Citizens and Witness

In this text, Paul admonishes us to put off the old man and his ways, listing qualities and behaviors that are NOT supposed to characterized our lives as believers. He provides 4 commands that are to be obeyed if right behavior is to follow knowledge of the truth. He tells us to 1: seek (always, continually) those thing which are above, 2: set your mind upon/meditate on these things, 3: consider yourself dead to this world, 4: put these things off actively. In teaching these things, Paul is not teaching mere moralism. Rather he reminds us that in Christ, and only in Christ, we are set apart and faithful, transformed from our old selves to have wisdom, insight and the ability to do God's will. In Christ, we are citizens of the heavenly realm, spiritually residing there. While we are still physically part of this world, we are to live in such a way that we are dead to it but also shining witnesses that the other world, God's true realm, exists.