To encourage his readers to turn away from their false teachers, Paul reminded them of their union with Christ. He also urged them to continue living in keeping with their position in Christ.
3:1-2 Again we could translate "If"as "Since"(first class condition). It introduces another situation Paul assumed to be true to reality for the sake of his argument (cf. 2:20). Paul returned to his thought about the believer's union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (2:9-15).
Two present imperatives identify the Christian's responsibilities: "seek"(v. 1) and "set your affection on"(v. 2).
Since God raised us with Christ and we are already as good as seated with Him in heaven, we should "keep seeking"heavenly things.
"The description of Christ as seated at the right hand of God' is another implied rejoinder to those who were seeking to diminish Christ's role as mediator, inasmuch as the right hand of God is a metaphor for the place of supreme privilege and divine authority."135
Second, we should continually "set"our minds on the things of heaven (our spiritual blessings and hope, our Savior's desires, etc.) rather than on the things that are only physical and temporal. They should occupy a large place in our thought lives.
"You must not only seekheaven; you must also thinkheaven."136
". . . from now on the Christian will see everything in the light and against the background of eternity. . . . He will no longer live as if this world was all that mattered; he will see this world against the background of the large world of eternity."137
This is the legitimate mysticism of Paul. The two commands differ in that the first emphasizes the more practical pursuits of life whereas the second stresses the whole bent of the life. The first is outward and the second inward.
Jesus Christ's present rule on His Father's throne over the church is not the same as His rule on David's throne over David's kingdom, which will begin when He returns to earth.138
3:3 Our life is hidden away with Christ. This statement that the believer died with Christ in the past (aorist tense in Greek) and continues to live with Christ in the present (perfect tense) suggests three thoughts. Our life draws nourishment from secret springs (cf. John 14:19; Phil. 3:20). Our life is as safe as a deposit locked in a bank vault. Our life is one with Christ who is in the bosom of the Father.139
"The aorist is simply a powerful metaphor for the fact that when they believed in Christ in baptism they were putting their previous way of life to death and having it buried out of sight. Consequently, it should no longer be a factor in their new way of life."140
3:4 "Whenever"indicates that a revelation of Christ in the future is certain, but its time is unknown. The Greek word phaneroo("revealed") stresses the open display of Christ at His coming. This is probably a reference to the Second Coming. Then we will return to the earth with the Lord and be revealed to those living here then. This will be a glorious public revelation of Him and us. Now our eternal life is hidden (v. 3), but then it will be manifest.
"In Colossians . . . there is an emphasis on realized eschatology. Within the already--not yet' tension the stress falls upon the former, called forth by the circumstances of the letter. . . . The already' of salvation needed to be asserted repeatedly over against those who were interested in the heavenly realm but who had false notions about it, believing it could be reached by legalistic observances, knowledge, visionary experiences and the like. . .
"But if the already' pole received the emphasis, the not yet' of salvation still needed to be mentioned, and here in verse 4 we find a clear future reference."141
In view of this prospect the Colossians and we need not pursue another system that claims to provide more than we have in Christ. God has provided all we need for acceptance with Him and godly living in Christ. All we need to do is act on the implications of these truths.
