So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him...
Colossians 2:6-7a
There was a danger that the believers in Colossae would be moved off Jesus and move on to some other teaching. So, God commands them to continue to live in Jesus just as they had received Him. You see, there is no teaching, no doctrine, no wisdom that goes beyond Christ. He is all in all! We receive Him in salvation and then… we continue living in Him for the rest of our lives!
And verse seven explains what this looks like using two metaphors. The first comes from plants. It’s the word “rooted.” When you got saved you were rooted in Christ like a plant in soil. You grow in Him and your growth comes from Him. And your connection to Him is what keeps you standing.
Have you ever tried to pull a bush or a tree up by its roots? It’s very difficult. In fact, if the roots are alive and if they have any depth in the soil at all, then it's nearly impossible. That’s what your connection to Jesus should be like. You should be rooted in Him! Like roots that delve always deeper into life-giving soil, you should dig down deeper into Jesus continuously seeking a deeper understanding of who He is and a stronger personal relationship with Him. He is the source of all your firmness and all your spiritual life. If the enemy uproots you from Him… you will not stand. You'll die spiritually just like a plant that’s been pulled up out of the soil and left sitting on top of the ground
The second metaphor comes from the world of construction. Verse 7 says we are in the process of being “built up” in Jesus. Looking at the original language, the image here is of a building that is being built from the ground up layer upon layer.* And how is this building being built in Jesus? The only conclusion I can come to is that Jesus is the very foundation that this building is being built upon.
Now, I don’t know much about construction, but as the father of three children, I have quite a bit of experience building block towers. And even I know that as long as you build on a solid foundation and as long as each layer stays in line, directly above the last layer, the tower or the building will be stable. But if the foundation you are building on isn’t stable OR if the layers begin to move off center from that foundation to one side or the other, then the tower will begin to lean and eventually it will topple.
That’s exactly what you and I are like. We are being built up in Jesus, layer upon layer. And as long as we stay centered on that solid foundation we will stand, but if we begin to get off center… if we begin to be moved off Jesus… it will spell disaster for us. We will not stand. We will topple.
So, keep yourself rooted to and centered on Jesus! Refuse to be moved off Him! Keep your doctrine, your beliefs, and your life always in line with what you know to be true about Him. Dig down deeper and deeper into your relationship with Him. And don’t allow anyone to pull you away from Jesus, or your faith will become as dead as an uprooted plant and as unstable as a leaning tower.
*Vincent, Marvin Richardson. Word Studies in the New Testament. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887.
