds, making us more into the image of God.