“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Is it possible to experience some of the joys of heaven here on earth? According to this passage, the answer is yes! Since we have been united to Christ in His death and resurrection, we are inseparable from Him. As He is now seated in heaven on the right hand of the Father, we are seated with Him. Even though it is difficult for us to grasp this spiritual reality, it is nonetheless true.
The more we grasp this by faith, the greater will be our experience of heavenly joys here on earth. In Heb 11:1 we read: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”; and it speaks of the heroes of the faith that they all died not having received the promises, but they greeted them from afar; and they looked for a city whose builder and maker is God (Heb 11:13,10). These believers were convinced of the promises and lived in the hope of them. We on the other hand have the proof of Christ’s resurrection and ascension to heaven as a guarantee of our physical resurrection. We also have the gift of the Holy Spirit as a seal of our inheritance, and the full scriptural revelation. So we have a greater advantage over those early believers to appropriate to ourselves these spiritual truths.
How is it then that we can know more of the joy of heaven here? Paul tells us in verses 1 and 2. We are to seek the things that are above, where Christ is at the right hand of the Father; we are to set our minds on them, rather than on the things of the earth. So our enjoyment of these spiritual heavenly realities is proportional to the degree of our seeking them and setting our minds/affections on them. The more we meditate on the beauty and glory of Christ, the greater will be our longing for Him and desire to be with Him. Does this mean that we are not to pursue or think about other things in life? By no means! In fact, everything we do here, when it is done unto the Lord, has an eternal significance. Christ is to be honored in every aspect of our life. As Paul said in 2 Cor 5:9, we are to make it our aim to be well pleasing to Him.
Paul closes this section in verse 4 by saying that this hidden spiritual reality will one day be revealed.
“When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” The day is coming when we will see Him in glory and be fully transformed into His image. It is then that our real identity, which had up till then been hidden in Christ, will be revealed for everyone to see. “Surely I [Jesus] am coming soon.” Amen. Come Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20)