Colossians 2:6. “As you have received Christ Jesus, the Lord – so walk in him.” The daily life of the Christian is to be lived out, experienced “in Christ.” The experience of salvation is the opening of faith and trust in God through Jesus Christ. Faith in him is primary and essential. It is that faith that is alluded to by “receiving Christ” and it is absolutely critical to continue to exercise faith in Christ throughout all our life from that point forward.

There are three considerations here in reply to the question, “How, then, did we receive Christ Jesus, the Lord?”

1.)    Faith, trust in Jesus, in his redeeming work (life, death, resurrection), and in his Person. The content of faith in Jesus Christ and his work for us.

2.)    Receiving Jesus Christ, “the Lord” may be pointing to the submission of the Christian to the Lordship of Christ, not merely receiving him as the Savior. Much has been made of this distinction (Lord or Savior) but is it not abundantly clear that he is both? But receiving Christ Jesus the Lord and living with him as Christ Jesus the Lord is instructive to our faith in the way we should live every day. He is Lord of our lives the day we were saved. He is Lord every day we
“walk” with him.

3.)    Calvin sees in this call “so walk in him,” a hearkening back to Isaiah 30:21, “This is the way, walk in it.”

We have three metaphors given in the text to explain what it would mean to have steadfastness of faith (a result of “walking in him”).

1.)    The first is to “walk.” The metaphor is representative (as noted above) of living one’s life. It is a continuous exercise, not a starting and stopping, a beginning and ending over and over, but an unending journey. This is not the life of a sluggard, but it is being intentional, directed toward a goal, and being purposeful in walking with Christ every day. The emphasis is doing the same sort of activities repeatedly (praying, studying, loving God, serving people, etc), and approaching these tasks with a view of doing them for the rest of our lives, step by step, day after day. It may be good to remember that “walking” was the chief form of transportation in that day and that virtually all travel was done in this manner. Walking was the way you got anywhere and it was a difficult way to travel. This is the metaphor for the Christian life that appears throughout the New Testament (Romans 6:4; 8:4; 13:13; 2 Corinthians 5:7; 10:3; Galatians 5:16; 6:16; Ephesians 2:10; 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15; Philippians 4:17, 18; Colossians 1:10; 2:6; 4:5.; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 4:1; 4:12; 2 Thessalonians 3:11; 1 John 1:6, 7; 2:6; 2 John 1:6; Revelation 3:4; 21:24).

2.)    The second is to be Rooted. An agricultural term referring primarily to the roots of a tree, but other plants as well (compare Psalm 1, tree planted by rivers of water …). The root is set in Christ. The tree is not merely stable because of the root-system, but all its nourishment comes from the root-system. There is a living connection, a dependency upon Christ, through whom your life, your strength, your sustenance, and your purpose and direction flow.

3.)    The third is to be built up. An architectural term referring to the foundation that is lain for a house (see Calvin, 178, on Colossians 2:7).

The walk, the root, the foundation lead to the firmness, the steadfastness of the faith that the true believer has. This has come into their lives through Epaphras, “just as you were taught.” He was a faithful teacher and he gave them everything they needed to grow into maturity of faith in Christ.

“Abounding in thanksgiving.” This was the result of that walk, that good root, and that firm foundation.

A warning follows.

2:8 “See that no one takes you captive by deceitful philosophy (see next paragraph on the translation) according to human tradition.”

The phrase, “philosophy and empty deceit” is to be considering one idea, “deceitful philosophy.” The Greek has a definite article before “philosophy” and no article before “deceit” with those words liked with the connective “and” (kai), modifying “philosophy” with the idea of deceit, or making it “deceitful.” The NIV catches this (other translations, as well), deceitful philosphy.”

Human traditions spring from within the minds of men. They are rules and practices that men invent (perhaps with noble motives) to help men relate to God more effectively, more closely, or to qualify men to stand before God and to be accepted by him. The problem is that God has forbidden any approach to him that he does not authorize. It doesn’t please God for us to invent our own religion. He alone opens the way to him. And he warns people over and over again with the most terrifying language to only approach him in the ways that he has established, namely, through Christ and those signs and seals of worship that point to him and his work, and in no other way.

The human traditions are related to the “elements of this world.” This phrase is a phrase from the philosophers of that era and it seems to represent a notion in ancient — developing  and very early– Gnostic thought that the world was evil and that God was good. (Some scholars don’t write “Gnostic” for this seems to give the notion that this was ripe and finished, so they write it “gnostic” implying that this was just beginning to gain some traction in the ancient world.)

In this gnostic (or Gnostic) scheme, God had to create many steps or intermediaries to make it possible for us (evil) to relation to (good) God. Paul picks this up as representative of the attempts of men to work their way to God. The elements of the world, the strategies of this world, whether it be through circumcision (as a universal rite to earn favor with God) or lack of work on the Sabbath (somehow distinguishing people as worthy of God’s favor) but all the while missing the true nature of God and the work of Christ in redemption. Christ comes to this sinful world, he comes in the likeness of sinful man and for sin, and the philosophers completely miss the miracle. They try to redefine Christ’s incarnation as a philosophical leap, not God becoming a human being and being born in a manger in Bethlehem. The miracle is missed, and the elements of this world seek to silence the work of Christ, his incarnation, his redemption, and his God-hood.

2:9, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” Paul takes on the Gnostics in hand-to-hand combat. Christ as the fullness of God would be impossible for the Gnostic because God and the material world were completely alienated from one another. But Christ comes to the Earth, is born of a woman, dies a sinner’s death, is raised by the power of God, and now reigns in Heaven with the Father and the Spirit. The Christian message is not what men think up. It is what God has done.

2:11–12 “In him you also were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands  …” The rite of entry into the Jewish family was circumcision (for every Jewish male). But now there is a “circumcision” a rite of entry for everyone, for male and for female, and for Jew and for Gentile. The circumcision was not about physical cutting, it was now about baptism. God has changed the rules for inclusion in his nation, his people, his covenant. It is now by faith in Christ and the sign and seal of that inclusion is no longer circumcision, it is water baptism.

The incorporation into Christ is seen in our dying with him and being raised with him in baptism. This through “faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead.” So it is faith, not rite, nor parentage that brings us to a relationship with God. It is faith in him who raised the dead, Jesus Christ the Lord.

Redemption applied.

2:13–15 This listing of God’s work in redemption from this section is thrilling to any believing heart:

God made you alive together with Christ (through baptism)

God has forgiven all our trespasses

God has cancelled “the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands … setting them all aside, nailing them to the cross.” The Cross of Christ is where our debt to God was cancelled.

He conquered all the powers of this world (“the rulers and authorities” meaning the demonic and all forces who stand against God and his Christ) and demonstrated their defeat by shouting their true, evil, nature and illuminating their shame for all to see. He did this by triumphing over them in the Cross of Christ Jesus. Sin, death, and hell, are defeated foes. Christ is the Conqueror.

(more to follow on Sunday)