Wednesday 28 August 2024
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (vs 1-3)
Background
This Bible passage is possibly too radical for us to comprehend fully! Here is an exploration of the new life in Christ which is utterly transformational. It is rooted in some very significant past tenses. "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above … for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (vs 1 and 3)
In baptism, Christians are "buried" with Christ and "also raised with him" (Colossians 2:12). The implication is that death and resurrection have already occurred and new life in Christ has been entered into.
Everything else in this passage flows from these past tenses. If Christians were to grasp the enormity of this, the sense of liberation would be immense. To fully recognise that "your life is hidden with Christ in God" (v. 3) could set people free to live radically and without fear. For those who are Christian it is a challenge to reflect to what extent we have absorbed and taken it on board.
And while those who are living this new life are encouraged to "set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (v. 2) the resulting transformation is a very worldly one indeed. It is absolutely about character and behaviour within the mundane realities of everyday life. Put to death all that is unhealthy and harmful; overcome the divisions of race and status; "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience … Above all, clothe yourselves with love." (vs 12 and 14)
Those significant past tenses and this new life in Christ have radical, personal, practical, ethical and political consequences. This is religion that lifts people onto a higher plane, but only in order to equip them to live out the life of faith in ways that seek to make the world a better, kinder, fairer, more forgiving, generous and loving place.
To Ponder:
- Whether or not you are baptised, what reflections do you have on baptism in the light of this passage?
- To what extent do you experience Christian faith as something radical and liberating?
- In what ways do you feel challenged to make the world a better place – and how might you go about it?
Prayer
Life-giving God, thank you for the new life you offer in Christ. Give me the grace to explore what this life might mean for me here and now. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Graham Jones
Graham is a Methodist presbyter serving as a member of the Learning Network and is based in York. He is committed to developing ministry in its broadest sense, enabling both lay and ordained to live out their vocations and to share in God's mission in the most fulfilling and effective ways.