What does it mean to Put Off and Put On? – Part 2

In the first installment, I noted that God expects his people to change via heart change. I cited two verses explaining the change process via the renewing of the mind.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Rom.12:2, NASB

…and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, Eph. 4:23, NASB

Other passages in Scripture implore us to set our minds on the Spirit (Romans 8:5), seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), and be heavenly minded (Colossians 3:2). 

All three passages provide a contrast either overtly or by implication. Romans 8:5 warns against setting our minds on the flesh. The warning in Romans 8:5 is similar to 1 John 2:15-17:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17, NASB)

To love the world or the things in the world means to set one’s mind (mental process, will) with a basic orientation on one’s worldly desires, passions, or lusts of the heart that are part of the old nature, living without thought to God.

Matthew 6:33 comes toward the end of Jesus’ discourse on worry and anxiety. The disciples were worried about a great many things, and Jesus reminded them of God’s sovereignty and his provision for their needs, so he told them to have kingdom priorities that would alleviate their mindset of anxiety:

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33, NASB)

In Colossians 3:2 (an imperative), we are told to be heavenly minded. John MacArthur explains the passage this way in the MacArthur Study Bible:

3:2 Set your mind. This can also be translated “think,” or “have this inner disposition.” As a compass points N, the believer’s entire disposition should point itself toward the things of heaven. Heavenly thoughts can only come by understanding heavenly realities from Scripture¹

It is essential at this point to remind the reader of the relationship between thinking and the heart.

Nelson’s New Bible Illustrated Dictionary puts it like this:

HEART — the inner self that thinks, feels, and decides. In the Bible, the word “heart” has a much broader meaning than it does to the modern mind. The heart is that which is central to a person. Nearly all the references to the heart in the Bible refer to some aspect of human personality.²

Notice that the inner self emotions are included in the word heart. It is significant that the inner self aspects of the heart also include thinks and decides. The heart is the biblical word used to describe the inner man. The heart is a person’s immaterial (non-flesh) part that includes our thoughts, beliefs, desires, mind, feelings, intentions, and emotions. It’s often referred to as the control center of our being.

Heart change is more than thinking, but it is not less. What we set our minds on reveals what is in the heart. Because we still struggle with sin, Paul wants us to be as heavenly-minded as possible.

Before he gets to specific put-offs and put-ons, he gives us four verses to consider:

Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Col.3:1-4, NASB)

Paul is correcting the false teaching of asceticism, a self-made religion. Asceticism is defined online in the American Heritage Dictionary:³

Asceticism

1. The principles and practices of an ascetic; extreme self-denial and austerity. 
2. The doctrine that the ascetic life releases the soul from bondage to the body and permits union with the divine.

Ascetism is a false works-oriented way to achieve holiness, and Paul gives the Colossians the proper way to pursue holiness. Asceticism does nothing to restrain sin or bring a person closer to God.

So Paul seeks to remind them of their position in Christ (vss 3,-4). The two indicatives follow the two imperatives to “keep seeking the things above where Christ is (vs1b)” and “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (vs. 2).”

To “keep seeking” means to meditate upon or keep thinking on what our identity in Christ means daily and how our thinking affects our daily lives; as explained above, verse two sets up the contrast between godly Christ-centered living or living life around worldly pursuits that have no concern or thought for God.

One of the most fundamental questions a biblical counselor or pastor can ask a person who seeks counsel is, what are you living for? Another basic question is, what difference has the gospel made in your life?

In the next installment (Colossians 3:5-10), we will explore in detail what Paul means by worldly or fleshly living that needs to be put off.

To read Part One, see http://mensdiscipleshipblog.org/what-does-it-mean-to-put-off-and-put-on-part-1/ at the Men’s Discipleship Blog at Reigning Grace Counseling Center.

For more on Heart Change, see http://mensdiscipleshipblog.org/what-is-heart-change/, which can be found at http://mensdiscipleshipblog.org/blogs/ the Men’s Blog at Reigning Grace Counseling Center.

---