Life Project Blog

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4

In the previous several verses, Paul has been writing about things such as the fact that we are dead to sin and alive in Christ, that our old life was buried with Christ and we are a new creation.  Then he went on to challenge us to leave the old things behind and live new lives, free from the old silly rules and traditions.  In these verses, Paul moves from the what to the how.

As these things usually are, the answer is simple: Set your hearts and minds on things that are above, not on earthly things. I’ve been told that this is very difficult, and that only a small number of people can really accomplish this ‘looking above’ kind of life… but I totally, completely, and utterly reject that notion.

Does that surprise you?  Does it irritate you?

Have you ever noticed that you usually find what you’re looking for?  Well, OK, yes, sometimes you might look for your keys and not find them, but that isn’t really what I mean.  Have you ever gone somewhere looking for trouble?  How about a fight?  Have you ever gone in search for a bad relationship, bad company… or a good relationship or good company?  OK, if that didn’t grab you, let’s try this one:  Have you ever bought a new car, and then noticed that it seems like everyone has the same kind of car?

See?  You really do find what you’re looking for!

To set your heart and mind on the things that are above, you need to start looking for such things.  Now Paul, in the next sections, will get into which things are which, so we’ll be talking more about that as we go, but the quick version is that we can seek His presence by just entering it.  We can focus on the things that are above, by thinking about them and looking for them… as opposed to things of the earth.  Look, if all we think about are our bills, then bills and finances will become our lives.  The same is true if we look only for other problem areas of this life. If we think about the things of God, then what will our lives be about?

This passage ends with the reminder that we died with Christ, rose with Christ, and now our lives are hidden with Christ. Now that we have died with Him to our old way of living, and have arisen with Him as new creations, the focus of our lives, and the very reality of our new lives, are “hidden” with Christ in God. Our new creation status is an entirely new kind of life that isn’t simply physical and biological; it isn’t discerned simply by the physical senses.  It is Spirit and Truth. It is eternal.  It is about much more than bodies, senses and things, it is the life God created humanity to live. As long as we are focused merely on the things of the earth, the world around us and problems and hassles of this world, we are missing out on that which is wonderful in Christ, and… our lives on this earth will be much more difficult as we are pulled in multiple directions at the same time.

For more information about finding God’s presence in your daily life, be on the lookout for the Bonus Post later today.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. (10:1-5)

As we move into a new chapter, and because it begins with the word “for”, we need a reminder of what Paul has said previously, since Paul seems to be drawing a conclusion in these verses.

9:27… No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

10:1… For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.

As chapter 9 was coming to an end, Paul was exhorting the people to take his teachings about self-sacrifice for the sake of others seriously, encouraging them to behave as athletes in training to set aside some of their freedom for the sake of Christ. He continues in this chapter with another example for their instruction, this time from Israel’s history, to make the same point.

This section, 10:1-13 is being used to show that the Israelites were God’s chosen, His elect, His beloved. They had been freed from captivity in Egypt by God’s mighty hand when He parted the waters of the Red Sea, when He provided them with manna, when He gave them water to drink from the rock, and as He led them through the Wilderness by cloud and by fire: If there ever were people who were favored by God, and who could literally see the works of His hands, these were those people.

Yet, in spite of all this, they succumbed to every kind of temptation, and came to ruin. Honestly, I cannot imagine that anyone, not even these proud and worldly Corinthians could miss the connection Paul was making between the Israelites, and the Corinthian Church. Taking no chances, Paul continued:

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (10:11-13)

This paragraph, as it talks of temptation and holding firm, ties back to the end of chapter 9 and the sports training metaphor, and the idea that an athlete in training will push him or her self to attain the goal for which they train. Paul’s clear intention here is that we must push ourselves to overcome whatever temptation may come our way in order to attain our goal in Christ, and to avoid being pulled off in the direction of ruin.

Before we conclude for now, I must once again remind you that this passage is part of a three-chapter section on idolatry; food sacrificed to idols. In the next section, Paul returns to that topic, and begins to sum up the points he has made…

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

As Paul so often does in his letters, he shifts to a sports metaphor to finalize his point. Remember, he’s been telling the people that they must be willing to make sacrifices for other people and for the sake of the gospel, and here he expresses the same thought in a different way. Likening a Christian to an athlete in training, he uses the sacrifices great athletes make in training to living for Christ.

An athlete training for a big event will adhere to a strict training regimen that includes a strict diet. They will push themselves to the limit of their endurance to win the prize, and during their training, they will abstain from all kinds of things, because they want to win their event.

In the same way, we who are followers of Christ must be willing to do whatever it takes, to endure training, to make personal sacrifices, and to impose self-discipline, to share the gospel with those around us, and to help them through that growth process that we call “making disciples”.

While Paul has made this point, he still hasn’t completed the section, for he isn’t addressing problems of self-discipline and sacrifices; remember, this is a section about idolatry. As he continues in chapter 10, his discussion will focus more directly on the lesson he is teaching…

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Colossians 2:16-19

Remember that we left off with God’s triumph over the law, the authorities, and powers at the cross, and now we draw some conclusions.  Since we are newly alive in Christ, have died to sin and have our sins forgiven, and since we have the fullness of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are not to allow people to criticize us for what we eat, drink, or observe, as they might have done under the Law.

Pay careful attention to verse 17: These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. All of these festivals, customs and regulations were at best but a shadow of what was to come in Christ, and we often miss that fact.  Many elements found in the Old Testament are like that, but we want to focus on them… and that includes the Temple itself, according to the author of Hebrews.  Jesus is the reality, and all the old forms were a mere shadow of what He would bring us, and He has now brought us the reality.

In verse 19, Paul refers to the kinds of people who are always critical of a person who has found the liberty that is in Christ.  They are puffed up, falsely humble, etc., etc.  At the end of this brief passage comes the part that will really give us insight about this sort of thing.  People who are hanging on to the forms of religion and seeking to impose them on their brother or sister have sadly cut themselves off from the Head of the Body.  

If I might add something here, the same is likely true of those who would have us tied to new “Christianized” forms, rules and observances.

Since we know that Christ is the Head, these poor folks who seek to impose rules are not growing with the Body, being cut off.  Maybe God has put them in our path so that we can help them get back in touch with the Head.

Oh, that would bring us back to the concept of relationship, love, serving and making disciples, wouldn’t it?  

Yes indeed, most lessons come right back to that.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law (9:19-21)

In the previous section (9:1-18) Paul has moved into a proof for his teaching in chapter 8, that Christians need to be willing to sacrifice certain things, that they may be entitled to as a matter of “right”, for the sake of other believers and for the gospel. In 9:1-18 he shamed the Corinthians a bit, reminding them of all of the “rights” he had sacrificed for their benefit. Here, he moves on to sum up this argument. He does so by once again using his own approach as an example to them.

In verses 19-21 we see a discussion of Paul’s behavior and “law”. He behaves as a Jew when he is dealing with Jews, as a follower of the law, when dealing with followers of the law. He behaves as a non-law follower when dealing with people who aren’t under the law. Yet in all things he is under the “law of Christ”, which is an interesting statement involving a great deal of scholarly theorizing today. While Paul doesn’t really define this expression, he is demonstrating it in his teaching; that we should be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of others and for the gospel of Christ.

He continues:

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (9:22-23)

He moves from law as a model to weak and strong, or we might say, immature and mature. However he might describe the situation, the outcome is the same: We make personal sacrifices for the sake of others in the cause of Christ, for this is the way of love.