We’re working our way through the book of Colossians in this series of posts. In this lesson, we’ll talk about spiritual growth and the need for accountability, persuasive arguments that can pull us away from devotion to Christ, and how to be rooted and established in Him.

Rooted & Established in Christ

Colossians 2.1-7

A Little Review

By way of review, we have learned that the church at Colossae was founded by a man named Epaphras. Epaphras had traveled to Rome to visit Paul and share his concerns about the presence of false teachers in his beloved church. The book of Colossians was Paul’s response. In it, he gives a beautiful explanation of the preeminence of Christ, shares amazing gospel truths, and explains how those truths should be lived out in the life of the believer.

If you missed the previous posts, here are the links:

Introduction to Colossians

The Preeminent Christ & Why It’s Important | Colossians Part 2

What Does Christ’s Preeminence Mean to Me? | Colossians Part 3

A Summary of the Christian Life | Colossians Part 4

The Unfolding Plan of God, Crimes of Passion & Our Hope of Glory | Colossians Part 5

In this lesson, we’ll begin chapter 2 with verses 1-7:

¹For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, ²that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, ³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. ⁵For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

⁶Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

A Great Struggle

Verse 1:

¹For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,

Laodicea was only about 9 miles from Colossae and there was a close relationship between the two churches. Since Paul wanted his letter read there, as well (Col. 4.16), it appears that the Colossian heresy had spread to this neighboring church.

But notice how Paul described his concern. He said it was a great struggle. Even though he had never been there and probably didn’t know most of these believers personally, he agonized over their spiritual well-being.

This might be a good reminder to us about the content of our own prayers. Do we agonize in prayer for our fellow believers at home and around the world? Do we stand in the gap for the struggling and lost? Are we grieved over the proliferation of churches with false doctrines and the ways people are being lead away from the truth of the gospel? Or are our prayers mainly concerned with our own temporal needs?

Because these are such important questions, let’s consider how Paul prayed for these believers?

Spiritual Growth & Accountability

²that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, ³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Paul prayed that they would be knit together in the love of God.

God never intended for us to live the Christian life alone. We need each other. We are to stand together, encourage one another, and pray for one another.

Are you part of a strong Bible-believing and preaching church? Is your church a fellowship of believers who encourage and hold one another accountable (Gal. 6.1-2; Prov. 27.6; Matt. 18.15-20)? Do you spur one another on to love and good works?

²³Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Heb. 10.23-25).

And notice Paul’s concern was about their spiritual well-being. While it’s not wrong to pray for healing, financial help, or other temporal needs, those should not be our greatest concerns.

The Riches of Full Assurance

He prayed that they would “reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ” (v. 2).

Many people claim to believe in the gospel. They may be able to explain the doctrines of grace but still lack full assurance when life is hard or doesn’t make sense.

What about you? Do the truths of the gospel warm and encourage your heart no matter what your outward circumstances? Are you so convinced that you are willing to speak the truth to others? Do you have that “full assurance”? Does it fill you with peace and joy?

Plausible Arguments

That full assurance is not only important if we’re to have peace and joy. It’s, also, important to our stability. Verse 4:

⁴I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

Two definitions for the word plausible are “appearing worthy of belief” and “superficially pleasing or persuasive.”

On occasion, I’ve been amazed by people I knew who seemed grounded in the faith but who later got caught up in unsound doctrines. In a couple of cases, they left biblical Christianity for outright cults. They fell for lies that seemed plausible. Like Eve in the garden (Gen. 3.1-6), they allowed Satan to deceive them with what was superficially pleasing.

Plausible arguments often include claims of higher knowledge for those spiritual enough to believe it or the necessity of obedience to unbiblical rules and regulations (Col. 2.20-22). They appeal to the flesh and our inherent pride.

The antidote is the truth and, as we’ll see in a minute, being rooted and grounded in it (v.7). It’s the truth heard, read, studied, memorized, meditated on, and acted upon (Heb. 5.14). And because the truth acted upon is so important, Paul called these fellow Christians and us back to the basics of faith and obedience.

Back to Basics

Verse 5:

⁵For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Paul reminded them of his care for them and his joy over their faith in Christ. Then he called them back to the basics of that faith.

⁶Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

A Summary of Colossians

Verses 6 and 7 are something of a summary of the entire book of Colossians. Notice verse 6 starts with the word therefore. It points us back to what Paul had already said in chapter one. It points us back to the sufficiency and preeminence of Christ and should remind us of who Christ is. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the One who bore our sins and secured our right standing with God.

And because He rose from the dead, we can walk in newness of life (Rom. 6.4), no longer slaves to sin. So, Paul exhorts us to “walk in Him.”

Walking in this context is referring to the way we live our lives. Paul said it this way in Ephesians:

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph. 2.8-10).

We’ve been saved by God’s grace as a free gift. But verse ten reminds us that we were saved so we can walk in good works. Good works don’t save us but they should be the fruit of a changed life. In chapter four of that same epistle, Paul said:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Eph. 4.1).

There’s that word walk again. The New King James says “I … beseech you to walk …” Paul is exhorting us to live out what we say we believe. How do we do that effectively?

Rooted & Established in Him

Walking the Christian life well requires us to be rooted and established in Him (v. 7).

Psalm 1 says:

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
²but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

If our roots are to go down deep like a tree planted along a riverbed, Christ through His Word must be our constant companion. We must delight in and meditate on it. The outflow of that should be prayer and thankfulness (v. 7b).

If our roots are to go down deep like a tree planted on a riverbed, Christ through His Word must be our constant companion. #bible #Jesus #soulsurvival

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And the more we walk with Him, spend time in His Word, talk to Him through prayer, and cultivate an attitude of thankfulness, the more naturally the fruit of the Spirit, faith-filled words, and good works will flow from our lives. Likewise, the more we choose to walk in obedience to His commands and principles (good works), the more we grow in faith and spiritual maturity (Heb. 5.14), and the more we will desire to spend time with Him in His Word and prayer.

What a beautiful cycle of faithfulness on the Lord’s part to work in and through us!

The more we walk in obedience to God, the more we grow in faith and spiritual maturity and the more we desire to spend time with Him in His Word and prayer. What a beautiful cycle of God’s faithfulness to work in and through us. #God…

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