Life in Christ Explained

“So then, just as you 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.”

                                                               Colossians 2:6-7

I am sorry. 

(I figured I would get this out of the way immediately.)

I am truly sorry. 

Today’s verse is packed, overflowing and bursting with robust theology and application.  If I had a mind to, I would invite you all to my house for Bible study where we could settle in for a several hour exposition marked with a classic three point message complete with accompanying supplemental notes and a PowerPoint presentation whose artistic imagination would only be eclipsed by the scriptures brilliant content. 

Yeah that is the kind of lesson I would love to bring.  Unfortunately, this is blog world and blog world is a very different venue than public speaking world.  Everything needs to be concise and clearly to the point.  Ok.  I know I don’t actually do this.  But I try.  I really try.  You would be shocked at how many words actually end up in cyber delete space.  Also, this blog wasn’t meant to be a teaching blog as much as an “I am memorizing Colossians and sharing what I learn on a blog” blog. 

What I am most sorry about, though, is knowing in advance that I will ultimately fail to convey to you the gorgeous substance that these verses bring to me today.  I have neither the skill nor the theological mind and expertise to deliver the fullness of what these verses represent. Colossians 2:6-7 are extremely important and pivotal verses in this lovely letter of Paul’s.  My heart swells and my eyes bulge with the wonder of the truths encapsulated in them.  I will do my best to bring clarity as I explain. 

The way I intend on approaching today’s scripture is to look at several key words and the astounding importance found in each.  Firstly, Paul is setting up the Colossians for a lengthy discourse about what Christianity is not.  But before he does, he tells them what it is.  Love when a teacher does that.  Tell me right up front what something is.  Don’t keep telling me what it isn’t.  My attention span isn’t what it used to be and I might lose interest before we get to the real stuff.  The stuff that matters. The stuff that empowers.  Cut to the chase.  I have only so many minutes left on this planet and I prefer concise and to the point.  Paul delivers. 

“So then, just as you have already received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him”.

Receive Christ, live in him.  Receive Christ, live in him.  Receive Christ, live in him.  What does that mean to you?  Think about it for a minute.  I confess my thoughts were fuzzy as I attempted to nail this one down.  I have heard the terminology plenty of times but couldn’t really articulate it clearly.  Then I noticed the “so then”.  Being the Bible study girly geek that I am, I knew that the “so then” would tie it all together.  I dove into my commentaries to learn what the “so then” meant.  Tons friends.  More than you could image.  Those two little words just might change the way we do Christianity. 

Leading up to the “so then”, Paul has described some pretty incredible things that we have received as part of our salvation package.  Perhaps when you hear the terminology “received Christ”, you associate it with perhaps a declaration of faith or a walk down the aisle at church.  Paul is pointing to a much bigger concept.  The gospel doesn’t just rescue you from your past.  It doesn’t just rescue you for the future.  It is meant to rescue you from your now.  When we receive Christ, we receive so much more than I think that we as Christians are even aware of let alone continually walk in.  What do I mean exactly?  I am so very glad you asked. 

Leading up to this portion of the letter, Paul pointed out four different and very important things that we have received in Christ.

     1)   Reconciliation to God (1:21-23)

     2)   Revelation of the mystery of Christ (1:24-27)

     3)   Believers perfection (1:28-29)

     4)   Education (wisdom) (2:1-5)

What does this mean practically?  Basically it means all that you really need you already have in Him.  Your deepest need is already fulfilled through Christ.  There is no need to go anywhere else to look for what you already have.  What kinds of things might that be?  How about freedom,

meaning,

affection,

purpose,

approval,

security,

significance,

spirituality,

satisfaction,

respect and

acceptance to name a few. 

These are some of our most primary needs and if we aren’t careful they will drive us to false gods.  Gods that we think will satisfy us.  If this is what we are looking for in anything that we hotly pursue we are establishing a false God.  We already have what we need in Christ.  No need to look elsewhere for those things. 

Let me give you a practical illustration.  My husband (science guy) is notorious for loosing or breaking sunglasses.  One day he was frustrated as he was searching for one of many elusive pairs.  He finally gave up.  He made this announcement to me as he climbed into our car to which I replied.  “Dear they are on your head”.  That is kind of what our life in Christ can look like.  We are searching forever looking for the satisfaction, acceptance, approval … fill in the blank, which we already have in Christ. 

Paul is encouraging the Colossians to live in what they already have.  He says this first before he points to all the different ways the nasty Gnostics were trying to use to divert them away from the riches they already possessed.  We live with this very thing constantly.  We are repeatedly bombarded in all matter of ways everyday with offers of an endless list of God replacements.  The key is to recognize what brings us true meaning, purpose, etc. so we don’t get duped into thinking that something out there will satisfy us.  How do we recognize if something is a God replacement?  Is there someone or something that has brought you disappointment?  Perhaps that particular person or thing is a God replacement.  God doesn’t disappoint.  Not with what you really need.  And that is found only in Christ. 

[This section is just for Bible study geeks. Feel free to shoot to the last paragraph if you like.  If not be warned.

Feeling frustrated about this.  Feel like you would just like to shake yourself senseless as you contemplate all the false gods you have erected?  Me too!  Well Paul in his own perfect Pauline way brings hope.

“Rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,”

Did you know that there are tenses and voices in the Greek language?  I stink at grammar and I confess that I don’t exactly understand all of this kind of thing but I will convey to you what the people who do understand this kind of stuff taught me by pointing out the tense and the voice for each.  I will follow with an explanation so no worries. 

Rooted – perfect tense, passive voice

Built up – present tense, passive voice

Strengthened  - present tense, passive voice

Perfect tense – expresses the continuing results of an action completed in the past.

Passive voice – implying that divine action is essential in Christian growth.

Summary.  Rooted is something that has happened in the past.  If we received Christ we are rooted in Him.  But we are continually being built up and strengthened in Him as well.  The passive voice indicates that Paul’s readers have not rooted themselves, built up themselves, or strengthened themselves; God has.  Hallelujah!

God is very much involved in the process of our growth.  Part of that growth entails moving deeper into an awareness of the fact that all we truly desire we already possess.  We already have all we need in Christ.] 

I hope that I have brought you clarity today.  If not, please study these verses further on your own.  I encourage you to meditate and memorize them.  Ask God to teach you and give you revelation.  Ask that He would bring understanding to your inner most being.  The truth of this passage is just too important to gloss over.  For, if we truly get what these scriptures are conveying to us deep into our hearts, they just might change the way that we live.  

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.  He will be like a tress planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

                                                      Jeremiah 17:7-8