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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Colossians 3:1–4. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The apostle, having described our privileges by Christ in the former part of the epistle, and our discharge from the yoke of the ceremonial law, comes here to press upon us our duty as inferred thence. Though we are made free from the obligation of the ceremonial law, it does not therefore follow that we may live as we list. We must walk the more closely with God in all the instances of evangelical obedience. He begins with exhorting them to set their hearts on heaven, and take them off from this world: If you then have risen with Christ. It is our privilege that we have risen with Christ; that is, have benefit by the resurrection of Christ, and by virtue of our union and communion with him are justified and sanctified, and shall be glorified. Hence he infers that we must seek those things which are above. We must mind the concerns of another world more than the concerns of this. We must make heaven our scope and aim, seek the favour of God above, keep up our communion with the upper world by faith, and hope, and holy love, and make it our constant care and business to secure our title to and qualifications for the heavenly bliss. And the reason is because Christ sits at the right hand of God. He who is our best friend and our head is advanced to the highest dignity and honour in heaven, and has gone before to secure to us the heavenly happiness; and therefore we should seek and secure what he has purchased at so vast an expense, and is taking so much care about. We must live such a life as Christ lived here on earth and lives now in heaven, according to our capacities.
I.He explains this duty (Col 3:2):
Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. Observe, To seek heavenly things is to set our affections upon them, to love them and let our desires be towards them. Upon the wings of affection the heart soars upwards, and is carried forth towards spiritual and divine objects. We must acquaint ourselves with them, esteem them above all other things, and lay out ourselves in preparation for the enjoyment of them. David gave this proof of his loving the house of God, that he diligently sought after it, and prepared for it, Psa 27:4. This is to be spiritually minded (Rom 8:6), and to seek and desire a better country, that is, a heavenly, Heb 11:14, Heb 11:16. Things on earth are here set in opposition to things above. We must not dote upon them, nor expect too much from them, that we may set our affections on heaven; for heaven and earth are contrary one to the other, and a supreme regard to both is inconsistent; and the prevalence of our affection to one will proportionably weaken and abate our affection to the other.
II.He assigns three reasons for this, Col 3:3, Col 3:4.
1.That we are dead; that is, to present things, and as our portion. We are so in profession and obligation; for we are buried with Christ, and planted into the likeness of his death. Every Christian is crucified unto the world, and the world is crucified unto him, Gal 6:14. And if we are dead to the earth, and have renounced it as our happiness, it is absurd for us to set our affections upon it, and seek it. We should be like a dead thing to it, unmoved and unaffected towards it.
2.Our true life lies in the other world: You are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God, Col 3:3. The new man has its livelihood thence. It is born and nourished from above; and the perfection of its life is reserved for that state. It is hid with Christ; not hid from us only, in point of secrecy, but hid for us, denoting security. The life of a Christian is hid with Christ. Because I live you shall live also, Joh 14:19. Christ is at present a hidden Christ, or one whom we have not seen; but this is our comfort, that our life is hid with him, and laid up safely with him. As we have reason to love him whom we have not seen (Pe1 1:8), so we may take the comfort of a happiness out of sight, and reserved in heaven for us.
3.Because at the second coming of Christ we hope for the perfection of our happiness. If we live a life of Christian purity and devotion now, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we shall also appear with him in glory, Col 3:4. Observe,
(1.)Christ is a believer's life. I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, Gal 2:20. He is the principle and end of the Christian's life. He lives in us by his Spirit, and we live to him in all we do. To me to live is Christ, Phi 1:21.
(2.)Christ will appear again. He is now hid; and the heavens must contain him; but he will appear in all the pomp of the upper world, with his holy angels, and in his own glory and his Father's glory, Mar 8:38; Luk 9:26.
(3.)We shall then appear with him in glory. It will be his glory to have his redeemed with him; he will come to be glorified in his saints (Th2 1:10); and it will be their glory to come with him, and be with him for ever. At the second coming of Christ there will be a general meeting of all the saints; and those whose life is now hid with Christ shall then appear with Christ in that glory which he himself enjoys, Joh 17:24. Do we look for such a happiness, and should we not set our affections upon that world, and live above this? What is there here to make us fond of it? What is there not there to draw our hearts to it? Our head is there, our home is there, our treasure is there, and we hope to be there for ever.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
5 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
But such as entertain wicked thoughts in their minds are bringing upon themselves death and captivity; and especially is this the case with those who set their affections on this world, and glory in their riches, and look not forward to the blessings of the life to come.
) rather things above, and not things on the earth;
This is the reason why no one obeys their precepts; inasmuch as they either train men to vices, if they defend pleasure; or if they uphold virtue, they neither threaten sin with any punishment, except that of disgrace only, nor do they promise any reward to virtue, except that of honour and praise only, since they say that virtue is to be sought for its own sake, and not on account of any other object. The wise man therefore is happy under tortures; but when he suffers torture on account of his faith, on account of justice, or on account of God, that endurance of pain will render him most happy. For it is God alone who can honour virtue, the reward of which is immortality alone. And they who do not seek this, nor possess religion, with which eternal life is connected, assuredly do not know the power of virtue, the reward of which they are ignorant; nor look towards heaven, as they themselves imagine that they do, when they inquire into subjects which do not admit of investigation, since there is no other cause for looking towards heaven, unless it be either to undertake religion, or to believe that one's soul is immortal. For if any one understands that God is to be worshipped, or has the hope of immortality set before him, his mind is in heaven; and although he may not behold it with his eyes, yet he does behold it with the eye of his soul.
So … if reason instead assumes sway over such emotions, each of them is transmuted to a form of virtue. For anger produces courage, terror caution, fear obedience, hatred aversion from vice, the power of love the desire for what is truly beautiful. High spirit in our character raises our thought above the passions and keeps it from bondage to what is base. Indeed, even the great apostle praises such a form of mental elevation when he bids us constantly to “think those things that are above.” So we find that every such motion, when elevated by loftiness of mind, is conformed to the beauty of the divine image.
"Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in glory."
This is not your life, he saith, it is some other one. He is now urgent to remove them, and insists upon showing that they are seated above, and are dead; from both considerations establishing the position, that they are not to seek the things which are here. For whether ye be dead, ye ought not to seek them; or whether ye be above, ye ought not to seek them. Doth Christ appear? Neither doth your life. It is in God, above. What then? When shall we live? When Christ shall be manifested, who is your life; then seek ye glory, then life, then enjoyment.
This is to prepare the way for drawing them off from pleasure and ease. Such is his wont: when establishing one position, he darts off to another; as, for instance, when discoursing of those who at supper were beforehand with one another, he all at once falls upon the observance of the Mysteries. For he hath a great rebuke when it is administered unsuspected. "It is hid," he saith, from you. "Then shall ye also with Him be manifested." So that, now, ye do not appear. See how he hath removed them into the very heaven. For, as I said, he is always bent upon showing that they have the very same things which Christ hath; and through all his Epistles, the tenor is this, to show that in all things they are partakers with Him. Therefore he uses the terms, Head, and Body, and does everything to convey this to them.
If therefore we shall then be manifested, let us not grieve, when we enjoy not honor: if this life be not life, but it be hidden, we ought to live this life as though dead. "Then shall ye also," he saith, "with Him be manifested in glory." "In glory," he said, not merely "manifested." For the pearl too is hidden so long as it is within the oyster. If then we be treated with insult, let us not grieve; or whatever it be we suffer; for this life is not our life, we are strangers and sojourners. "For ye died," he saith. Who is so witless, as for a corpse, dead and buried, either to buy servants, or build houses, or prepare costly raiment? None. Neither then do ye; but as we seek one thing only, namely, that we be not in a naked state, so here too let us seek one thing and no more. Our first man is buried: buried not in earth, but in water; not death-destroyed, but buried by death's destroyer, not by the law of nature, but by the governing command that is stronger than nature. For what has been done by nature, may perchance be undone; but what has been done by His command, never. Nothing is more blessed than this burial, whereat all are rejoicing, both Angels, and men, and the Lord of Angels. At this burial, no need is there of vestments, nor of coffin, nor of anything else of that kind. Wouldest thou see the symbol of this? I will show thee a pool wherein the one was buried, the other raised; in the Red Sea the Egyptians were sunk beneath it, but the Israelites went up from out of it; in the same act he buries the one, generates the other.
Marvel not that generation and destruction take place in Baptism; for, tell me, dissolving and cementing, are they not opposite? It is evident to all. Such is the effect of fire; for fire dissolves and destroys wax, but it cements together metallic earth, and works it into gold. So in truth here also, the force of the fire, having obliterated the statue of wax, has displayed a golden one in its stead; for in truth before the Bath we were of clay, but after it of gold. Whence is this evident? Hear him saying, "The first man is of the earth, earthy, the second man is the Lord from heaven." I spoke of a difference as great as that between clay and gold; but greater still do I find the difference between heavenly and earthy; not so widely do clay and gold differ, as do things earthy and heavenly. Waxen we were, and clay-formed. For the flame of lust did much more melt us, than fire doth wax, and any chance temptation did far rather shatter us than a stone doth things of clay.
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Summary
Colossians 3:2 serves as a profound directive for believers to reorient their inner lives and priorities from the transient concerns of this world to the enduring realities of God's heavenly kingdom. Following the declaration that believers have been spiritually united with Christ in His resurrection, this verse calls for a corresponding, intentional shift in mindset, affections, and aspirations, ensuring that their daily walk aligns with their new, elevated spiritual identity.
Context
Literary Context
This verse stands as a pivotal command following Paul's foundational theological arguments in Colossians 1 and Colossians 2. Having established the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Christ in all things, and having warned against the empty philosophies, legalism, and asceticism that threatened the Colossian church, Paul now transitions to the practical implications of their faith. Colossians 3:1 declares the believer's new identity: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God." Colossians 3:2 is a direct, imperative follow-up to this indicative statement, providing the practical outworking of being "raised with Christ." It is not merely a suggestion but a command to actively direct one's inner being toward heavenly things, a logical consequence of their spiritual union with Christ's resurrection. The subsequent verses in Colossians 3:5-17 then detail the specific behaviors and attitudes that flow from this heavenly mindset, contrasting the "old self" with the "new self."
Historical & Cultural Context
The church in Colossae faced a complex blend of philosophical and religious challenges often referred to as the "Colossian heresy." This syncretistic teaching incorporated elements of Jewish legalism (observance of specific days, food regulations), Gnostic-like philosophies (emphasis on secret knowledge, devaluing of the material world), angel worship, and severe asceticism (self-denial for spiritual purity). These false teachings diverted believers' focus from the all-sufficiency of Christ, leading them to seek spiritual fulfillment through human traditions and earthly regulations rather than through their union with Christ. Paul's exhortation to "set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" directly counters these errors. It asserts that true spiritual growth and freedom come not from external rituals or self-imposed deprivations, but from an internal reorientation of the mind and heart toward Christ, who is in heaven. This heavenly focus liberates believers from the grip of worldly systems and human-made rules, grounding their identity and hope firmly in Christ alone.
Key Themes
The command in Colossians 3:2 encapsulates several crucial themes within the letter and broader Pauline theology. The most prominent is the Heavenly Mindset, which emphasizes that believers, having been spiritually resurrected with Christ, should cultivate an eternal perspective that transcends the temporal and material. This involves a deliberate shift in where one's thoughts, desires, and ambitions are primarily directed. Closely related is the theme of Spiritual Transformation and New Identity, where the believer's union with Christ's death and resurrection (as seen in Romans 6:4-11) leads to a new way of living, characterized by a focus on divine realities rather than worldly pursuits. This heavenly orientation also serves as a powerful Antidote to Worldliness and False Teaching. By prioritizing "things above," believers are guarded against the deceptive allure of human philosophies, legalistic practices, and materialistic desires that ultimately detract from the glory and preeminence of Christ, as Paul warns throughout Colossians 2. The verse thus calls for a radical re-evaluation of what truly holds value and captures the believer's ultimate devotion, echoing the principle of seeking God's kingdom first found in Matthew 6:33.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word (G5426) is far more robust than a mere emotional attachment. It means "to exercise the mind," "to have a sentiment or opinion," "to be mentally disposed," or "to interest oneself in with concern or obedience." It implies a deep, intellectual, volitional, and continuous commitment. It is a deliberate and active orientation of one's entire being—thoughts, intentions, and desires—towards a specific direction. Thus, "setting your affection" is not a passive feeling but an active, ongoing decision to direct one's mind and will.
This adverb (G507) simply means "upward" or "on the top." In this context, it refers to the heavenly realm where Christ is seated. It signifies the spiritual, eternal, and divine realities that transcend the earthly. It is not merely a geographical location but a spiritual domain of God's presence and authority.
This noun (G1093) refers to the "soil," "region," or the "terrene globe." In contrast to "above," it represents the material, temporary, and human-centered aspects of existence. It encompasses worldly values, possessions, achievements, and anything that is limited to this present age and not aligned with God's eternal purposes.
Verse Breakdown
"Set your affection on things above"
This is an imperative command, urging believers to actively and continuously direct their minds, thoughts, and desires toward heavenly realities. This includes cultivating an eternal perspective, focusing on God's kingdom, Christ's glory, spiritual virtues, and the promises of eternal life. It is a call to align one's inner life with the spiritual position of being "raised with Christ" (Colossians 3:1).
"not on things on the earth"
This is a direct prohibition, serving as the negative counterpart to the positive command. It warns against allowing one's mind and heart to be consumed by the transient, material, and human-centered concerns of this world. This does not imply a rejection of earthly responsibilities or the physical world, but rather a warning against finding ultimate value, security, or fulfillment in anything that is limited to this temporal existence and distracts from God's eternal purposes. The contrast is stark and intentional, forcing a choice in where one's ultimate devotion and focus lie.
Literary Devices
Paul employs a clear Antithesis in this verse, juxtaposing "things above" with "things on the earth." This sharp contrast highlights the divergent paths and priorities available to the believer, emphasizing the necessity of choosing an eternal, spiritual focus over a temporal, worldly one. The command itself is a Metaphor for a profound reorientation of one's entire being; "setting your affection" is not a literal placement but a figurative redirection of one's deepest desires, thoughts, and will. This deliberate choice underscores the active, volitional nature of Christian discipleship, where internal disposition dictates external action.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Colossians 3:2 articulates a profound theological truth: the believer's new identity in Christ necessitates a radical reorientation of their inner life. Having been "raised with Christ" (Colossians 3:1), believers are no longer bound by the elementary principles of the world but are called to live in light of their heavenly citizenship. This heavenly mindset is not an escapist fantasy but a practical framework for living, enabling believers to discern eternal value from temporal vanity. It speaks to the sovereignty of God over all creation and the ultimate destiny of the redeemed in Christ. The verse underscores that true life and fulfillment are found not in accumulating earthly treasures or pursuing worldly accolades, but in aligning one's heart and mind with the divine purposes and realities found in God's kingdom. This spiritual focus empowers believers to live with purpose, resilience, and hope, knowing that their true home and ultimate reward are in heaven.
Reflection and Application
Colossians 3:2 offers a timeless and challenging call to introspection for every believer. It prompts us to critically examine the landscape of our inner world: What truly captures our attention, fuels our ambitions, and shapes our daily decisions? Are our affections primarily anchored in the fleeting successes, material comforts, and worldly recognition that "things on the earth" offer, or are they genuinely directed towards the enduring values, eternal purposes, and spiritual realities of "things above"? Living out this verse means engaging in a continuous, intentional process of spiritual discernment, actively choosing to cultivate a mindset that prioritizes God's glory, the advancement of His kingdom, and the pursuit of Christ-likeness above all else. This reorientation involves a deliberate turning away from the anxieties and allurements of worldliness and a turning towards prayer, the study of God's Word, fellowship with other believers, and service that has eternal impact. It frees us from the tyranny of comparison and the endless pursuit of more, enabling us to live with contentment, purpose, and a profound sense of hope, knowing that our true treasures are stored in heaven.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "not on things on the earth" mean we should neglect our earthly responsibilities or despise the physical world?
No, the command to "not set your affection on things on the earth" does not advocate for irresponsibility, asceticism, or a disdain for the physical world. Instead, it is a call to reorder our priorities and affections. The Greek word for "earth" (G1093, gē) in this context refers to the transient, material, and human-centered aspects of existence that are separate from God's eternal purposes. Paul is not telling us to abandon our jobs, families, or civic duties. Rather, he is warning against allowing these earthly concerns to become the ultimate source of our security, identity, or fulfillment. Our responsibilities in this world, such as working diligently (Colossians 3:23), loving our families (Colossians 3:18-21), and engaging in society, should be carried out with a heavenly perspective and for God's glory, not as ends in themselves. The focus is on the direction of our affections and the source of our ultimate hope and joy, which should be found in Christ and His kingdom, not in the fleeting things of this world.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Colossians 3:2 finds its ultimate fulfillment and power in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The command to "set your affection on things above" is not a mere moralistic exhortation but a direct consequence of the believer's profound union with Christ, who is Himself "above," seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1). Our ability to reorient our minds from earthly to heavenly things flows directly from Christ's finished work on the cross and His glorious resurrection. Through His death, Christ severed our ties to the "elementary principles of the world" (Colossians 2:20), and through His resurrection, He inaugurated a new, heavenly reality into which believers are now incorporated. Our affections are to be set on "things above" because Christ, our life, is there (Colossians 3:4). He is the ultimate "thing above" that draws our hearts and minds. His sacrifice made it possible for us to be reconciled to God and to share in His heavenly glory (Ephesians 2:6). Therefore, living with a heavenly mindset is not simply about thinking good thoughts, but about living in conscious communion with our risen and ascended Lord, whose very presence defines "things above." He is the object, the means, and the goal of our reoriented affections, making this verse a powerful call to Christ-centered living.