From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Is it possible for a Christian to be too heavenly minded, and thus no earthly good?

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.

Impossible for the Christian

Some people read this passage and say, "Well, we can't get too carried away by this, can we? After all, it is possible to be so heavenly minded that we will be no earthly good."

If you are thinking that way today, I hope that you will think again. I submit to you that it is impossible for a Christian to be too heavenly minded, and thus be of no earthly good. It is impossible.

You may be asking, "How can you say that? How can you say that it is impossible for a Christian to be too heavenly-minded, and thus be of no earthly good?" I am saying simply this: The Christian who is no earthly good is not truly heavenly-minded.

An Example

Let me give you an example to illustrate what I mean. I once knew a man who spent all of his time, night and day, going about witnessing for Christ, handing out tracts and Bibles and Gospel booklets. But while this man was doing these things, he was neglecting his wife and children. He did so much witnessing he could not hold a job. He did not provide for his loved ones. He was often not even at home except very early in the morning and very late at night.

The same Apostle Paul who tells us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to set our minds on things above in Colossians 3:1-4, also tells us in First Timothy 5:8 that the man who "does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household...has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

That was the case with this man. He thought he was doing the work of Heaven. But the fact is that he was neglecting the work of Heaven. His first work was to make sure that his family was provided for. His first work was to hold a steady job. His first work was to pay his bills.

Most certainly, he could have and should have taken advantage of opportunities to witness for Christ. But our witness for Christ begins in the home. The man who is not providing for the needs of his own household is a shameful witness for Christ. Such a man puts the Gospel to shame in his own home, in his own family, and in the eyes of the watching world.

That was the case with the man of whom I am speaking. Such a man causes the name of Christ to be blasphemed. Such a man is no earthly good because he does not have a clear and proper view of heavenly imperatives and heavenly priorities. And that is what the Apostle Paul gives us in the last two chapters of the book of Colossians. He gives us a pattern of life on earth that is governed by our Lord in Heaven, by His Word which comes from heaven, and by His Spirit whom He has sent from Heaven to indwell each one of us.

Words Written to People About to Lose Everything

The Christian's godly conduct in this world is to be a reflection of things above (Colossians 3:5-11). The Christian's character is to be the character of things above (12-17). The Christian's home life is to be conducted in the light of things above (18-21). The Christian's vocation is to be governed by things above (3:22-4:1). The Christian's witness must be a witness to things above (4:2-6). The Christian's service for Christ and His church is to be done as a "worker for the kingdom of God" (4:7-18).

These detailed instructions on Christian living were written to people who would soon struggle for their very survival, and probably in many cases would lose their lives. These words were written to the church at Colosse in about 57 A. D. In the year 60 A.D. - only about three years after Paul wrote his epistle to them - Colosse was destroyed by a massive earthquake. Many of its inhabitants were killed. The site of the city was eventually abandoned, and Colosse literally disappeared from the map for centuries. It was not until the 1830s that archaeologists rediscovered Colosse's exact location. The site where the city once stood is an unoccupied wilderness area, to this very day.

Now, of course the Apostle Paul did not know that this calamity was about to come. But God the Holy Spirit, the omniscient God who inspired Paul to write his letter, knew exactly what was about to happen, and God the Holy Spirit ordained Paul's words.

And what did God do? Did God through Paul instruct the Colossian believers in physical survival? Did He counsel them on how to protect their finances and worldly possessions? Did God tell them to evacuate their city? No. God through Paul instructed the Colossian believers to "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."

A Message for Our Time

No message could be more relevant for Christians in our time in much of the world. Religious bookstores and websites are filled with books and videos on how to have "peace" by accumulating and protecting the wealth and prestige of this world.

God's Word says there is nothing wrong with making a living and saving for the future, But God repeatedly warns us that these things are not the source of peace. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). What is that peace? We need only look to the preceding verse, John 14:26: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." True peace is to be found by setting our minds on things above, not on things on earth.

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