Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV) says, “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.”
I count seven verbs in these verses. Three of them are actions we do.
In the past, we received Jesus as our Lord. Now we walk in Him – that is, we live in Jesus’s presence, as members of His body, by His power, and in obedience to His commands. And as we walk in Him, we thank Him.
One verb refers to something done to us by mature fellow believers: we were taught about what God has done for us, what He promises us, and how He wants us to live.
The three remaining verbs describe what is done to us by God Himself through the Holy Spirit. Like an immovable tree, we are deeply rooted in Christ. Like a glorious house or temple, we are being built up in Him.
In the middle of the pressures, struggles, and spiritual attacks of daily life, we are nevertheless being established ever more firmly in our faith.
Dr Timothy Wiarda
