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Colossians tells us that the "things above" are all the wondrous attributes and accomplishments of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They are to be found nowhere on earth, but only at the throne of God.
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)
As we face this great imperative, we must ask questions in order to 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.
We are to "seek those things which are above." What are those things? Paul immediately gives us the answer: They are the things that are "where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God."
In fact, they are things that are in Christ. They are the things that are integral to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. That is why we are to seek Him. We are to seek Him in His divinity. We are to avail ourselves of His divinity. All the wondrous attributes of the Lord Jesus Christ are seated at the right hand of God in the person of Christ.
His eternality is seated there. The One we are to seek is the One who had no beginning, who will have no ending, the one who is our High Priest forever before the heavenly altar.
His holiness is seated there. The One we are to seek is the Holy God, the One who says, "Be holy, for I am holy." We are to seek that holiness. We are to seek to be more and more conformed to the image of Christ. We are to seek to be not conformed to this world - Romans chapter twelve, verse one - but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, literally the renovation of our minds, the conformity of our minds to the mind of Christ, in order that we may prove, that our thinking may be in conformity to, the will of God.
Not only is Christ's eternality seated at the throne of God, not only is His holiness seated at the throne of God, His immutability is also seated at the throne of God, in His person. The Christ we are to seek at the throne of God is unchanging and unchangeable. He is Jesus Christ who is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). He is not moved or affected by the events of this world. On the contrary, He is the Lord of all events. He is in charge of them. Who better can we seek, than the immutable Christ - the One who has never changed and will never change?
Furthermore, the omnipotence of Christ is seated in the heavenlies in His person. He possesses all power. He possesses all authority in heaven and in earth. Paul tells us in Colossians chapter one that the Lord Jesus who is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high sustains the entire universe by His power. Who can we seek on earth, who can exercise such power on our behalf?
Furthermore, the omniscience of Christ is seated in the heavenlies in His person. We are to seek the one who is not only all-powerful but also all-knowing. Where on this sin-cursed earth, where in the things of this earth, the philosophies of this age, can we find such knowledge?
And further yet, infinite wisdom is seated in the heavenlies in the person of Christ. The One we are to seek not only possesses all power, He not only possesses all knowledge, He also possesses all wisdom to employ that power and that knowledge for His glory and thus for our eternal good. Go to the ends of the earth, collect all the knowledge man possesses, collect all the power man possesses, collect all the wisdom man possesses, and it does not begin to compare with the knowledge, power, and wisdom that we find in heaven in the person of Christ.
Furthermore, as we seek the Christ who is above, seated at the throne of God, we find infinite love. We find infinite grace. We find the grace that saves to the uttermost the deepest of sinners. We find the love that compelled our Lord to come into this world, to take on the form of a servant, and to die the death of the cross in our place.
Further yet, the Christ above whom we are to seek is the head of the Church. Colossians chapter one verse eighteen declares to us that Jesus Christ seated in the heavenlies "is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18). This world is passing away. But Christ's church is eternal.
And so, Ephesians 5:25-27 tells us, He is now at work sanctifying us by the cleansing power of His Word, "that He might present [us] to Himself" - on that great day when this world passes away and the New Heavens and New Earth commence - "a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but...holy and without blemish" for eternity.
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