Being Firmly Rooted and Built Up: Colossians 2:6-7
“6) Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7) having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” Colossians 2:6-7
Paul now admonishes the believers to walk in Christ just as they received Him. So what does that mean? Well, we are saved by grace through faith, so it must mean we should walk daily as Christians by grace through faith. We need to develop a daily walk of dependency on God.
This is where I saw a need to modify my personal definition of “grace.” Many define grace as “Gods unmerited favor or undeserved kindness.” That is true in evangelism and when sharing the gospel with a non-Christian, but it falls short of the definition of grace needed for daily living.
I look at daily grace as “Gods Divine enablement made available to help me do what in and of myself I could not or would not do.” Grace helps me live a life glorifying to God. It is the daily draw on the inner Helper. It is walking in the Spirit. It is relying on God.
But Paul does not end there. In verse 7 he gives three word pictures of what is needed to grow in the Christian life. First, we are to be “firmly rooted.” This means we intentionally drive our roots deep “in Christ.” Psalm 1:2-3 is a great example of being firmly planted by streams of water. The result is reliable and abundant fruit bearing.
Second, we are to be “built up.” This actually means “to be built upon a solid foundation or superstructure.” It points more to the foundation we build on than the actual building process, though both are implied. It is reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 where Paul talks about the foundation we are to build upon and the materials we use in the building process. Jesus ended His Sermon on the Mount with this same figure of speech.(See Matthew 7:24-27) Many people work hard at building, but they are building on a worthless life philosophy. As a result, they crumble when the storms come.
And finally, Paul mentions being “established in your faith.” The word “established” has the idea of “making firm or reliable so as to make secure or inspire confidence.” It is to “strengthen, make true and fulfill.” We could use the indium “tried and true” to understand what it means to be “established.” This happens over time.
Paul ends the verse by saying; “just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” The early church leaders evidently had a formal approach to disciple making. They gave instruction that most likely included life mentoring. They taught with the purpose of building people up in Christ so they would stand, become fruitful and build others up as well.
But wait, don’t underestimate the importance of the phrase “overflowing with gratitude.” You and I are responsible for our daily mindset and attitude in life. A negative attitude will work against you. It will stop the flow of the springs of life from your innermost being and block the overflow of the fruit of the Spirit through you.
If you want your life to change… you must work diligently and consciously at changing your attitudes. You will never mount up with wings of eagles and soar for the glory of God when weighted down with stinking attitudes. A change of attitude pays some of the biggest dividends in the Christian life. Great attitudes are twice as important as aptitude when predicting success in life. Strive to be attitude smart and not merely book smart.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
