HAVING RECEIVED CHRIST

15 MAY 2021

Paul addressed the Colossian Christians to be deeply rooted in the Word and established in the faith. This is because He was truly concerned about the risk of those Christians being taken captive by worldly-based philosophy. There was a tendency, even among the faithful Christians, to experience a lapse of concentration in focusing on the truth and embrace human ideology which resists Scripture's ethical teachings.

Reference: Colossians 2:6-7 New International Version (NIV)

"Just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

Its one thing to receive Christ Jesus as Lord, and its another thing to continue to live in Him by being grounded in His gracious redemptive work and promises. Today, we shall carefully examine this verse in regard to Paul's mind behind this Scripture. To continue to live in Christ is to sustain and keep our Christian faith alive in this world. In line with this view, Paul mentioned that the following ideas are all consistent with living in Christ:

1. Being rooted in Him:

To be rooted in Christ starts with our consistent focus on Him. It is to continuously establish our roots in Christ until we are thoroughly grounded in Him. Being rooted conditions us to be firm, fixed, and established in Christ. And it's more about our foundation in faith.

2. Being built up in Him:

Being built up in Christ shapes our true identity. It is the Spirit of God working in us, recreating us in Christ's image, as we continue to yield to Him and allow His work to build us up. It is being formed by Christ as we become more like Him and until He is fully developed in our lives (see Galatians 4:19 NLT).

3. Being strengthened in the faith according to the right teaching:

The truth of God's Word has a vast impact and influence on our callings or spiritual growth. We are not taught and strengthened in the faith based on human or worldly-based philosophy. Rather we are groomed and strengthened by sound Biblical truths based on Godly wisdom. So Paul was mindful of what the Colossian Christians were being fed with, thereby warning them about false teachings based on human rules, empty philosophies, high-sounding nonsense and religious practices, from the spiritual powers of this world (Colossians 2:8 NLT). In other words, our focus must be on Christ, and never be diverted from Christ to those philosophies.

4. Overflowing with thankfulness:

In Christ, we can experience an extreme feeling of joy, as we overflow with gratitude to God. The Latin word for gratitude is gratus, which means "thankful, and pleasing". It is to be full of high-spirited delight. Indeed, there is delight and a special kind of bliss involved in knowing Jesus as Lord and in serving God.

Beloved, in Him we live move and have our being (Acts 17:28 NIV). In Christ, we have the real substance. Therefore, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith and overflowing with thankfulness. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Colossians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Ephesians 3:16-18; Colossians 3:17; Ephesians 4:1.

Exuberant Declaration:

Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life. By keeping my eyes on Him daily, I'm constantly rooted in the truth, built up in Him and shaped in His likeness. As I grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ, His likeness becomes more and more evident in me and defined towards reaching the stature of His fullness. Thankfully, I'm fully established in my conviction that Christ in me is the hope of glory. Hallelujah!