Day 86: How Do We Live Rooted In Christ?
Colossians 2:6
…just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him…
Living “in Christ” is a simple process of following Him in hope, trust and love. Following Him is not always easy, but The Way is not complicated. In this NEW unit, we are going to be focusing on growing spiritually mature In Christ. As we begin to follow Him more closely, we will become more AWARE and AWAKE to the reality of the Spiritual War going on around us and in us. Father God desires for us to be truly FREE in Christ. In order to engage these battles effectively, we need to know all that has been given to us and done for us in Christ that guarantees our victory.
WORDwork:
Colossians 2:6–10
Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, 2:7 rooted and built up in Him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
2:8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form, 2:10 and you have been filled in Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
How, or in what way, did we “receive” Christ Jesus?
“In whom” does Paul tell us to live our lives in verse 6?
How do we do this according to verse 7?
What are we warned against in verse 8?
What are the characteristics of this “philosophy”?
In verses 9 and 10 how are we related to Christ and what has He done for us or to us?
How Do We Continue To “Walk” In Christ?
The passage above should sound familiar to you. It is one that we introduced in Phase 1 Enlightened by The Gospel. We return to it now to dig a little deeper and focus on the truths that will be the core ideas that run through this workbook. These core truths are:
- Our whole way of life is sustained by our trust/faith in Christ, and
- We are living in a World that is engaged in a great Spiritual War.
In the passage above, Paul tells us to keep on living our lives in Christ in the same way that we received Him. Paul uses the language of “receiving” in the context of Christ and the Gospel to describe both believing The Truth that is proclaimed about Christ and also trusting in Him. Faith is one of our three core qualities as believers. Think back to our key definition:
KEY Definition:
Faith is placing our ultimate confidence (trust) in God The Father, Son, and Spirit as they oversee and direct our lives. Faith brings assurance to our hope. Faith is the evidence that Father God is working in Christ through the Holy Spirit in and through us. Faith makes room in our thoughts, desires, and emotions for the ultimate virtue of love.
Also, don’t miss the emphasis: as we received Jesus as Lord. We are placing our trust in Christ and so giving our allegiance to Him as The One to whom “all power/authority in Heaven and on Earth” has been given (see Matthew 28:18)—The One to whom “every knee will bow and every tongue confess, ‘Jesus is LORD!’ to the glory of God the Father” (see Philippians 2:10-11). Jesus is Lord and Master; we belong to Him.
So, we continue to live our lives in Christ by faith/trust. The term that is translated “live our lives” in this version is literally “walk”—continue to walk in Christ… It is a figure of speech used throughout the Bible to describe the way we live our lives This is one of Paul’s main figures of speech to describe living life in a certain way:
Romans 6:4
“We were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
Ephesians 5:2
“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Colossians 1:10
“…walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…” (ESV)
What Does it Look Like to Walk Faith-Full in Christ?
Paul now uses three different word pictures—metaphors—to characterize this life of faith and trust in Christ. These three figures seem to be at odds with “walking” in Christ since they all point to something firmly fixed in place. Each of these figures, however, are referring to spiritual truths and so each has something to teach us about our relationship with Christ. They all work together to give us a larger picture.
“Rooted” is a term that makes us think of plants and horticulture. Jesus often used similar images in His parables. A plant that is firmly “rooted” is one that is in good soil, nourished, watered, and able to produce growth in the whole plant. It is interesting to note that the tense of this verb indicates that this has already happened in the past; it is not ongoing.
“Now being built up” draws our minds to building and architecture. Paul also uses figures of building as metaphors of spiritual growth and of the Lord God working in and among us to mature us (see 1 Corinthians 14:4; Ephesians 2:20-22) The tense of this verb indicates this is an ongoing process.
Finally, being “firm in your faith,” or “established in your faith,” is a term taken from the marketplace and the “confirmation” or “guarantee” of some contract or exchange of goods. Our relationship with Father God has been made sure by the work of Christ for us received through faith. Our faith in Christ is an anchor, a fixed point in our lives that keeps us focused in the right direction.
All of these figures are passive—they point to things that have been done to us. Paul wants us to understand that all this comes to us through what Father God has provided for us in Christ through the Holy Spirit. When we truly realize this, we will be “overflowing with gratitude.” Here, the image is of a cup overflowing. Gratitude—thankfulness—is a key character quality for followers of Christ. All that we are and all that we have comes from Him. He blesses us out of His grace and love for us and all we do is receive it with thanks!!!
Take of few moments to think about all you have learned in this study so far and give thanks for all the ways Father God has provided for you in Christ. Think about all the things you are thankful for and give thanks to Father God for those things.
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
