Colossians 3:1-11

3:1-4 | Paul urges Christians to stay centered on their identity and authority in Christ. The word if is better translated “since,” because it has already happened. When Christ died, believers died with Him and went to the grave with Him (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:4-5). When He rose from the grave, they rose with Him and were seated in the heavenlies next to the Father – the place of authority – with Him (Eph. 2:6). Because Jesus died for all people, those who accept Him walk in brand-new life; their old life is gone.

3:1-2 | Paul gives two dynamic instructions: seek and set your mind on things above. The Greek verb translated seek conveys the idea of setting one’ s heart on something long-term and then looking forward to it with growing emotion. Another way to say this would be: Learn how to pursue the things of heaven. This is how Christians are to live in light of Christ’s imminent return (Phil. 3:20). Eternal priorities should be their moral compass (Matt. 6:33).

3:2 | To set your mind on things above means to focus one’s will and emotions on the spiritual reality of heaven, and letting that control one’s motivations, rather than getting caught up in earthly concerns. This should be a lifelong pattern for those who follow Christ (Ps. 73:25). Staying in God’s Word renews the Christian’s mind, arms him or her for spiritual battle, and makes the faithful ready to triumph over temptation.

3:3 | Christ’s death enables Christians to die to their old life and makes their new life secure (John 10:28-29; Gal. 2:20). Through Jesus, God has placed a double lock on the security of their lives – nothing can harm them, for His followers are in Christ and Christ is in God. A Christian’s true identity and purpose in life are hidden with Christ, so people outside of Christ will not understand the believer’s motivations and goals.

3:4 | Paul has covered every phase of life: God’s people have been raised with Christ in the past. They are hidden with Him in the present, and they will appear with Him in the future. They may be hidden now, but they will not be hidden forever. Scripture points to the One who can supply everything their hope expects. This is every Christian’s destiny in Christ.

3:5-10 | In challenging the Colossian believers to put to death their old lives and put on the new, Paul urges them to essentially make a clean break from the past and move resolutely forward with Christ. This is not a one-time act. Throughout the believer’s life, the sins in these verses will be put to death through the work of the Spirit until the day when Christ makes all things finally and forever new.

3:10-11 | All earthly distinctions begin to fade when a person is joined with Christ. Believers increasingly take on the image of God rather than the likeness of the people of earth (Rom. 8:29; 12:2; 2 Cor. 4:16).