From General Principles to Clear Practical Guidance I ...

Friday, Dec 2, 2016. The bible is about very basic and far reaching things. It talks about God in father, son and holy spirit. It talks about creation, the physical things, but also animals, and also humans. It talks about moon and stars, but also about our life. It talks about our hopes, our fears. It talks about our relationships. It talks about what makes us what we are, and it talks about our thoughts, our emotions, our words and our actions.

Things that are above …

In the third chapter of the letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul first writes about the generic setting of our life when we have found faith in Christ. Let us read:

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (from Colossians 3)

Again and again Paul uses this image of death and life. We have died to the world, we are no longer its slaves, we are no longer limited by the perspective which is just within this world. But we are alive in Christ, hidden with Christ in God. Paul describes this again and again - and we also find it in the gospels and in the book of Acts …

The Setup …

If you look into church history, there has been a lot of discussion between different reformation groups about this salvation story: being new while still being in the old body. Are we new already, or are we new just in hope? Has salvation already taken place, or is it just to come? Is it fully determined by God, or do we have a free choice and if we have a free choice, what does it mean? Do we still have to earn our way into heaven by our deeds? Or is there no way to earn it? And does God save everyone, or only those who accept this freely?

Today, most of these discussions have been put to the side, they are only active in theological circles. But still, as believers we want to know where we are, we want to live with him and need his help and guidance to do so. And here, Paul gives us first quite generic help: seek the things that are above! He raises our view above the immediate needs and difficulties. He raises our view towards eternity. He raises it above our struggle, the pressures on our life, even above our victories and our riches … all that is just an episode. It cannot hold us. We have died this world, when we came to Christ.

Dying the world does not mean we would not care any more. On the contrary: we are free to care, we are free to love, free to give things up, free to change our mind, to let him change our emotions, our habits. Jesus himself was free, and he chose the way of the cross, which is love in action. We are invited to follow him - not to the same type of cross, but to our cross, to our love in action … what an invitation! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts