Welcome to week four of Colossians for Families! The focus of our study will be on Colossians 3:1-4 and what it means to be raised with Jesus.
Click here for Colossians Week 3 – Rooted
Let’s Study the Bible Together
Opening Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending Jesus to live, die, and rise again for our sins. Help us to live for you with obedient actions and thankful hearts. Help us to learn more about what it means to be raised with Jesus as we study the Bible as a family. Amen.
Read Colossians 3:1-4
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Note for Parents: Read the background information and share what might be helpful as you teach your kids. You know them better than anyone else, so make this work for your family.
Background Info for Parents
Remember the false teachers we talked about in our last study? The false teaching that the Colossians were facing is complicated in many ways, but at its very core, these false teachers emphasized that Jesus was just not enough to take care of our sin problem. It was more about fixing the externals rather than root causes. N.T. Wright says “The old method of holiness attacked symptoms: the true method goes for the root.” Paul writes in Colossians 2:20 – “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations?” Christ’s death has freed us from the captivity of sin. And now, Colossians 3:1 answers the question: how should we live our lives?
If then you have been raised with Christ – In chapter 2, Paul discusses the implications of dying with Christ. It’s not referring to our literal death but our identification with his death that brings freedom from the captivity of sin. Unlike the teaching of the false teachers, there is nothing else they/we need to accomplish to earn membership into Christ’s kingdom. There are no special membership routes. It’s by faith in Christ’s work that was accomplished on our behalf – by grace. If your identity is in Christ, you’re already in. In chapter 3, he is focusing on our identification with Christ’s resurrection. Now it’s all about growing into that identity and becoming spiritually mature. And Paul gives us two imperatives to make that happen:
1. Seek the things that are above
2. Set your minds on things that are above
And when Christ returns for his people, you will appear with him in glory.
Discussion Questions
What did Jesus do for us to make a relationship with him possible?
Jesus came to this earth on a rescue mission to save us from our sin problem by living a perfect life, dying on the cross, and rising again so that we can have life. He died for us and he was raised to life for us. If you know him, Paul tells us that you are also raised with Christ.
Note for Parents: Since God has already given us all we need to be saved from our sins, there is nothing else that we need to figure out to receive that free gift. But if we really want to follow him, there are two important pieces of instructions that Jesus gives us: seek the things that are above and set your minds on things that are above.
Based on what we have talked about already, what does it mean to seek the things that are above?
In the same way, what does it mean to set your mind on things that are above?
The opposite of this would be to set your mind on things that are on the earth. What does it look like to set you mind on the things that are on the earth?
This Bible passage tells us that when Christ appears again, then you will also appear with him in glory. What do you think Paul is talking about? Is this good news?
Family Life Application
Memory Verse
Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
In today’s Bible Study, we discussed what it means to seek the things that are above and set your mind on things that are above. As a family, write down what Jesus does for us that makes it possible for us to grow spiritually.
Prayer Focus
- Thank God for sending Jesus to the earth to rescue us.
- Ask God to help us walk with Him every single day.
- Pray for each family member’s spiritual growth.
Additional Resources
Understanding the Gospel: Are Parent’s Guide
Family Discipleship: A Biblica Guide for Parents
Join our family discipleship community! Sign up for weekly emails with encouragement and practical ways to help your kids grow in Christ.
Leave a Reply