Obedience of Faith
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Intro
Intro
What brought you to faith? Do you remember the situation? Or for those who placed their faith in Christ at a young age, do you remember when your faith became real to you?
Do you remember when you decided to truly follow Jesus?
When you dedicated your life to serving Christ.
Have you decided to truly follow Jesus?
takes what we have seen so far in the book and helps to sum it up for us.
Jesus Christ is Lord and we have entered into His Lordship.
In passage as we continue we will see commands and warnings as we walk in Jesus.
In our passage we are looking at today, Paul and Timothy give some guidelines for the obedience of our faith in Christ.
Read Col. 2:6-7
You received Christ Jesus the Lord.
You received Christ Jesus the Lord.
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
As we read scripture, a good question to ask whenever we see it, whenever we see therefore, what is it there for?
In this case, it is setting us into the next section of the letter.
We saw the introduction and the praise for the Colossians, their life and love, and prayer for their increased growth in Christ.
It is also pointing us to the verb in this phrase, received.
Just as therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord.
There is a bit more implied here in the word received than what comes across in our English word receive.
② to gain control of or receive jurisdiction over, take over, receive
of a mental or spiritual heritage
When we think of receiving Christ, we often talk in terms of accepting Christ into hearts.
We have to remember that this is only the beginning.
As the definition for the term says, it is receiving jurisdiction over something.
When we receive Christ, he enters us more than for a change of emotion.
When we receive Christ, we enter into a spiritual heritage.
This is no small thing of course.
Receiving Christ is no small thing.
So what is this heritage that is being received?
Is it receiving teaching? Yes but there’s more.
Is it receiving church traditions? Yes, but more.
Is it receiving the word? Yes, but it gets more specific.
It is receiving Christ Himself.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: Colossians and Philemon A. The Heart of the Matter: Remaining Centered on Christ (2:6–7)
To “receive Christ”—in this verse at least—is not only a matter of believing “in” his person; it also involves a commitment to the apostolic teaching about Christ and his significance. This tradition, which the Colossians have heard from the faithful Epaphras (1:7–8), stands in contrast to the “human tradition” of the false teachers (v. 8).
When we begin our walks, we begin by believing in His person.
It then takes the act of walking in Him to learn what it means to be committed to his teaching.
It takes time to understand what it means that Jesus is the promised deliverer. The promised king of the Old Testament. The messiah that had been so long expected.
This phrase is linking the understanding of who Jesus is that Paul described earlier in the letter.
Jesus Christ is Lord takes
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: Colossians and Philemon A. The Heart of the Matter: Remaining Centered on Christ (2:6–7)
the image of the invisible God,” “the firstborn over all creation” (1:15), “the head of the body, the church” (1:18), “the mystery of God” (2:2; cf. 1:27), and the repository of “all wisdom and knowledge” (2:3)
And makes a central confession.
This confession points to what the Colossians would need to know and do to ward off the threat of false teaching.
This confession opens to the next phrase, so walk in Him.
It takes the walk to learn and grow in understanding of what it means to be obedient in faith.
Walk in Him.
Walk in Him.
Paul writes of the Colossian Christians but here now tells them now that you have faith, walk in it.
The verb here to walk is in what is called the imperative mood.
An imperative is basically a command.
The idea is present that
Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary A. Introduction: Continue in Christ (2:6–7)
Those who have (in this technical sense) ‘received Christ Jesus as Lord’ must continue to live in him
The verb here carries the meaning
to go here and there in walking, go about, walk around
to conduct one’s life, comport oneself, behave, live as habit of conduct
The idea is how you go about life, how you conduct yourself, how you live, how you walk.
It has the idea, -
Just as therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, In Him you conduct your life.
Paul is telling the Colossians,
“Ok, you are talking the talk, you also need to walk the walk.”
John describes for us in
6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
The application for us is clear.
What does our daily lives look like?
We talk the talk, “Oh yes I am a Christian!”
But are we walking the walk?
Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary A. Introduction: Continue in Christ (2:6–7)
walk’, which, in Jewish thought (see on 1:10, above) was and is the standard term for ethical conduct
We have to remember this verb is an imperative. This is not something that Paul is saying in passing.
This is a strong and firm command.
So you claim to be a Christian, behave like is what Paul is saying.
The emphasis is on the sort of conduct that is appropriate for someone who claims to follow Jesus as Lord.
This of course is not saying, you are a Christian, now you have to be perfect.
There was only one perfect person, and He died that we imperfect people might be saved and attempt to live like him.
Thinking along the lines of this walk, and looking at other places in scripture such as 1 John, this walk is done in love.
This is an important detail in the obedience of faith in Christ.
Walking the walk. V. 7
Walking the walk. V. 7
So we have this command from Paul, I am sure the Colossians, just as we are thinking, “Ok Paul, how in the world do I do that?”
This new sort of behavior is only a possibility because of Jesus. Because of the Holy Spirit active in believers lives.
7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Paul doesn’t leave his readers hanging.
He gives some metaphors.
Rooted.
Rooted.
The first is to become firmly rooted or fixed.
First off this verb is in the perfect tense. So that means there is a past action with ongoing results.
The rooting is not something that we begin or accomplish on our own, but something God begins and continues on our behalf.
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
What the believers in Colosse had been taught, the gospel they had accepted, rooted them in the true faith.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
As Christians, we are once for all planted in Christ. The continuing nature of the word is the bearing of fruit.
Obedience of faith in Christ is firmly rooted by what we have been taught and continues when we continue to sit under sound Biblical teaching and spend time in the word ourselves.
Built up.
Built up.
The next metaphor Paul uses is built up.
This is now in the present tense.
Having been firmly rooted and now being built up.
The idea is to
② to engage in a building process of personal and corporate development, edify, build up/on
To build upon something that has already been started.
Placing faith in Christ we are building upon something already started.
Our faith as Ephesians tells us.
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Jesus tells Peter
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Look to Peter’s faith. Though he failed, Jesus redeemed him and commanded him to feed his sheep.
Our faith, just as the Colossians, is built upon this same thing.
There is an idea in this word of engaging in a process of personal and corporate development.
The phrase is literally while being built up in to Him. Him being Jesus.
Who can trace the building blocks of their own faith back to you?
We can trace the building blocks of our own faith and the history of this church back to others.
That is o
5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Who can trace the building blocks of their own faith back to you?
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: Colossians and Philemon A. The Heart of the Matter: Remaining Centered on Christ (2:6–7)
believers can live lives that exemplify the Lordship of Christ only by remaining, like branches, firmly attached to the vine in which God has himself placed them (cf. John 15) and by continuing to allow God to integrate them, like stones, into the new structure that is nothing other than Christ himself
The Holy Spirit is alive in
This is a continuing thing, not a one and done deal.
Through the obedience of our faith, we are all being built up as spiritual houses.
Established.
Established.
The third metaphor Paul uses is to be established in the faith.
① to put someth. beyond doubt, confirm, establish
② to make a pers. firm in commitment, establish, strengthen
This word often occurs in legal texts to mean to validate or guarantee.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: Colossians and Philemon A. The Heart of the Matter: Remaining Centered on Christ (2:6–7)
With this participle, Paul summarizes what he expects to happen as a result of the first two: by sticking to their roots and being built up, the readers will be established in faith.
Because the are rooted and built up, they are able to make a firm commitment in the faith.
Be it making a firm commitment to growing our own faith, or growing in the Christian faith.
This means remaining commited in difficult times which I know many of you have all been through.
Being rooted and built up is how we become established in our faith and able to stand in times of difficulty.
Obedience of faith is shown in the commitment, or the strength of our faith.
These first three have all been in the passive voice, implying that divine action is required for Christian growth.
Without God at work in this, we would simply be treading water, hopefully keeping our heads above that water.
None of this happens out of the blue though.
We don’t come by this naturally.
We have to be taught these things.
Abounding in thankfulness.
Abounding in thankfulness.
The final verb in the phrase is abounding.
Abounding in thankfulness.
The idea of thankfulness is being placed at the center of obedience of faith.
The idea is to be outstanding, to be prominent, to excel in thankfulness.
② to engage in a building process of personal and corporate development, edify, build up/on
Gratitude to God is a main characteristic of God’s people, it is a sign that we are living a new age. That hope has entered the world, Christ has come, but not yet fully come.
Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary A. Introduction: Continue in Christ (2:6–7)
The church that learns truly to worship God is a church growing to full maturity.
We have to remember where this is sitting in the context of our letter as well.
Paul is showing these to be offensive measures against what he is about to explain in verse 8 which we will get to next week.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Wrapping this all up and bringing us back together
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.