The Nugget:
Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
My Comment:
Are we risen with Christ? If we truly know Him as our Savior, we are. If we are risen with Christ, we are to seek those things which are above. Just what are those things which are above? I’ll leave you to search the Scriptures by means of cross references to find out what else the Bible might say about this. Clearly, the things above are not the things on the earth. If we are risen with Christ, we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God. This is a profound passage of great depth. It gives us guidance on how we should set priorities in our life.
For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:
(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on pages 1383-1384 for Colossians 3:1-3.
(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on pages 1403-1404 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Colossians 3:1-3.
(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:
Colossians 3:1. If. FS184A, 1 C +15:2. risen. Col *+2:12, 13, 20. Ro *6:4, 5, 9-11. 1 C 15:13. 2 C 5:15. Ga *2:19, 20. Ep 1:19, 20. *2:1, 5, 6. 5:14. Ph 3:10. 2 T +*2:18. seek. ver. 2. Ps +*16:11. *17:14, 15. *73:25, 26. Pr 15:24. SS 3:6. 4:8. Mt **6:19, 20, 33. Lk 12:33. Ro 8:6. 2 C 3:18. **4:18. Ph +*3:20, 21. He 10:34. 11:13-16. 13:14. those things. Is 64:4. Jn 8:23. 1 C 2:9. Ph 3:13, 14. 2 T 1:12. 2 J 8. which are above. ver. 2. Mt 6:21. Lk 12:34. Ro 8:5. He *6:19. where. Ps 110:1. Mt 22:44. 26:64. Mk 12:36. 14:62. *16:19. Lk 20:42. 22:69. Ac 2:34. *7:55. Ro *8:34. Ep +1:20. 2:6. 4:10. He +1:3, 13. 8:1. 10:12. *12:2. 1 P 3:22. right hand. FS22A15C, Ps +110:1. Mt 20:21.
Colossians 3:2. Set. See on ver. 1. 1 S 22:23. 1 Ch *22:19. 29:3. Ps **62:10. 91:14. **119:36, 37. Pr *23:5. Ec 7:14. Mt *6:21. *+16:23. Jn 14:19. Ro **8:4-6. Ph 1:23. 1 J **2:15-17. affection. or, mind. Gr. phroneō (S#5426g, Ro 8:5). on things above. ver. +1. Ps 31:19. Pr 15:24. Mt +*5:12. Ph 3:20. He **9:24. 10:34. not on things. ver. **5. Ge 45:20. 1 S 9:20. Ps 49:11-17. +*119:25. Pr 23:6. Mt **6:19. Lk **12:15. *16:8, 9, 11, 19-25. Jn *6:27. 2 C **5:17. Ga *6:14. Ph +*3:19. Ja *1:27. 1 J **2:15.
Colossians 3:3. are dead. or, died. The aorist tense of the verb denotes a past act. Col 2:20. Le 13:47. Ro *+6:2, 6, 7, 11. Ga **2:19, 20. 2 T *2:11. 1 P *2:24. 4:1. your life. Gr. zōē (S#2222g, Lk 10:25). The word here is zōē which means the essential principle of life. Bios would mean the current manifestation of life—our biography (WKF, p. 196). ver. 4. Col 1:5. Dt 30:20. Ps 42:8. Pr 8:35. Is 11:6. Lk 16:12. Jn **3:16. *4:14. *5:21, 24, 40. 6:39, 40, 47, 57. **10:28-30. *14:19. Ro *5:10, 21. 6:8, 11. 8:2, 10, 34-39. 1 C 15:45. 2 C +*5:7. He 7:25. 1 P +*1:3-5. 1 J *5:11. is. or, has been. The perfect tense expresses abiding effects. hid. Gr. kruptō (S#2928g, Mt 5:14). Col +*2:3. Ge 7:16. Jsh 2:6. 2 K 11:3. Jb 29:4. Ps 25:14. *27:5. *32:7. +*83:3. Zp +**2:3. Mt +*11:25. 13:44. Jn 14:16. 17:23. Ro 8:39. 1 C **2:14. Ep 3:9. Ph +*4:7. 1 P 3:4. 1 J **3:1, 2. 5:10. Re *2:17. with Christ. Dt *33:3. 1 S 25:29. Ps 66:9. Lk +*10:42. Jn 8:35. *17:21. 1 C 12:27. 2 C **5:17. 1 J *5:20. in God. Lk +*20:38. Ep 3:9. 1 J 3:1, 2.
psm 149.6 let the high praises of god be in their mouth,
and a two edged sword in their hand;
col 3.1-3 if ye then be risen with christ, seek those things which are
above, where christ sitteth on the right hand of god. vs 2 set your
affection on things above, not on things on earth. vs 3. for ye have
died, and your life is hid with christ in god.
alot of very encouraging cross refs on these 3 vs’s
1. gal 2.20 i have crucified with christ:nevertheless i live; yet
not i, but christ liveth in me: and the life which i now live in
the flesh i live by faith of the son of god, who loved me, and
gave himself for me.
2. rom 7.4 wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to
the law by the body of christ; that ye should be married to another,
even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth
fruit unto god.
3. jn 15.5 i am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me,
and i am in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me
ye can do nothing.
4. eph 1.19what is the exceeding greatness of his
power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of him mighty
power.
5. rom 8.2 for the law of the spirit of life in christ jesus hath made me
free from the law of sin and death.
6. gal 5.16 this i say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the
lust of the flesh.
7. ph 2.13 for it is god which worketh in you both to will and do of his
good pleasure.
8. col 1.29 whereunto i also labor, striving according to his working,
which worketh in me mightily.
9.rom 6.6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that
the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve
sin.
10. 1 pe 2.24 who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.
11. rom 6.11 likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,
but alive unto god through jesus christ our lord.
12. col 2.12 buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him
through the faith of operation of god, who hath raised him from the dead.
13. gal 5.6 for in christ jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor
uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
14. gal 6.14 but god forbid that i should glory, save in the cross of our lord
jesus christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and i unto the world
15. ph 3.10 that i may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the
fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.
oh to grace how great a debtor daily i’m constrained to be! praise the saviour
ye who know him! who can tell how much we owe him! gladly let us render to
him all we are and have!