In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul wrote, if you be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. What did Paul mean by that? What does it mean to be risen with Christ and to seek those things which are above?
If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above
If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Kolose 3:1-3)
If you be risen with Christ, you shall seek those things which are above, where Christ is seated on the right hand of God.
You shall set your mind on the things above and not on things on the earth anymore, since you (o le foafoaga tuai, who is sense-ruled and led and controlled by the will, lagona, tu'inanauga, and desires of the flesh and the beggarly elements of the world), don’t live anymore, but are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.
O lea la, when you become born again in Christ, your life shall change.
You shall no longer live as you lived before in ignorance from your blinded carnal mind that is controlled by darkness and is enmity with God. You shall not fill yourself with the knowledge and wisdom of the world and put your trust in it.
But you shall renew your mind with the Word of God and fill yourself with the knowledge and wisdom of God, so that you find out the truth and the will of God. You shall live by faith in Jesus Christ and walk from a renewed mind in obedience to the words of God in the truth according to His will and you shall put your trust in Him (Faitau foi: Have faith in God).
The old man has died in Christ
Although you still live in the world, you don’t belong to the world anymore. Because you have been bought with a price and are redeemed from the power of darkness with the precious blood of Jesus Christ (a.o. 1 Korinito 6:20, 1 Peteru 6:20, 2 Peteru 2:1).
Through regeneration in Christ, your flesh has died and you no longer live under the authority of the beggarly elements of this world (spirits of this world) that cause you to live in pride, rebellion, and disobedience to God and His Word. You have died to (the things of) the world.
Since you don’t belong to the evil generation of the old man (tagata pau), you shall no longer do the works of the old man.
You have become a new creation and belong to God and therefore you shall walk as a new creation; the new man in holiness and righteousness (Faitau foi: Pe o ola Kerisiano o se tupulaga filifilia, o se perisitua tautupu, and a peculiar unto God?)
The new man has been made free from the law of sin and death
Through the death of the flesh in Christ Jesus, you have been redeemed from the curse of the law. You have been delivered from the law of sin and death, which reigns in the flesh. Ona o lena, you shall no longer live after the flesh under the law in the bondage of death and persevere in sin, but you shall live after the Spirit under grace in the will of God and keep His words and commandments.
Let no one deceive you, by making you believe that you have to go back to the Old Covenant and keep the law of Moses with all its precepts, sauniga, tulafono o taulaga, tulafono o meaai, feasts, ma isi. (Faitau foi: Why Christians go back to the Old Covenant? ma What is the secret of the law?).
O i latou, who are born again in Christ are no longer carnal but have become spiritual and shall walk after the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus and keep the commandments of Christ (Ioane 14:15, 21;15:10, Roma 8:2, 1 Ioane 2:3; 3:24; 5: 2-3, 2 Ioane 1:6, Faaaliga 22:14).
The commandments of Christ are the same commandments as the commandments of the Father. Jesus even tightened some of them, since the new man, who walks after the Spirit is able to establish the law (Roma 3:31 (Faitau foi: The commandments of God vs the commandments of Jesus).
Establishing the law refers to the moral part of the law, which represents the nature and will of God, and refers not to all the precepts, sauniga, tulafono o taulaga, tulafono o meaai, feasts, ma isi, which were all meant for the sanctification and justification of the flesh of the old man (who was born of the seed of Israel).
Jesus was the Firstborn of the new creation and didn’t walk after the flesh but after the Spirit and fulfilled the law. O i latou, who have become a new creation in Christ shall also fulfill the law by submitting to God and His Word and walking in obedience to God after the Spirit in His will (a.o. Roma 8:29-30, Kolose 1:13-20, Hebrews 12:22-24).
The new man has risen with Christ from the death
When you were baptized, your flesh not only died, but your spirit was raised from the dead. And through the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you.
Through regeneration, you are reconciled with God and your fallen state and position are restored in the Son.
You are risen with Christ and seated in Him at the right hand of the Father above all principality, power, might, and dominion and every name that is named. That’s your new place and position (a.o. Efeso 1:20; 2:4-10).
Since you are born of God, fanau i le vai ma le Agaga, God’s nature has become your nature and His will has become your will.
Therefore you shall seek and desire those things which are above, where Christ is seated.
You shall desire the Word and renew your mind with the Word of God and you shall set your affection on things of the Kingdom of God, instead of feeding your mind with the things of the world and keeping a carnal mind and letting your mind be controlled by the lies of the devil (the world) and the destructive thoughts, which derive from darkness (Faitau foi: Take authority over your thoughts, before they take authority over you)
Jesus Christ is your life!
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory (Kolose 3:4)
Through the change of nature and the renewing of your mind, you shall no longer live like the world, as you lived before, in the power of sin and death. You shall no longer walk in darkness in rebellion against God and His words and break every rule, commandment, and covenant that God has instituted. But you shall live from your new position in Christ and lay down the works of the flesh and walk in the Word in the light on the earth.
Jesus Christ is not an addition to your life, but Jesus Christ is your life! He lives in you, and you live in Him!
A person’s heart goes out to what he loves, and what he loves he will devote his time to.
O lea la, if you are risen with Christ and you really love Jesus, then your heart shall go out to Jesus and you shall spend time in the Word and in prayer and seek and set your thoughts on the things which are above, where Christ is seated, instead of the things which are on the earth.
You shall listen to Jesus; the Word and obey and do what Jesus has commanded you to do.
When Christ, Who is your life, shall appear, you shall also appear with Him in glory.
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
