Rooted and Built Up in Christ

Receiving Christ and declaring Jesus as Lord and Saviour is just the beginning.

Colossians 2:6-7

We must continue to walk daily with the Lord and to watch out for worldly philosophies and practices that appeal to our senses but can lead to spiritual decay and an uprooting of our faith.

On our recent trip to the Bunya Mountains, I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of the Bunya Pines dotting the landscape. These iconic trees are endemic to South-East Queensland and hold special significance to the Indigenous community. As I took in their grandeur, I began to think about their extensive root systems beneath the surface that enable these trees to stand tall, grow strong, and bear fruit.

The apostle Paul often used tree imagery in his writings. When describing our spiritual fullness in Christ he wrote in Colossians 2:6-7:

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

The apostle Paul was keen to encourage the church in Colossae with his letter. Having only been established about five to eight years earlier by a co-worker of Paul’s named Epaphras, the Christians in Colossae were still relatively new and young in the faith. New doctrines and other cultural pressures were already threatening to uproot their fledgling faith. Paul wrote to the Colossae Christians reminding them to remain steadfast in the true gospel. He reminded them to remain rooted in Christ so that they may bear fruit, grow in the knowledge of God, and be strengthened in the faith.

This reminder is just as important for us today. Receiving Christ and declaring Jesus as Lord and Saviour is just the beginning. We must continue to walk daily with the Lord and to watch out for worldly philosophies and practices that appeal to our senses but can lead to spiritual decay and an uprooting of our faith. Just as the apostle Paul prayed for the church at Colossae, may we too continue to live lives rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith as we were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness that God has made us alive in Christ.

Pastor Gwenda