Hearts Raised High: Radical Truths About New Identity

In the Field Audio Bible: 03:42
The oil lamp flickers against the rough-hewn walls of Paul's rented quarters in Rome, casting dancing shadows across the worn wooden table where parchment and ink rest like sacred instruments. You shift your weight on the simple wooden stool, feeling the grain of the wood beneath you, smoothed by countless hours of sitting in this very spot. The air is thick with the scent of olive oil from the lamp, mingled with the earthy smell of ink, that distinctive blend of soot, gum arabic, and water that stains Paul's fingers a permanent gray black. The chain clinks softly as Paul adjusts his position. It's a sound you have grown accustomed to over these months. The constant metallic reminder that connects his wrist to the Roman guard stationed by the door. The guard, a weathered soldier named Servius, stands with the practice stillness of a man who has learned to become furniture. His leather armor creaking occasionally as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 06:31
The chain between them is perhaps four cubits long, just enough for Paul to move about his modest room, but never enough to let him forget his captivity. Yet if you didn't see the chain, you might never know Paul was a prisoner. His eyes burn with an intensity that no iron can dim. And his voice? That voice that has proclaimed the gospel in synagogues and marketplaces, from Jerusalem to Iliricum, carries the same fire it always has. Perhaps even more so now, as if confinement has concentrated rather than diminished his passion. Where were we? Paul asked, though you both know exactly where you were. He has that teacher's way of asking questions that aren't really questions. Invitations to engage, to think, to remember. His calloused hand, marked by years of temp making and beatings, reaches for the parchment you've been working on together—the letter to the Colossians. We had just finished warning them, you say, running your finger along the text of what would become the end of this chapter, about the hollow and deceptive philosophy, the human traditions, the worship of angels, the harsh treatment of the body. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 08:13
Paul nods, his graying beard catching the lamplight. Outside, Rome rumbles with its evening sounds, cartwheels on cobblestones, distant shouts from the street vendors making their final sales, the rhythmic tramp of the praetorian guard changing shifts. But in this room, there is only the crackle of the lamp, the breathing of three men, and the weight of words that must be chosen with the precision of a jeweler selecting stones. They needed to hear that, Paul says, his voice dropping to that intimate tone he uses when he's about to share something from the deepest places of his heart. But now, now we must show them what life in Christ actually looks like. It's not enough to tell them what to avoid. We must paint them a picture of what to pursue. He stands, and the chain follows him like an unwanted shadow. Three steps to the small window cut high in the wall. Through it, you can see a sliver of Roman sky, that peculiar purple-gray of evening in the eternal city. Paul stares at it as if seeing beyond Rome, beyond the Mediterranean, all the way to the Lycus Valley, where Colise sits nestled among the hills of Phrygia. Picture them with me, he says, and you close your eyes, letting his words transport you. Philemon's house church. You know Philemon. I've told you about him. A man of means, a man whose heart was transformed by the gospel. His home is one of the larger ones in Colisse. Built in the Greek style with a central courtyard. The believers gathered there as the sun sets, just as the sun is setting here now. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 10:26
You can almost see it. The courtyard with its small fountain, the sound of water trickling over stone, the believers arriving in twos and threes, their sandals dusty from the streets of Colise. Some are wealthy. You can tell by the quality of their tunics, the fine wool dyed with expensive colors. Others are clearly slaves or freedmen, wearing simple undyed linen, their hands rough from labor, yet they embrace one another as family. The social barriers of Rome's rigid hierarchy dissolving in the fellowship of Christ. There's Epiphras, Paul continues, and his voice warms with affection. Our dear fellow servant who brought the gospel to them, who has labored so earnestly for them in prayer. I can see him now standing before them with this letter in his hands, breaking the seal, unrolling the parchment. They are eager, hungry for word from us. They have heard about my imprisonment, and they are worried, but more than that, they are confused. Paul turns from the window, and you open your eyes to find him looking at you with an expression of mingled concern and determination. The lamplight catches the scars on his face, reminders of Lystra, of Philippi, of a dozen other places where his message of a crucified and risen Messiah had been met with stones and rods. The false teachers have been busy, he says, settling back onto his own stool across from you. Oh, they are subtle. They do not deny Christ outright. No, they add to him. They say, Yes, believe in Jesus, but you must also observe these special days, follow these dietary restrictions, worship these angelic intermediaries, and submit to these practices. They make it sound so spiritual, so deep, so mysterious. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 12:51
Paul picks up a stylus, turning it over in his fingers, a gesture you have seen him make a thousand times when he is thinking deeply. But it's all smoke and mirrors. It's the elementary principles of this world dressed up in religious garments. And the danger, the terrible danger, is that it shifts their focus away from Christ. It makes him insufficient. It suggests that his death and resurrection, magnificent as they were, are not quite enough, that we need something more. The passion in his voice makes Servius glance over, though the guard's face remains impassive. You wonder what Servius thinks, standing there day after day, listening to Paul speak of kingdoms and kings, of death and resurrection, of a Jewish carpenter who claimed to be God. Does any of it penetrate that professional soldier's stoicism? So we told them the truth. Paul continues. We reminded them that in Christ all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form, that in him they have been made complete, that they died with him, were buried with him, were raised with him. We pulled back the curtain on these false teachers and their hollow philosophy. Paul pauses, and in that pause, you hear the question he is about to ask before he even asks it. But now what? Paul leans forward, his eyes locked on yours. If they have died with Christ, to the elementary principles of this world, if they have been raised with him, if they have been made complete in him, what does that mean for Monday morning? For the way a master treats his slave? For the way a wife speaks to her husband? For the way a merchant conducts his business in the forum? For the thoughts they entertain when no one else is watching? 

In the Field Audio Bible: 15:19
The questions hang in the air like incense smoke. This is the heart of it, you realize? This is why Paul has been pacing the small room for the past two days. Why he has been unusually quiet during meals. Why you have caught him staring at nothing with that faraway look that means he's wrestling with how to say something that matters desperately. Theology must become biography, Paul says finally. And you reach for a fresh piece of parchment, knowing that what comes next needs to be captured with care. Doctrine must transform into duty. The indicative must give birth to the imperative. They need to understand that being raised with Christ isn't just a positional truth to nod at, it's a radical reorientation of everything. Paul begins to pace again. Three steps one way, three steps back, the chain marking the rhythm like a metronome. Think about what it means to be raised with Christ. When a person dies in that culture, in any culture, what happens? They leave everything behind. Their possessions, their positions, their pursuits, their passions. Death is the ultimate severance. You can't take anything with you. You nod, remembering the funeral processions you have seen in Rome, the professional mourners, the musicians, the body carried, the family following behind in their torn garments, the finality of it all. The way a life that was so full of activity and ambition becomes still and silent. But resurrection, Paul's voice rises with wonder. Resurrection is the ultimate new beginning. It is not just resuscitation bringing a corpse back to the life it had before. It's transformation. It's a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. It's a seed that falls into the ground and dies, bringing forth a plant that bears fruit. It's the same but utterly different. Continuous with what came before, yet transcendent of it. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 17:55
Paul stops pacing and places both hands flat on the table, leaning towards you. The chain pulls on the wooden surface between you. This is what happened to every believer in Colossae. In Ephesus, in Philippi, in Rome, in every place where the gospel has taken root. They have died and been raised. The old self, crucified with Christ, the new self raised with him. This isn't a metaphor. This isn't poetry. This is reality. This is the most real thing about them. You dip your stylus in the ink, the sharp smell of it filling your nostrils. So how do we say this to them? Paul smiles, that sudden, transformative smile that makes you understand why people follow him through riots and shipwrecks and imprisonments. We start with the most important word in the Greek language. Therefore, everything we are about to say rests on everything we have already said. It's not a new topic. It's the necessary consequence of the truth they have already embraced. He closes his eyes, and you know he's composing in his head, arranging the Greek words with the care of a master craftsman. When he speaks, his voice has taken on that dictation cadence, and you write quickly to keep up. Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, he pauses, opens his eyes. Did you hear that? If. But it's not a condition of uncertainty. It's a condition of fact. Since you have been raised with Christ, would be another way to translate it. This is their reality. This has happened to them. The moment they believed, the moment they were baptized, they entered into Christ's death and resurrection. This is foundational. This is assumed. Everything else flows from this. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 20:26
The lamp sputters slightly, and you pause to trim the wick. The room brightens and you see Paul's face more clearly. The lines etched by suffering and joy. The eyes that have seen the risen Christ on the Damascus road and have never been the same since. Seek the things that are above, Paul continues. Where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. You think of the false teachers Paul has been warning about, their claims of visions, their insistence on angel worship, their elaborate rules about food and festivals, all of it promising something more, something deeper, something that will fill the gnawing sense that ordinary faith in an ordinary savior isn't quite enough. But we are telling them to seek something else entirely, Paul says. Not the things below, not the elementary principles, not the human traditions, not the mystical experiences that puff up but don't build up. Seek the things above. And where are those things? Where Christ is. And where is Christ? Seated at the right hand of God. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 21:53
He sits down again, and you see the weariness in his shoulders, the weight of years and miles, and beatings and shipwrecks. But his voice remains strong. This is the geography of the Christian life. Christ is above, at the Father's right hand, the place of honor, of authority, of power. He's not wondering. He's not uncertain. He's not competing with angels or cosmic powers for position. He is seated. The work is finished. The victory is won. And we, we who have been raised with him, are to orient our lives toward that reality. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth, he continues dictating. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ and God. The words strike you with fresh force, even though you have heard Paul speak of these truths before. Hidden with Christ and God. You think of the valuables wealthy Romans hide, their gold and jewels locked away in strong boxes, secured in the most protected parts of their homes. That's where the believer's life is, not exposed to the whims of circumstance, not vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy, but hidden, secured, in the safest place in the universe, in God Himself, with Christ as the mediator. Do they understand what we are saying? You ask Paul. This is so different from how they have been taught to think. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 23:45
Paul nods slowly. That's exactly the point. The world and even the false teachers who claim to be spiritual, they all operate on the same basic principle. You are what you do, what you achieve, what you experience, what you accumulate. Your identity is built from the outside in. You construct yourself through your choices and your circumstances. Paul picks up the parchment with the earlier chapters, scanning the words you have already written. But we have been telling them something radically different. Your identity is given, not achieved. You died. That's past tense. Finished, done. The old you, the you that was defined by the flesh, by the world, by the sin. That person is dead. And the new you, the you that is alive in Christ. That person's life is hidden with Christ in God. It's secure, it's settled, it's not dependent on your performance or your experiences or your mystical visions. So what does this mean for them? Paul asks. Though again, it's not really a question. It means everything they do, everything they think, everything they desire, all of it flows from this new identity. They don't seek the things above in order to become people who have been raised with Christ. They seek the things above because they are people who have been raised with Christ. The identity comes first, the behavior follows. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 25:35
You set your stylus down for a moment. Flexing your cramped fingers. This is going to challenge them. Yes, Paul agrees, because it's going to require them to think differently about everything, about their marriages, about their work, about their money, about their bodies, about their thoughts, about their words. We are about to get very practical, very specific. We are going to talk about what to put off and what to put on. We are going to name sins that need to die. We are going to describe virtues that need to grow. We are going to address households, husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves. He stands again, moving to the window, looking out at the darkening sky. But it all, all of it, rests on this foundation. You have been raised with Christ. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. That's where we're headed. That's the hope that makes sense of the present struggle. That's the future that shapes how we live today. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 27:05
The guard shifts and the chain clinks. Paul glances at it, then at Servius, then back to you. There's a slight smile on his face. They might think I'm the one in chains, but I have never been freer because my life isn't defined by this chain or this room or Caesar's whims. My life is hidden with Christ in God, and so is theirs, and so is yours. Paul returns to the table, and you pick up your stylus again. Shall we continue? Yes, Paul says. Let's show them what it looks like to live as people who have died and been raised. Let's paint them a picture of the new humanity that Christ is creating. Let's give them a vision so compelling, so beautiful, so true that the false teachers' empty promises will be exposed for the hollow deceptions they are. The lamp burns, the ink flows, the words take shape on parchment, and somewhere far away, in a city nestled in the Lycus Valley, believers will gather to hear these words and discover again who they truly are, and whose they truly are, and how that changes everything. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 28:34
Now, let's take a moment to quiet our hearts and listen to the word itself. Let these words sink deep into your spirit, bringing comfort, conviction, and encouragement. Whether you're sitting in a quiet place or out in the world, allow scripture to meet you right where you are. I hope you have your favorite cup of tea or coffee. Sit back, relax, and let's step into the sacred text of the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians 3. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 29:23

Epistle of Paul to the Colossians 3 (NRSV): 

 1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 

 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, 

 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

 4 When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 

 5 Put to death, therefore. For whatever in you is earthly, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 

 6 On account of these, the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 

 7 These are the ways you also once followed when you were living that life. 

 8 But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 

 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 

10 and have clothed yourselves with a new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its Creator. 

11 In that renewal, there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, enslaved and free, but Christ is all and in all! 

12 Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 

13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other, just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 

14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. 

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 

18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 

19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. 

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. 

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. 

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not with a slavery performed merely for looks, to please people, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. 

23 Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans, 

24 since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. 

25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 33:46
The lamp has burned low, its flame barely pushing back the darkness in Paul's rented quarters. You have been at this for hours, reading through the entire letter, discussing each phrase, each vision of the new life in Christ. Your back aches from the wooden stool, and your throat is dry from reading aloud. Paul leans back against the wall, his eyes closed, lips moving silently in prayer. The chain attached to his wrist lies slack on the floor, connecting him to a different guard than this morning. Servius finished his shift hours ago, replaced by Gaius, a younger soldier with less weathered features and more curiosity in his eyes. Unlike Servius' practiced stoicism, this one has not yet mastered the art of pretending not to listen. You have caught Gaius leaning forward slightly several times throughout the evening, his attention drawn to Paul's words despite his attempt to maintain a professional distance. Read it again, Paul says softly. The part about Christ being all and in all. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 35:12
You find the section on the parchment. Here, there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all. Paul nods, a smile spreading across his weathered face. Do you know what that is going to mean to them? To Philemon's household, where masters and slaves sit side by side? To the Jewish believers who still remember the old distinctions? It means everything changes, Paul says. When Philemon looks at Onesimus, he pauses, glancing toward the corner of the room where a third figure sits quietly in the lamplight. Onesimus, who arrived earlier in the evening, works steadily mending a tear in Paul's cloak. His skilled fingers moving thread through worn fabric. This is the man at the center of another letter Paul has written. A runaway slave who found Christ and is now returning to his master. He won't see property anymore. He'll see a brother. Onesimus looks up. Do you really think Philemon will receive me as a brother? Paul's eyes are full of love. I know he will. You are both new creations. It's a wardrobe change, you say suddenly, taking off old, filthy garments and putting on new ones? 

In the Field Audio Bible: 37:14
Paul's face lights up. Yes, exactly. In their world, clothing declares who you are. When you tell the Colossians to put off the old self and put on the new, you're telling them to make a complete identity transformation. Gaius, the guard, clears his throat. Both you and Paul turn to look at him. Forgive me, he says. But I have been listening. How do you know when it's real? How do you know you are not just pretending? Paul leans forward. You know it's real when the change goes deep. When you find yourself actually loving people you used to hate, when you're patient with people who used to drive you mad. When you forgive someone who doesn't deserve it, because Christ forgave you when you didn't deserve it, Paul pauses. You know it's real when the peace of Christ rules in your heart. When you do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. And if you want to, but don't feel it, Gaius asks. Then you ask, Paul simply says. You cry out to God and say, make it real in me, and he will. That's what he does, taking dead things and making them alive. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 39:01
You see something shift in Gaius's expression, a glimpse of hunger beneath the armor. Through the window, stars begin to appear, the same stars that shine over Colise, over every place where the gospel has taken root. What do you think they'll do when they hear this letter? You ask Paul. I think some will weep, Paul says, because they will recognize themselves in the old self, the anger, the malice. But then they will hear about the new self being renewed after the image of its creator, and they will feel hope rising. Onesimus speaks, and some will be afraid. Paul nods. Yes, because this kind of life is costly. It means dying to self daily, it means forgiving when you would rather nurse a grudge. But it's real, and it's the only life worth living. Paul moves to the window, looking out at Rome. Somewhere out there, Caesar thinks he rules the world, but there's another king, another kingdom, and it is advancing through transformed lives, through slaves who work heartedly as for the Lord, through husbands who love their wives, through masters who treat their slaves justly. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 40:42
Paul turns from the window, eyes blazing. That's the revolution we are part of. The creation of communities where dividing walls are demolished. Communities so full of genuine love and joy that the watching world asks, What do you have that we don't? And the answer, you say quietly, is Christ. Christ, Paul echoes. Christ, who is our life. Christ, who is all and in all. Onesimus brings water in a clay pitcher. Paul drinks deeply, then says to Onesimus, Thank you, brother. The former slave's eyes glisten at that word. Paul grips your shoulder. We write because somewhere in Colossae, there's someone who deeply needs to hear that their life is hidden with Christ in God, that Christ is all and in all. Paul settles on his sleeping mat. Rest well. Tomorrow we finish what we have started. You gather your things. Thank you, you say, for showing me what it means to live with your life hidden with Christ and God. Paul props himself up. These words will outlive both of us. Long after this chain is rust, believers will gather and hear about setting their minds on things above, and some will be set free. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 42:35
Before Onesimus can snuff out the lamp, Gaius speaks. Paul sits up, eyes locking onto the soldier's face. You begin by admitting you need him, Paul says softly. You begin by believing that he died for you, that he rose for you. And then? Then you live, Paul says. You put on compassion, kindness, humility. You forgive because you have been forgiven. Gaius nods slowly. I'll think about it. Do more than think, Paul urges gently. When you're ready, you know where to find me. He gestures at the chain with a weary smile. Onesimus extinguishes the lamp. Darkness floods the room. Go in peace. Paul's voice comes through the darkness. And remember, you have been raised with Christ. Live like it. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 44:12
You step out into the Roman night. You're thinking about the words on the parchment, about death and resurrection, about Christ being all and in all, about a chained apostle who is freer than Caesar. And you find yourself singing quietly. A psalm infused with new meaning. This is what Paul was talking about: letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Tomorrow you will return. Tomorrow you will finish the letter. But tonight you carry the weight and wonder of what you have written. Tonight you are a living epistle. The stars shine overhead, constant and faithful, and somewhere in Colossae, believers are about to receive a letter that will change everything. You smile in the darkness and quicken your pace toward home, because your life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, appears, you also will appear with him in glory. Until then, you will keep writing, keep proclaiming, keep living as one who has died and been raised. And that is enough. 

In the Field Audio Bible: 45:34
Thank you for joining me today as we journeyed through the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians  3. I pray that you carry these reflections with you into your day, into your week, and that you find strength in knowing God is with you in every trial, every temptation, and every step of obedience. If this time in God's Word has encouraged you, take a moment to share it with someone who might need it. And be sure to join me next time as we continue walking through the scriptures, learning, growing, and staying faithful "in the field" of life. Until next time, may you find peace in the quiet, trust in God's call, and rest in His unchanging love. This is In the Field Audio Bible, where we Listen to the Bible One Chapter at a Time.