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“Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” 2 Colossians 2:6-7

Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is a one-and-done decision. Once saved, always saved—no one can pluck you from His hand (John 10:28-30). That being said, in response to the Great Exchange (your sin for His righteousness), you are called to live life differently. To walk worthy of this new relationship with God (Eph 4:1; Col 1:10; 1 Thess 2:12)—and to do so with a “fruity” attitude of love with all its outpourings (see Galatians 5:22-23).

But how can we walk in Jesus? That’s a very tall order (Jesus being perfect and all). But there are a few important things the Apostle Paul mentions in his letter to the Colossians that instruct us about moving forward in the right direction.

1. We are “firmly rooted” in Christ. The Greek grammar is very encouraging here. The word for “having been firmly rooted” is errizonmenoi, which is a perfect tense participle. (Huh?) It means that this rooting takes place at the moment of salvation! It’s as if you’re a small bush that has been dug up—roots and all—out of your sinful life to be placed in a luscious greenhouse (new life), where, the moment you’re replanted, your roots are instantly being nourished for growth. And your fruit is on its way.
2. As we walk, we are being built up in Him. Here, the Greek for “being built up” is epoikodomoumenoi, which is—stay with me here—a present tense participle. This indicates continuous action! From a solid foundation of our salvation, we grow to be more like Jesus by (a) studying the Word of God and (b) living out the grace, truth, and love we’ve been shown. Grounded and growing, we are established in our faith.
3. Because of our new roots, deepening daily through our Source, and our ongoing transformation to live in the reality of our righteousness in Christ, we are to overflow with gratitude. Thankfulness is truly a choice. Our salvation alone is reason enough to daily burst out in song! Beyond that, we can start with the breath in our lungs and work our way through the multitude of blessings we’ve been given.

Sister, our walk with the Lord won’t be easy—that’s a promise right from His mouth. But moving in the direction of obedience is the call on our lives. We do that through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, along with knowing and living by the Truth of God’s Word. So, stay rooted, take in nourishment to thrive, and be sure to feed your growth with plenty of gratitude.

“Thank You, Lord for trading my unrighteousness for Your perfect righteousness, establishing me in faith. May I live as a worthy ambassador of Your Kingdom…and give thanks all along the way.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life