NOV 8
Colossians 2:6-7
Memorise Colossians 2:6-7
“…walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him…”

Colossians 2:6-7 reads “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Paul uses three metaphors to discuss stedfastness or being “stablished” in the faith: walking, being rooted and built up. As Christ has saved you and turned you in the right path through repentance of past sin, to walk in Jesus is to continue in the same path in obedience to your Lord, instead of being swayed by false teachers back into sin. Being rooted in Christ means your faith must stand only in Jesus and His righteousness, instead of being swayed by false teachers into believing another gospel or doubting your faith. Being built up in Jesus implies knowing more about Christ and becoming more like Him through studying Christ, the Living Word, as the foundation of faith, rather than being swayed by false teachers to use human wisdom to ‘grow’ instead. Not being stedfast in the faith will destroy the church because it will turn members back into sin, believing a false gospel and/or promoting human wisdom above holiness. In other words, when a church has problems, often it is because it is not stedfast in the faith.

Dear teen, do examine your own steadfastness in the faith in all three different aspects, as well as recognise any false teachers by their failure in any one aspect. While one might blame false teachers for tempting you to sin, ultimately you yourselves are responsible for your own sin. In terms of walking in Jesus, no true teacher will ever teach you it is alright for you to sin, for Christ did not save you so that you can continue sinning! In terms of being rooted in Christ, no true teacher will ever teach you salvation in any other but Christ alone, for Jesus is the way the truth and the life. In terms of being built up in Christ, no true teacher will ever substitute intellectual thought or quote scholarly opinion in place of God’s Word! Our faith stands and can grow only by walking daily with Christ, being rooted and built up in the Word of God. We must constantly check ourselves to see if we truly have a relationship with Him, if we are communing daily with Him and growing in the grace and knowledge of His Word.

Thought: When I perceive salvation is not by faith alone, my faith will be shaken.

Prayer: May I not be influenced by any false teachers.