SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/3/2017 4:16 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Walking in
Christ
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Colossians 2:6-7a
Message of the verses: “As you therefore 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,”
I know that I have said this before, but Colossian 2:6 is
one of my favorite verses and I am happy to be able to study it in this SD.
I think that I may have mentioned that the word
“therefore” is used some 900 times in the Bible and when we see it we have to
go back to what was said before, and in this case back to verses 2-5 “2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having
been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the
full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s
mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in
whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you
with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I
am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of
your faith in Christ.” MacArthur writes
that “The Colossians have received Christ Jesus the Lord, they have settled
convictions about His deity and sufficiency, and are standing firm against the
attacks of false teachers, so they must continue to ‘walk in Him.’ So as we look at the word “walk” this is a
familiar term which refers to daily conduct and as we see it here it actually
means that the Colossians, and also all believers, are continuing to believe
the truth about Jesus Christ and not allow what they have first learned, their
“Christology” to waver.
As I have looked at this verse before I have come to the
conclusion that it means that I have received Christ by “grace through faith”
and therefore I am to walk in the same way “by grace through faith.” I know that if I try and do this “walk” on my
own that I will fail and so by faith I trust the Lord through His Spirit and
through His Word to walk in the way that He desires me to walk each day. I am to be living in union with Him. It has to do with my lifestyle and that
lifestyle is to be patterned after Christ, “the one who says he abides in Him
ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked (1 John 2:6).” John MacArthur writes the following, which is
very important to know more about walking in Christ: “When faced with the dilemmas that confront
Christians in their daily lives, the guideline should be, ‘What would Jesus do
in this situation?’ The hymn ‘O to Be
Like Thee’ expresses what should be the desire of every Christian:
O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, this is my constant longing and
prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus Thy perfect likeness to wear.
O to be like Thee!
O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou
art!
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
As we look at the portion in these verses which says “having been firmly rooted,” in Christ it makes me think of the first Psalm: “1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.”
John MacArthur writes “That eternal planting took place at salvation, as the perfect tense of the participle errizomenoi (‘having been firmly planted’) suggests. Christ then became the source of our spiritual nourishment, growth, and fruit. As we walk in Christ, we are ‘now being built up in Him.’ That connotes the process of being more and more like Jesus. Epoikodomoumenoi (being built up) is a present-tense participle indicating continuous action. By studying the ‘word of His grace, which is able to build you up’ (Acts 20:32), believers will ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ (2 Pet. 3:18). And then will come ‘to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ’ (Eph. 4:13).”
Now as we are firmly rooted in Christ and also growing in
Him this will result in believers being established in their faith. MacArthur adds “The passive voice of the
participle bebaioumenoi (established)
indicates that it is God who will establish believers. Having such a firm foundation for faith based
on walking in Christ is imperative for a healthy Christian life (cf. Rom.
16:25; 2 Thess. 2:16-17; 1 Pet. 5:10; Jude 24).”
3/3/2017 4:49 PM
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