Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Colossians 3:1

"If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God." — Colossians 3:1 (ASV)

To set the heart on (lit., “seek”; GK 2426) things above is to desire and to strive for heavenly things. It is to see to it that one’s interests are constantly centered in Christ, that one’s attitudes, ambitions, and whole outlook on life are molded by Christ’s relationship to the believer, and that one’s allegiance to him takes precedence over all earthly allegiances. The description of Christ as “seated at the right hand of God” is another implied rejoinder to those who were seeking to diminish Christ’s role as mediator, inasmuch as the right hand of God is a metaphor for the place of supreme privilege and divine authority.