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Much of today's church is motivated by a value system that is not based on the things of heaven, but the things of earth. Colossians 3:1-4 gives us the sure cure for earth-bound thinking.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
A Perpetual Pitfall
The Holy Spirit's great exhortation delivered through the Apostle Paul speaks to us about a great pitfall for the church, from its earliest days to the present time. Paul wrote these words because the Colossian believers were in great danger of becoming earth-bound, rather than heaven-bound, in their thinking. They were in danger of being caught up in the philosophies of the pagan world around them. They were in danger of being bound up in the dead legalism of the Old Covenant. They were in danger of being cheated of their reward in Christ by subjecting themselves to man-made spiritual authorities rather than Christ's authority, and to man-made doctrines rather than the doctrine of Christ.
And so, the Apostle Paul writes to point them to the only sure remedy for earth-bound thinking and living. He focuses their attention not on things on earth, but on things above. He focuses their attention upon the preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Heavenly Gospel
Paul begins his letter by reminding them that their salvation, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and their love for their fellow believers in Christ, are "because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel" (Colossians 1:5).
We must never forget that the Gospel is a heavenly Gospel. The Gospel has its origins in heaven, not in earth. The Author and Finisher of the Gospel, Jesus Christ, is of heaven and not of earth. He condescended to come to earth and die our death for sin, in order to deliver us from this present earth. In the same way, Paul reminds the Galatian church why Christ "gave Himself for our sins." He died our death and rose for our justification "that He might deliver us from this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4).
God is not in the business of making this earth a better place. God is in the business of saving a people for the New Earth to come. This earth is under God's curse because of sin. It is doomed to destruction because of sin. Paul reminds the Colossian believers that God the Father "has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light" (1:12) in the New Heavens and New Earth, in which righteousness will dwell, in which there will be no night (Revelation 21:25, 22:5). He reminds them that God "has delivered us from the power of darkness" - the power of this present earth, the power of sin and of Satan - "and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love."
Today's Earth-Bound Thinking
In our day, vast segments of the church have lost sight of the reality of these things. Vast segments of the church have become earth-bound rather than heaven-bound. Practically speaking, much of the church is perverting the opening verses of Colossians chapter three. Practically speaking, much of what is being taught and done in the church today says, "Set your mind on things on the earth, not on things which are above" - "seek those things which are on earth, where you are, rather than those things which are in heaven, where Christ is seated." This is how vast segments of the church think and operate.
Many Christians and much of the church are motivated, not by the things of heaven, but by the things of earth. The value system of many Christians and many churches is earth-bound rather than heaven-bound. And so, the witness of many who call themselves Christians, and the witness of many churches that call themselves Evangelical, is focused on the things of this world, and not on the world to come.
To listen to the conversations of many Christians, and to listen to the preaching of many churches, one would think that this world is all there is, and that this life is all there is. One would think that this world is permanent. One would think that the treasures of this earth are the real treasures and the only treasures. One would think that salvation is all about self-esteem and success in this present life, and about having all problems solved here and now. One would think, listening to many who call themselves Christians and listening to many preachers who call themselves Evangelical, that the message of the Gospel is merely about a change of earthly circumstances. One would think, quite often, that the Gospel has little or nothing to do with heaven at all. One would hardly think, listening to many professing Christians and many professing preachers today, that heaven is the goal.
This is the thinking of the church that has surrendered to the world, and not to Christ. This is the thinking of the church that has set its mind on the things of earth, as though these things are lasting and permanent. This is the methodology of those who believe that the inventions of man can be brought into the church and into the life and thinking of the Christian, and this will be enough. This focus on the things of earth will, unchecked, lead to eternity in Hell and not Heaven.
The Sure Cure
The church desperately needs the Biblical cure for this kind of earth-bound thinking, living, preaching, and witness. We need the cure for these things that we find in Colossians chapter three, verses one through four:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
As we face this great imperative, we must ask questions. We must understand exactly what Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit means by these words, so that we may know exactly what God requires of us, and do it. As we continue this study, we shall address those questions.
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