Colossians: Alive In Christ Mostra

These verses are key verses in the whole letter and summarise, in many ways, the main teaching of Colossians. Paul’s big point here is that the Christian life, as it is lived, isn’t different from the Christian life as it is received. He wants the church to remain rooted in Jesus Christ, and not drift away to something else. 

Paul’s encouragement to the church in verse 6 is, therefore, to walk in Christ ‘as you received Christ’ and ‘as you were taught’. In other words, there’s nothing more to add to the Christ who they first put their faith in and started to follow. He’s the same complete Saviour we have always known. As a consequence, we don’t start with Christ and then move on to ‘bigger and better things’. Christ is always the bigger and better thing we need! People sometimes want to add special teachings, people or experiences to Jesus Christ. They maintain that we need these in order to be truly ‘spiritual’. But these verses (and the whole of Colossians) make clear that simply being in Christ is always enough. What we really need is the same Christ we received in the past. 

Of course, none of this means, though, that we don’t grow or mature as believers. In 1:28 we have already read of how Paul is working for the church’s maturity. Paul isn’t calling the believers to passivity or spiritual laziness, but to an active walking in Christ. This means being ‘rooted and built up in him’ (v. 7). So, while believers should be ‘established’ in the faith, they are still to grow up into Christ. This growth is steady, stable and active. Accordingly, we don’t need to run after fads, but, rather, we can look to be built up in the same Christ whom we have always known. 

 Reflection

1. Can you think of any things that people sometimes want to add to Christ? Why don't we need these things?

2. In what ways do you need to grow up in Christ?

3. At the end of verse 7 Paul calls us to abound in thanksgiving (ESV). What do you have to be thankful for?