The Risen Life, Part 1 - Col 3:1-2

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Col 3:1)

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, (Col 3:1a)

• Definition: ‘you have been raised up’ – The Greek word, synegeirō { soon-eg-i'-ro }, which in this context means ‘to raise up together to a new and blessed life devoted to God.’ Adding to this, Louw and Nida wrote, “to cause to live again together with others—‘to raise to life together with.’ ” They also state that for this verse and Eph 2:5, the true meaning is referring to a spiritual existence rather than a literal resurrection of the body, which means it needs to be understood figuratively, not literally. [3] 

• Paul would seem to be drawing a correlation to the symbolic nature of baptism, for in baptism the believer dies and rises again. William Barclay wrote, 

As the waters close over him, it is as if he was buried in death; as he emerges from the waters, it is like being resurrected to a new life. Now, if that is so, the Christian must rise from baptism a different man. Wherein is the difference? It lies in the fact that now the thoughts of the Christian must be set on the things which are above. He can no longer be concerned with the trivial passing things of earth; he must be totally concerned with the eternal verities of heaven. [4] 

• Barclay continues with some additional thoughts so as not to misdirect the believer to think that they should withdraw from living in the world to something akin to asceticism, like living in a cave or monastery. We are called to be in this world, not of this world (Mat 5:14; 1 John 2:15-17; John 15:19; Rom 12:2; Eph 2:10). The clear meaning is that Jesus wants us to interact with people in this world (evangelism) and we cannot do that living in a cave in the desert somewhere. How would we fulfill the great commission doing that (Mat 28:19-20)? [5] 

• MacArthur makes a critical point about the allusion to baptism in this verse. 

The “baptism” here is not into water, but an immersing into the Savior’s death and resurrection. Through their union with Christ, believers have died, have been buried, and have risen with Him. By saving faith they have entered into a new dimension. They possess divine and eternal life, which is not merely endless existence, but a heavenly quality brought to them by the indwelling Lord. They are thus alive in Christ to the realities of the divine realm. [6] 

• This new life MacArthur points to is real, but so is the power of sin in this world. It might not be our master but it can still overpower us when we forget that we were bought with a price (1 Cor 6:20; 1 Cor 7:23; Acts 20:28; Gal 3:13), that it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in and through us (Gal 2:20; Eph 3:17; Col 1:17; Rom 6:8; Gal 5:24). 

• Immediately after this verse, Paul goes on to share a series of principles Christians are expected to continue to do the works God has prepared for us, including the relationships that He has put us into with others. 

• John Gill observed that Paul did not question their being risen in Christ, but takes it for granted that they were and exhorts them to seek the things from above. The only way they can effectively do that is to reject the carnal things of this world that would seek to distract them from their true purpose in life which is to be servants and slaves to Christ, living our lives to honor and glorify God in everything we do. 

• This verse makes it clear that because the Colossians have been raised with Christ, they now shared in Jesus’ resurrection and Paul sought to encourage them to live different lives. “Their interests are to be focused on Christ; their minds, aims, ambitions, in fact their whole outlook, are to be centered on that heavenly realm where he rules and where their lives truly belong. A continuous, ongoing effort is required (lit. ‘keep on setting your minds/hearts’) for such a focus does not come automatically.” [7] 

• The commentator Max Anders wrote, 

This reference to resurrection refers to a past event: we have been raised. The reference is to our identification with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. Paul referred to this earlier in 2:12–13 and in Romans 6:1–10. He means that because of our identification with Jesus we have been granted new life which gives us the capacity to live a new kind of life. That new kind of life will be described in detail in the following verses. The reality of our resurrection with Jesus should produce in us new motivations and new minds. Paul tells us that since we have been raised we are to set [our] hearts on things above. Believers are being urged literally to seek, pursue with diligence things above [8] 

• And lastly, Paul is reminding the Colossians that being risen with Christ is the path to the holiness they seek. It is not found in self-denial, or experiences with angels, or following ritual ceremonies. Those things cannot possibly compare to the glories of Christ. Paul is reminding them not to be forgetful of who they are in Christ and how they are now expected to live. 

keep seeking the things above, (Col 3:1b)

• Definition: ‘keep seeking’ – The Greek word, zēteō { dzay-teh'-o }, meaning to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after. MacArthur points out the Greek word indicates a continuous action, and Louw and Nida defines it as, “to desire to have or experience something, with the probable implication of making an attempt to realize one’s desire—‘to desire, to want to.’” [9]

• Concerning our attitude of ‘seeking the things above,’ MacArthur goes on to describe it as a “preoccupation with the eternal realities that are ours in Christ is to be the pattern of the believer's life.” Paul “desires that the Colossians’ preoccupation with heaven govern their earthly responses.” [10] 

• The ‘things above’ refers to the heavenly realm and is the very thing that believers should be focused upon. When our focus is on heaven, we will constantly remember that our home is not down here, but there with Christ. Our views will more easily reflect those of the one we are supposed to be serving, the one we are supposed to be a willing slave to. We will remember that we were bought with a price (1 Cor 6:20), a new creation whose old nature has been done away with and who now have a new nature (2 Cor 5:17), we are the workmanship of God who created us for a specific purpose (Eph 2:10), and ours is to be a life that realizes that if we are crucified with Christ, our lives belong to Jesus and our desires are to be what He desires for us (Gal 2:20).

where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Col 3:1c)

• Anything that we have is rooted in the one to whom we belong, Jesus. And as Col 2:3 says, He is the one “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” And why? Because He is the one who has the place of honor – “seated at the right hand of God.” Jesus is the one who is exalted above everything, and we see this theme everywhere in the New Testament. Ps 110:1 (Mat 22:44; Act 2:34-35), “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” Luke 22:69 (Mat 26:64, Mark 14:64), “the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” Acts 5:31, “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior.” Acts 2:36, “God has made Him both Lord and Christ.” Acts 7:56, “I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Rom 8:34, “who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Eph 1:20, “He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” Heb 1:3, “When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” And there are many more that could have been cited. [11] 

• Being on the right hand was a place of honor, rank and authority. Someone placed on the right hand had equal honor and was recognized as possessing equal dignity and authority. So, Jesus, being on the right hand of God, was an overt proclamation that He was God, with the same authority and power as the Father. And this is nothing more than a continuation of what was already said earlier in Col 1:15-20 and Col 2:9-10.

• Eph 1:19-21 says, “and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” Here we see the Father exalted Jesus above everything! Again, this is another expression of Jesus’ deity. 

• And lastly, Jesus is said to be sitting, implying rest since He had completed the work of redemption.

‘Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.’ (Col 3:2)

• Definition: ‘Set your mind’ – The Greek word, phroneō { fron-eh'-o } has the meaning of “to keep on giving serious consideration to something—‘to ponder, to let one’s mind dwell on, to keep thinking about, to fix one’s attention on.’ ” [12] John MacArthur further states the meaning could be ‘have this inner disposition.’ So, one must not only have a mindset that seeks heaven, but ‘think’ heaven. “The believer’s whole disposition should orient itself toward heaven, where Christ is.” [13] 

• Matthew Henry wrote that to “seek heavenly things is to set our affections upon them, to love them and let our desires be towards them.” [14] John Gill goes on further by stating, “unless the affections are set on them, they will never be sought after in a proper manner.” [15] 

• In context with the first two chapters of Colossians, one can imagine that the false teachers were encouraging and maybe even attempting to instruct the Colossians to concentrate their affections on temporal things of this world. But here we see that Paul tells them to focus their minds upon the eternal realities of heaven. And this should be a lesson for us to discipline ourselves by focusing on the things that will matter most, the heavenly things. And since the only place we see the realm of heaven is in Scripture, these are the values that should dominate our thinking because in the end they produce the godly behavior God desires. 

• Paul would seem to be trying to impress upon the Colossians that “[h]eavenly values are to capture our imaginations, emotions, thoughts, feelings, ideas, and actions. The believer is to see everything, including earthly things, against the backdrop of eternity. With a new (resurrection) perspective on life, the eternal is to impact the temporal.” [16] 

If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [Ps. 110:1.] And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. (Col 3:1-2 AMP)

Footnotes

1. John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992) p. 125.
2. Ibid, p. 126.
3. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 262, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2025.
4. William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
5. Ibid, paraphrased from his notes. 
6. John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992) p. 127.
7. Peter T. O’Brien, “Colossians,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), p. 1272, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2025.
8. Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), p. 326, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2025.
9. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 289, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2025. 
10. John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992) p. 128.
11. Much of this section is taken from, John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992) p. 130.
12. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p. 351, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2025.
13. Much of this section is taken from, John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992) p. 129.
14. Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary, for Col 3:1-4.
15. John Gill’s Expository Notes on Colossians, p/o the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005.
16. Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), p. 327, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2025.

All Greek words utilize the Greek Lexicon, part of the Online Bible, Computer Program, © 1987-2005, Blue Letter Bible or Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2025, unless otherwise referenced.

All Scriptures quotes are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Revision, unless otherwise noted. Verse links from Blue Letter Bible.

The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Col 3:1–2, p/o Logos Bible Software, Ver 10, © 2025.