Why do you live the Christian life? After coming to faith in Christ, why keep pursuing him? Why keep coming to church? Why should we keep reading the same stories, preaching the same gospel, and doing the same things? Why not try something new? Paul answers these questions in our text this week.

In Colossians 2:6-15, Paul encourages his readers to continually pursue Jesus, but he also tells them why. He writes, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (2:6-7).

Notice the command: walk in Christ! Paul adds, “just as you have received him.” In other words, they needed to hold fast to the gospel that was preached to them: salvation by grace through faith in the divine Son who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven (see 1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Christ is the vine, we are the branches (John 15:5). We are rooted, built up, and established in him (v. 7). Spiritual growth comes not by moving on to “bigger and better” religious practices or philosophies, but my remaining tethered to Christ and deepening our roots in him.

This leads to the second command: don’t be taken captive. “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (2:8).

It’s almost as if Paul anticipates the Colossians taking the role of my six  year old who’s favorite question is, “why?” The what is the command: walk in Christ! Don’t be taken captive by anything or anyone else! But the why is found in 2:9-15. In fact, there are multiple whys, multiple reasons why the Colossians, and why we by default, have no where to turn besides Christ:

1. The whole fullness of deity dwells in Christ.

This is another undeniable statement of Christ’s deity. “For in him [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (2:9). What a statement! In Jesus, the whole fullness of God dwells bodily. This is the miracle of the incarnation. The Son of God became man in Christ. If that is true, why would the Colossians need to look to anyone or anything else?

2. You have been made complete in Christ.

“…and you have been filled in him” (2:10a). The fullness of God that dwells in Christ has made us complete in him. He who fills all things has filled us in him.  In other words, the Son of God has made us whole. He has met our greatest need, which is reconciliation with God. Once reunited to him, we lack nothing. In Christ, we have everything (2 Peter 1:3).

Continue reading “Walking While Remaining Rooted (Colossians 2:6-15)” →