Bible Strands
Colossians 3:1
Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Colossian congregation, pivoting from warning against false teaching (ch. 2) to ethical exhortation. The audience is positioned as already raised with Christ, not still in their old state.
The words — ζητεῖτε (zēteite), present active imperative: "keep seeking" — a sustained posture, not a one-time act. συνηγέρθητε (sunēgerthēte), aorist passive with the prefix συν-: "you have been raised together with," marking union as the ground for the command.
The thread — The imperative "seek" echoes Matthew 6:33 ("seek first the kingdom of God"), and the orientation toward the unseen mirrors 2 Corinthians 4:18. Romans 8:6 supplies the contrast: the mind set on the Spirit versus the mind set on the flesh.
Why it lands — It asks the reader to redirect sustained effort toward what is above, treating the resurrection as a completed fact that reorients daily pursuit. The command is not a feeling but a direction of labor.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
- 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 Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.
- Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Galatians 2:19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God.
- Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
- Psalms 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.