1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
If you were raised then…
Speaks of a fulfilled condition.
Paul is going to exhort them to godly living.
But he speaks to them as Christians.
They have entered into a new quality of life, based upon the fact that they have joined themselves to a risen, living Jesus.
Turn to Romans 6:1-7
Jesus experienced a physical resurrection from the dead.
They experienced a spiritual resurrection from their spiritual deadness.
Turn to Ephesians 2:1-6
Every Christian was once spiritually dead to God.
When they placed their faith in the risen, living Jesus, they became spiritually alive.
The opportunity for spiritual rebirth was made available when Jesus died.
The actual spiritual rebirth takes place when a person puts their faith in Jesus.
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
Colossians 1:21,22 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight;
There is a transferal of citizenship.
If then you were raised with Christ…This speaks of a fulfilled condition.
They were raised from spiritual deadness to spiritual life.
They had become born again.
Since this was all true about them…
They used to be dead to God
But now they were alive to God
They had a new quality of life by way of their union with Christ.
Since this was all true…
seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Because the Christian has a new quality of life.
They are to seek after the things of heaven.
Seek-zeteo dzay-teh’-o.
Vine’s Word(s): Endeavor, Inquire, Inquiry, Require, Seek.
KJV – seek 100.
– seek for 5
– go about 4
– desire 3
1) to seek in order to find
1a) to seek a thing
1b) to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into
1c) to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after
2) to seek i.e. require, demand
2a) to crave, demand something from someone
The Christian is to look into the things of God.
They are to look for the things of God.
hey are to reason and meditate on the things of God.
The Christian is to consider the things of God.
The Apostle takes it a step further…
B/c we can look for something, but do it halfheartedly.
You can search for something, but still have your mind on other things.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Set your affection.
Direct your mind.
Lightfoot- You must not only seek heaven, you must think heaven.
To seek speaks of the physical effort.
To set your mind speaks of the inward motivation and desire.
Both things must be in place in the Christian life.
1. A person can read the Bible, go to church, listen to teaching tapes, and in this sense, they can be seeking God.
But they might not have set their affections, or directed their minds toward the things of God.
They fulfill the practical side of seeking God, but have not the heart for it.
2. A person may have a heart for God, but they never get around to the practical
pursuit of the things of God. They are interested in the things of the Lord, but never read God’s word, don’t pray, don’t go to church where they can be instructed, avoid Christian fellowship, etc.
3.Both aspects need to be in place.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Most things upon the earth are not inherently evil.
But the Christian is to keep in mind the new quality of life he has received.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
This speaks of the death of the spiritually dead person.
You died- speaks of a factual event that took place when you put your faith in Jesus Christ.
The moment a person becomes a Christian, they put behind them a life that was leading to eternal punishment.
They are no longer under the dominion of sin.
Their sins have been forgiven and removed from them.
God sees the old, guilty sinner as one who does not exists any longer.
The person is still alive physically.
But the transformation is so complete, that God sees the old person as being dead and gone.
God sees the born again person as an entirely new creation.
Gal 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Your life is hidden with Christ in God
The sinner dies to the old life, and is placed into a union with Christ.
The union is so close, that the Christian’s life is virtually placed into, or hidden in the person of Jesus Christ.
Vincent- Your new spiritual life is no longer in the sphere of the earthly and the sensual, but is with the life of the risen Christ, who is unseen with God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Previously, Paul said that our life is with Christ.
Now he goes even further, and says that our life is Christ.
The fullness of this life is not yet known.
The unbeliever can have no full knowledge of that higher life that the Christian possesses.
We ourselves, do not yet no the fullness of the Christian life.
We do not yet know what our bodies will be like, when they are changed, and we no longer experience physical pain.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
Rom 8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Rom 8:23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
When Jesus returns to the earth again, and all his saints with Him, then the fullness of everything that we are will be known to all who have eyes to see it.
Now b/c all that is true, we are told how to live.
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication,
illicit sexual intercourse
uncleanness,
uncleanness in a moral sense; the impurity of luxurious, lustful, wasteful living
passion,
“inordinate, excessive affection”, depraved passion
evil desire,
evil, wicked cravings
and covetousness greedy desire to have more
which is idolatry.
The worship of false gods. Here: Mammon
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
We used to conduct our lives in that manner.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these:
anger, abiding, settled, habitual anger that includes thoughts of revenge
wrath, boiling agitation, sudden, violent anger, malice, ill will, desire to injure
blasphemy, speech that is injurious to another’s reputation
filthy language foul speaking; low, obscene speech
9 Do not lie to one another,
Paul forbids that which was presently and continually occurring.
These Christians had carried over lying from their old way of life.
since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
That was true positionally.
It needed to become true practically.
10 and have put on the new man
–
They had stepped out of one life into another life.
Actually, they had stepped out of spiritual death into spiritual life.
They were new people.
They were being exhorted to live that new life.
who is renewed in knowledge
So much of the Christian life is being renewed in knowledge.
Of having God reprogram our thinking habits.
Of us learning what is really true.
So many grow up believing good is bad and bad is good.
Believing lies that parents, siblings, relatives, other authority figures taught us.
Bible study is for the renewing of the mind.
The deprogramming of wrong learned behavior.
The correcting of developing sinful thinking.
The world telling us that God is wrong, and that wrong is right.
Our own flesh deceiving us into certain patterns of thought that set us up for sinful responses.
according to the image of Him who created him,
We are renewed in our thinking and changed that we might have the very thoughts of God.