If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (3) For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (4) When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (5) Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (9) Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, (10) and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, (11) where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all in all.

The letter to the Colossians was written by the apostle Paul. In our verses today Paul tells them (and us) what to stop doing and what we should do to be consistent with our new nature in Christ. The gospel was revolutionary and teaches us how to stop a life of pretense and keeps us from guilt – it’s called religious liberty. We are all sinners in need of grace and externals don’t matter. Our salvation is in Christ; we are all in the same predicament; the same problem of sin, the same means of salvation in Christ and for those responding, the same eternal destiny . All earthly distinctions are abolished. We live in a world where men compare, evaluate, rank, ridicule, dismiss, ignore. We need to remember where we come from and what the basis of salvation is. And refuse to be distracted. I had a wonder dog, Bob, who would never take his eyes from the tennis ball in my hand. No matter how I would try to fool him his eyes never left that ball. We should never lose sight of Christ as our eternal home.

Christians are seeking believers, seeking God. Our minds and wills should be set on things above. We do live in the body and in this world, but here the apostle is talking priorities – the things that are above are eternal values, eternal truth and eternal life. Do we need approval of men or of God? Because we have died as a new man/woman in faith in Christ, our lives have been hid in Christ. It is a covenantal union because He stands for the people of God. We are born twice; born physically and born again spiritually and our spiritual resurrection has already taken place in faith in Christ.

We are to behave as we believe and to become what we already are in Christ. Not just reason and knowledge but our will is involved. Old practices no longer fit and we are to put on a different lifestyle – there should be an outward manifestation that accompanies the reality of our new internal life. Step 11 of Alcoholics Anonymous is “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” This is not just a suggestion.