What Does the Bible Really Mean by 'Set Your Mind on Things Above'?

Around 60 AD, the Apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome, fulfilling a two-year sentence for telling others to put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. While Caesar wanted him to renounce his faith and stop preaching, Paul instead wrote and sent letters to encourage new believers to “set your mind on things above.” One church particularly needed to hear this message because false teaching challenging the gospel’s truth.

The church was the group of new believers in Colossae, a city in Asia Minor. Though he was concerned for this church, it was not a church that Paul visited and evangelized himself. Rather, Epaphras, a citizen of Colossae, traveled to Ephesus and was taught by Paul. Returning to Colossae, he began witnessing in public and, at some point, established a church.

According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Epaphras went to Rome to visit Paul and share his concerns about the church. “The occasion of this epistle was, we may be sure, the information brought by Epaphras that the church in Colossae was subject to the assault of a body of Judaistic Christians who were seeking to overthrow the faith of the Colossians and weaken their regard for Paul.”

As we will see, Paul’s admonition to “set your mind on things above” means walking more closely with God than with the things of this world. It’s not a legalistic form of relationship with God, but a joyous one where we want more and more to know God and make Him known.

Which Book of the Bible Says, “Set Your Mind on Things Above”?

Paul’s correspondence to the church in Colossae appears in the New Testament portion of the Bible, listed as the letter to the Colossians. The full verse (Colossians 3:2) reads, “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. The next verse completes the thought: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” So, both our hearts and minds are to be so committed to the things of God.

Because our spirits have already been raised with Jesus, what is left here for us to contend with when it comes to faith is our minds and our hearts. With God’s help, we can think the way Paul taught (whatever is true, right, noble, of good report, etc.). And as new creatures in Christ, though our old nature is gone, we still need to guard and guide our hearts to do what pleases our Heavenly Father.

Who Is Paul Addressing When He Says ‘Set Your Mind on Things Above’?

Paul was writing to members of the church who had begun believing in false teachings. He doesn’t come out and say what those things are explicitly. Still, we can infer that they relied more on “hollow and deceptive philosophy” and tradition than walking by faith (Colossians 2:8), following strict man-made rules that did not coincide with the gospel. According to a later verse, they even worshiped angels (Colossians 2:16-19).

In God’s sovereignty, he was writing to us as well. We have the benefit of learning from this letter 2,000 years later.

Does “Set Your Mind on Things Above” Mean We Only Think about Religious Things?

Religion has to do with the practice of one’s faith, so that’s not necessarily the same as setting our minds and hearts on the things of God. I believe it means more than religion. It means focusing on our relationship with God and studying God’s character and actions–especially sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins. It would also mean focusing beyond this world and thinking about what our life will be like with Him in the world to come.

This can be easier said than done with so much that competes for our mind’s attention. If we truly want to grow in faith and our nearness to God’s heart, we need to spend focused time doing those things that will make our spiritual lives flourish.

How Can You Set Your Mind on Things Above Today?

Matthew Henry writes in his Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible that the passage means, “We must make heaven our scope and aim, seek the favor of God above, keep up our communion with the upper world of faith, hope and holy love, and make it our constant care and business to secure our title to and qualifications for the heavenly bliss.”

• Making heaven our scope and aim. The only way that heaven can be our aim is if we have accepted the only way to get to heaven (faith in Jesus Christ).
• Seeking the favor of God above–though the law of sin and death no longer binds us, we still do well by pleasing our heavenly Father by loving Him with our whole heart and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
• Keeping up our communion with the upper world of faith, hope, and holy love. God knows what we need before we even ask, but prayer is our opportunity to praise and thank Him for all He has done. It’s also how we can communicate our trust. I believe acknowledging God’s presence every moment and showing Him how much we adore Him is a blessed communion that nothing in this world can match.
• Making it our constant care and business to secure our title to . . . I believe this means keeping “short accounts” with God. Confessing our sins immediately and asking for forgiveness. Repenting and turning from making the same mistake again. These actions don’t ensure eternal life. However, they do impact our relationship with the Lord and others.
• Think about what you’re thinking about and see if you can turn it around with gospel truth. Sometimes, it helps to have someone point out what you say and see if your thoughts and words match the truth of what God says.
• Know how Jesus lived and do your best to emulate Him in all your ways.
• Have an eternal mindset. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Think and act like the Lord is coming to take you home today, and determine how that would change any of your thoughts or attitudes.

I take it for granted that I can go to the Bible, to church, to my pastor, or to any of the many resources available to learn more about God’s immutable qualities and my relationship with Him through Christ. It must have been incredibly difficult for Paul to hear of those who had supposedly put their faith in Christ and subsequently rejected the full gospel. To hear that they were doing so in favor of ridiculous notions such as angel worship or following silly ceremonial rules must have been all the more disappointing.

But like all of us, we can introduce people to Christ, but the Lord is the One who saves. Hopefully, when that person comes to faith, we can be in a relationship with them in which we steer each other toward gospel truth. Just as in Paul’s day, there are plenty of false prophets and teachers that we need to help each other avoid. I’m grateful for promptings from the Holy Spirit that tell me to verify what I hear by going right to God’s word. May we all do the same!

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Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).  

This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.

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