Those whom God has visited by the mighty power of His Holy Spirit and quickened into divine light and life are described as having "risen with Christ". This work of grace in the heart produces a resurrection from a state of death in trespasses and sins to a state of spiritual life in Christ. And unless a man has been thus raised, he consists of nothing but that which is natural, and in this fleshly state nothing good dwells in him (See Romans 7:18). He does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, and not only that; such things "are foolishness unto him" and he cannot know them. The reason he cannot know them is because an understanding of spiritual things requires spiritual discernment, or understanding,---and this he does not have (See I Cor. 2:14). 

    The great fallacy of popular religion is its contention that all men possess spiritual discernment, the spiritually dead as well as the spiritually alive. This is a grave and momentous error and it throws the whole arminian system totally off the Biblical track. It is only those who are, already, "risen with Christ" who are exhorted to "seek those things which are above." Extend this admonition to any of those who have not been thus born of the Spirit and it will be flippantly rejected, if not laughed at and scorned. "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:7-8). 

    But let us in no way downplay or underestimate the importance of God's "risen" people seeking heavenly things. Their eternal destiny does not in any way depend on it, but their spiritual health and well-being here in time does largely depend on it. If they live after the flesh they will die to the spiritual joys they otherwise could have experienced, but if they through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, they shall live in the sense of enjoying peace of conscience and happiness of soul (See Romans 8:13). May the Lord help us to humbly and sincerely walk in the paths of righteousness and to enjoy the sweet tokens of His love.