Colossians 3:1,2 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
The apostle Paul begins his practical application portion of his letter to the Colossians with the exhortation for the church to set our affections on things above. He defines the location of where our affections are to be set by saying that they are to be on Christ, Who is at the right hand of God. So he is telling saints who live in the city of Colosse and say they have been crucified, buried and raised again from the dead in Christ, that their affections or their minds are now to be set on things above, not on the things of this world. Lest they get the idea that he was telling them that being a follower of Jesus means to “check out” of life here on planet earth, he is going to, in fact, tell them the very opposite.
As followers of Christ, our citizenship is in heaven. This world is not our home. We are in this world, but no longer of this world. Setting our affections on things above is another way of saying that Christians are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13a, 14). We are not only dead in Christ, we are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). Thus, the vain pursuit of trying to find the meaning of our existence and purpose for living is not found in this present world system and all of its religious systems and godless ideologies. The apostle John tells us that life is found in seeking and doing the will of God, not coveting the things of this godless, fallen world system or the fashion of it (1 John 2:15-17). Our ultimate loyalty belongs to The Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom. In a day and age where the political rhetoric is at an all-time high, we need to remember that our affections are to be set on Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Loyalty to Jesus Christ and His kingdom takes precedent and priority over allegiance to any one political party.
Like John the Baptizer, Daniel, the three Hebrew children, or the apostles in Acts, we must confront wickedness by standing for righteousness, but in this fallen world, there is no such thing as a “Christian Political Party” any more than there is a “Christian Nation.” With the life of Jesus as our example, the holy Scriptures as our GPS, the fact that this world is not our home, and that living for eternal things is what really matters, it behooves both writer and reader alike to set our affections of things above, for only those who truly live for Christ, can say, and to die is gain. Selah
