Colossians 3:2
in Colossians 3Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.
KJV
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
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This verse in Colossians 3
Commentary
17 notes on this verseSet your affection on things above - Τα ανω φρονειτε· Love heavenly things; study them; let your hearts be entirely engrossed by them. Now, that ye are converted to God, act in reference to heavenly things as ye did formerly in reference to those of earth; and vice versa. This is a very good general rule: “Be as much in earnest for heavenly and eternal things, as ye formerly were for those that are earthly and perishing.”
This site's exposition
since you have been raised with Christ
on Colossians 3:1-2
The chapter opens since you have been raised with Christ, building its ethic on the rising of 2:12 as done. Both verbs, strive and set, name a settled direction of the mind toward the place where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
This site's exposition
Set your minds on things above
The verb means to think or to be minded, and Barnes takes it as the steady set of the thoughts on where Christ is seated. Clarke gives a working rule: be as earnest for things above as you once were for earthly things. The mind follows its Lord.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Thus our love of pleasure took its beginning from our being made like to the irrational creation, and was increased by the transgressions of men, becoming the parent of so many varieties of sins arising from pleasure as we cannot find among the irrational animals. Thus the rising of anger in us is indeed akin to the impulse of the brutes; but it grows by the alliance of thought: for thence come malignity, envy, deceit, conspiracy, hypocrisy; all these are the result of the evil husbandry of the mind; for if the passion were divested of the aid it receives from thought, the anger that is left behind is short-lived and not sustained, like a bubble, perishing straightway as soon as it comes into being. Thus the greediness of swine introduces covetousness, and the high spirit of the horse becomes the origin of pride; and all the particular forms that proceed from the want of reason in brute nature become vice by the evil use of the mind. So, likewise, on the contrary, 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; yea, the great Apostle, even, praises such a form of mental elevation when he bids us constantly to "think those things that are above;" and so we find that every such motion, when elevated by loftiness of mind, is conformed to the beauty of the Divine image.
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;
"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. […]
A commentator
Lucius Caecilius Firmianus LactantiusThe Divine Institutes, Book 3, Chapter XII · Written before 325.
proposed
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.
9 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church3 voices
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 9 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Do not set your mind on the things that are upon the earth, for Christ was crucified to make void this wisdom; and just as Christ died to make void and destroy vain wisdom, so he rose again and ascended to teach true wisdom and …
Then when he says, set your minds on things that are above, he draws his conclusion about the end: first, that a person should aim at some principal end; and secondly, that he should judge other things in the light of that end. Furthermore, we …
Having said "having been buried with Him," namely through baptism, and having made clear what is left unsaid, that is, that they also rose with Him (for baptism depicts death through immersion in water, and resurrection through rising from the water), he now also persuades …
The Reformation1 voice
"The ceremonies are dead to you through the death of Christ, and you to them, in order that, being raised up to heaven with Christ, you may think only of those things that are above.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
This is to be spiritually minded ( Rom. viii. 6 ), and to seek and desire a better country, that is, a heavenly, Heb. xi. Things on earth are here set in opposition to things above.
Set your affections on things above,.... For unless the affections are set on them, they will never be sought after in a proper manner.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
THE resurrection of our Divine Lord from the dead is the cornerstone of Christian doctrine. Perhaps I might more accurately call it the keystone of the arch of Christianity, for if that fact could be disproved, the whole fabric of the Gospel would fall to the ground. If Jesus Christ is not risen, then is our preaching in vain and your faith is also in vain—you are yet in your sins.
THE resurrection of our Divine Lord from the dead is the cornerstone of Christian doctrine. Perhaps I might more accurately call it the keystone of the arch of Christianity, for if that fact could be disproved, the whole fabric of the Gospel would fall to the ground. If Jesus Christ is not risen, then is our preaching in vain and your faith is also in vain—you are yet in your sins. If Christ is not risen, then they which have fallen asleep in Christ have perished and we, ourselves, in missing so glorious a hope as that of Resurrection, are, of all men, the most miserable! Because of the great importance of His Resurrection, our Lord was pleased to give many Infallible proofs of it, by appearing again and again in the midst of His followers. It would be interesting to search out how many times He appeared. I think we have mention of some 16 manifestations. He showed Himself openly before His disciples and did eat and drink with them. They touched His hands and His side and heard His voice and knew that it was the same Jesus that was crucified. He was not content with giving evidence to the ears and to the eyes, but even to the sense of touch He proved the reality of His Resurrection. These appearances were very varied. Sometimes He gave an interview to one alone, either to a man, as to Cephas, or to a woman, as to Magdalene. He conversed with two of His followers as they went to Emmaus and with the company of the Apostles by the sea. We find Him at one moment among the 11 when the doors were shut for fear of the Jews and at another time in the midst of an assembly of more than 500 brethren, who, years later, were, most of them, living witnesses to the fact. They could not all have been deceived. It is not possible that any historical fact could have been placed upon a better basis of credibility than the Resurrection of our Lord from the dead.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Set your affection - Margin, “or mind.” Greek” think of” - φρονεῖτε phroneite. The thoughts should be occupied about the things where Christ now dwells, where our final home is to be, where our great interests are. Since we are raised from the death of sin, and are made to live anew, the great object of our contemplation should be the heavenly world. Not on things on the earth - Wealth, honor, pleasure. Our affections should not be fixed on houses and lands; on scenes of fashion and gaiety; on low and debasing enjoyments.
The words behind it
8 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| τὰ | ta | The [things] | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἄνω | ano | above | G507 → | |
| φρονεῖτε | phroneite | do set [your] minds on | G5426 → | |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| τὰ | ta | the [things] | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | on | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τῆς | tes | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆς. | ges | earth. | G1093 → | 248 times |
τὰThe [things]
taG3588 →19766 times
ἄνωabove
anoG507 →
φρονεῖτεdo set [your] minds on
phroneiteG5426 →
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
τὰthe [things]
taG3588 →19766 times
ἐπὶon
epiG1909 →883 times
τῆςthe
tesG3588 →19766 times
γῆς.earth.
gesG1093 →248 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Colossians 3:1Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
it leads to
- Romans 8:6
The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,
- Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
- 2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
- Matthew 6:20
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
- Psalms 73:25–26
Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.
- Romans 8:6
Through
Matthew 16:23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
it leads to
- Romans 8:5–8
Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
- Philippians 3:19
Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.
- Mark 8:33
But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
- Romans 8:5–8
Where this verse is studied
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About Colossians
This page draws on 15 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 9; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1530: “Following the Risen Christ” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Gregory of Nyssa, On the Making of Man, XVIII; John Calvin, Commentary on Colossians; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Chrysostom, Homily on Colossians 7; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius, The Divine Institutes, Book 3, Chapter XII; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Pope Urban I, Commentary (church-history corpus); Shepherd of Hermas, Shepherd of Hermas, Vision 1; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Colossians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Colossians.