In our last Meditation, we saw that it is
clear for the apostle Paul that with our rebirth by God’s Spirit we are
liberated from the dominion of darkness. All our sins are forgiven. We are
reconciled with God through Jesus’ self-sacrifice. God has adopted us as his
children. We belong to Him. We have received Jesus’ resurrection life and with
it “his fullness”: his Spirit, his heart, his will and his mind. That is now
our real life! Our sinful nature is still there, but it has lost its dominant
place!
Paul describes this new identity to the
followers of Jesus in Corinth with these words: “If anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2
Corinthians 5:17)
"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians
3:2**)
Today we need to ask Paul: what do you mean
with this double instruction?
“Set your minds on things above...” (Colossians
3:2a**)
One thing is clear: we have received Jesus’
mind (1 Corinthians 2:16, see also Meditation 117). We need to use it Jesus’ way if we want to
overcome the power of sin in our life. So how did Jesus use his mind in the
confrontation with Satan’s temptations? He defied the devil’s scheming by
saying: “The Scriptures say, ‘People need more than bread for their life;
they must feed on every Word of God.’” (Matthew 4:4.7.10* and the parallel
story in Luke 4:4.8.12*).
God’s reborn children can likewise defy
Satan’s temptations by obeying God’s Word. Paul urges the Christians in Ephesus
(Turkey): “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17*)
The apostle Paul mentions the importance of
studying God’s Word in his letter to the Christians in Rome: “Everything
that was written in the past (i.e. the Old Testament) was written to teach us,
so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have
hope.” (Romans 15:4**)
Paul reminds his co-worker Timothy about the
importance of knowing God’s Word to learn how to live a Christlike life and to
how overcome the power of sin. He writes: “All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in
our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is
God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God
wants us to do.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17*)
So, setting our mind on things above has
first of all to do with ‘putting our head and heart into God’s Word’. By
reading it we get a clear picture of who Jesus Christ is and what a mature
Christlike lifestyle looks like. Obviously, we need to follow up what we learn
by applying it to our way of life.
That leads us to the second point. Setting
our mind on things above has everything to do with adapting our behaviour to
our new Christlike identity. Paul writes about this to the Colossian
Christians. He starts by reminding them of their new Christlike character that
they received at their conversion: “You have clothed yourselves with a
brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more
about Christ, who created this new nature within you. In this new life, it
doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile (not Jewish), circumcised or
uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that
matters, and he lives in all of us.” (Colossians 3:10-11*)
Then he encourages them to adapt their
behaviour to their new Christlike identity. Paul compares this new lifestyle
with putting on a new Christlike outfit: “Since God chose you to be the holy
people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each
other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord
forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of
clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of
one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (Colossians 3:12-15*)
“Set your minds... not on earthly things." (Colossians
3:2b**)
Of course, you can only put on new clothes
when you take off the old ones. Therefore Paul urges the Christians in Colosse
(and us!) to do away with all behaviour that belongs to their old sinful
nature, so that their Christlike character can develop to full maturity.
This is what the apostle means when he
appeals to his Christian brothers and sisters (and us!) to avoid ‘setting their
minds on earthly things’: “So put to death the sinful, earthly things
lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and
shameful desires. Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is
idolatry. God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. You
used to do them when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time
to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.
Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all
its wicked deeds.” (Colossians 3:5-9)
“We use God's mighty weapons, not mere
worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds. With these weapons we
break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these
weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5*)
In this verse the apostle Paul explains how
he uses the Word of God – whilst filled with ‘the mind of Christ’ – to reach
out to people with the Good News of salvation. However, in the context of our
present Meditation, we might reflect on this text as well. God’s truthful Word
can help us to screen our lifestyle and specially our way of thinking.
Every pattern of thinking that is not in
accordance with the Christlike mind that God’s Spirit has given to me, needs to
be exposed and banished. Then the mind of Christ can develop itself fully in my
life.
Also Hebrews 4:12 shows us that God’s Word
has this ‘screening function’ in my heart and mind: “The word of God is full
of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our
innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.” (Hebrews 4:12*)
Of course, the question lies in to what
extent will I humbly allow God’s Spirit to screen my heart and mind by the
light and the power of God’s Word. Am I prepared to do what it says?
Here are some questions – based on the last two Meditations – to reflect upon. I pray that they might help
us to examine our heart and mind in the light of God’s Word:
-- Is my life distinguished by the
characteristics of a true conversion? (see Meditation 118)
-- Does Jesus’ resurrection life and “his
fullness” control my heart and mind or does my ‘old’ selfish and sinful nature
still keep its dominant place? (see Meditations 118 & 119)
-- Is my primary concern to set my heart and
mind on knowing God’s Word and obeying it? (see Meditations 118 & 119)
-- How successful am I in adapting my
behaviour to my new Christlike identity, so that Jesus’ character in me can
develop to full maturity? (see Meditations 118 & 119)
-- Do I allow God’s Word to screen my life
and specially my way of thinking? (see Meditation 119)
-- To summarise, I need to ask myself: who
rules my heart, my mind and my behaviour? I or Jesus Christ by his Spirit and
his Word?
Translations: *
New Living Translation; ** New International Version
For more on ‘what
must I do to be saved?’, see Meditations 18 to 26.
For more on ‘rebirth by God’s Spirit’, see
Meditations 27 and 44.
For more on ‘who is the Holy Spirit’? see
Meditation 28.
For more on ‘Christlike
transformation by God’s Spirit’, see Meditations 29 to 34, 45, 49 to 56 and
105.
For more on ‘sexual
sin, etc.’, see Meditations 87 to 94.
For more on ‘how to
overcome the power of sin in my life’, see Meditations 101-118.
