Colossians 2:6-7 6Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, 7having been firmly rooted and built up in him and established in faith, just as you were taught, overflowing in thanksgiving.
Therefore at the beginning of verse 6 marks a shift from description to exhortation. This verse begins with a clear statement of the present situation of the Colossians. They had received Christ Jesus the Lord. They were believers and had accepted the message about redemption through Christ. This is a powerful statement about the radical shift they made in their thinking. But their journey was not over. There was more they needed to do and more ways in which they needed to grow.
The command is simple but incorporates all of life: walk in him. Paul uses his favorite phrase and concept of being “in Christ.” To walk “in Christ” means to live under his lordship and sovereignty in the commitment of a life of faith and dependence upon him. It means to be in deep and personal fellowship with him through the abiding Holy Spirit. This involves body, soul, spirit, and mind–basically all of what makes up a person. The metaphor of walking (peripateite) is often used in the New Testament for how one lives. Walking implies a direction. Many people walk aimlessly, without purpose; if they have any purpose, it is to please the flesh through selfish living. There are people who are not believers who live ethical lives, but self-righteousness will not save them from sin and God’s judgment. Walking with Jesus is the life of grace.
Paul describes further what walking entails by using four adverbial participles that point back to the imperative verb walk. Each of these has an instrumental sense because they answer the question, “How should the Colossians live out their faith in Jesus Christ?” This sense is given in the translation above by supplying the word by. The first three participles are also passive voice, which implies that God is the one who can do all of this for them. They do not need to struggle by their own strength and understanding. In fact, if they try, they will fail.
The first two participles have the same prepositional phrase that completes their thought and re-emphasizes the goal of their walking: to be in him. First, the Colossians should walk by having been firmly rooted (errizōmenoi) in Christ. The image could be of a plant root or or something securely anchored into something. It creates the image of plants that send their roots down so that they can withstand the winds and rains. The Colossians should be secure in their faith because they are secured anchored to the unmoving rock of Christ. This participle is also in the perfect tense, which shows that they already have put their faith in Christ and can grow from this point forward.
Second, because they have a solid security in Christ, they can then be built up (epoikodomoumenoi) in him. This compound word shifts to the image of a building and can mean building on top of what someone else has already built (1 Corinthians 3:10). The Colossians had the foundation of initial faith in justification and redemption but they needed to go the next step and grow in their faith. They needed to make sure their faith was strong and secure. They could do this by growing in knowledge, wisdom, insight, and understanding of the truth of the gospel. This was more than cognitive learning but was a matter of deep commitment in the grace of sanctification.
Third, their commitment to Christ should be evident and grow by being established in faith. This participle (bebaioumenoi) means something that has been confirmed and is secure. The Colossians could have “all the riches of full assurance of deeper insight into the knowledge of God’s mystery” (verse 2). God would strengthen their faith as they turned to him in trust and dependence. In faith could be interpreted to mean in one’s own personal faith or “in the Christian faith.” These ideas do not need to be separated as long as one’s faith in Christian doctrine leads to one’s personal commitment of faith in Christ. They were taught this faith by Epaphras, and now Paul is confirming it in this letter. They had accepted what they were taught and had moved forward with a hunger to know more.
The last participles still has an instrumental sense but also moves towards a result sense. Their faith in Christ can also grow by overflowing in thanksgiving. Also, God’s work in confirming their faith will lead to overflowing thanksgiving. This is not just a small about of thanksgiving but and “abundance” (perisseuontes) of it. When God does a powerful work in a person’s life, the result should be praise and thanksgiving. Growing faith and obedient walking in obedience to God’s work in our lives should lead to thankfulness. We cannot keep silent and we cannot remain passive. Our faith will grow more as we give thanks to God for what he is doing in us through Christ.
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