"To Be Worldly Minded Is No Heavenly Good” Series

Having warned the Colossian believers about wrong approaches to living the Christian life - legalism - seeking to prove one’s spiritual worth by keeping rules and regulations; mysticism - seeking to prove one’s spiritual worth by the number of spiritual experiences they’ve had; and asceticism - seeking to prove one’s spiritual worth by the amount of sacrifices they’re willing to make, Paul now give some practical instruction about walking in the victory we have in Christ by pursuing an intimate love relation with God and what they looks like.

In doing so, he encourages them to set their affections and thoughts on Christ. For, Paul seems to say to us here, it is possible for the Christian to become too earthly minded to be of any heavenly good. A Christian is not ruined by living in the world, but by the world living in them.

To guard against this, Paul says one must seek to center their life around Christ, to look to Christ, to long for Christ, to want nothing more and nothing less than to please Christ. That’s why he admonished the Colossians and though the inspiration of Scripture, admonishes us:

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” - v. 2

Looking to God is the key to fulfillment, as indicated by the Greek word for “man”, “anthropas”, which means “the up looking one.”

It is only as we look to Christ, our creator and redeemer, that we will find true fulfillment in life, for only living in this way will allow us to be guided into living as we were made to live as Children of God. But to be specific, Paul shares three reasons why we should set our hearts and minds on Christ rather then the things of this world.

1. In Christ we have eternal victory - vs. 1; 3

Paul reminds us again of our union with Christ and that through faith in Him, we have died to our old way of life in sin and have been raised to a new way of life in victory.

Sin, which leads to enslavement to the world, the flesh and the devil, results in death and brings us to hell, was defeated once for all by Christ on the cross. So that now, then one puts their faith in Christ, immediately they are saved from sin’s penalty, eventually they will be saved from sin’s presence, and as they pursue an intimate and growing love relationship with Christ are led to experiencing progressively deliverance from sin’s power.

It’s by our identification with Christ’s victory won by His death, burial and resurrection that we can resist temptations of the flesh, the world and the devil and experience victory over the power of sin in daily life.

“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.” - 1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)

“God’s purpose for us is stated like this: ‘that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.’ God's commitment to make it happen is stated like this: ‘He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.’ Then quoting Isaiah 53:5, he says ‘By His wounds you were healed.’ It does not say: ‘By his wounds healing is offered’. Or: ‘By his wounds healing is a possibility.’ It says, ‘By his wounds you were healed.’ In other words, the cross achieves what God designs for it to achieve. The cross does not merely create new possibilities; it creates new persons.” - John Piper

As we live each day with our mind fixed on the victory won for us by the cross (v. 1) and our heart focused on developing a growing, love relationship with Jesus (v. 3b), we can learn how to walk daily in victory over the temptations of the flesh, the world and the devil, and know daily victory over sin.

We should seek to set our hearts and minds on Christ, because in Him we have eternal victory, and to be worldly minded is no heavenly good.

2. In Christ we have eternal security - v. 3b

“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.” - John 10:28-30 (Amplified)

Spiritually, we are in the palm of Christ’s hand. And His hands are covered by the hands of the Father. We are eternally secure in Christ.