IN CHRIST ALONE!

The error comes softly and is often verbalized in comfortable, pleasing phrases that appeal to our senses, to our weaknesses—and it preys on our lack of discernment. Error is often presented as “new and progressive” in contrast to the “old and outdated” and thereby the error mongers appeal to the desire of the naïve to be “on the cutting edge of a new wave.”

The apostle Paul faced this type of error in two of the churches under his apostolic care—Colosse and Laodacia. Never one to shrink from confrontation or the need to correct error, Paul wrote the book of Colossians largely to bring the two churches back to balance and to correct and heal the damage done by the error. History tells us that the church at Colosse heeded Paul’s teaching and regained what had been lost. Tragically, the church at Laodicia, which was just ten or twelve miles from the Colossian church, did not listen.

Both of these churches had been born in a powerful move of God’s Spirit and had grown and thrived in a difficult but affluent area—and then the error came. The new and progressive message was designed to get the believers to move away from Christ’s being the center of their spiritual life and, instead, to focus on temporal issues such as, “How can I be a success in life?” or “How can I be a better person?” Important subjects, indeed, but not to be pursued at the cost of replacing the centrality of Christ in the believer’s life.

Paul deals at length with the heresy and then focuses on getting the churches back into right relationship with Christ. The following two verses are the heart of his teaching on this:
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7, NKJV).

Paul admonishes the church, “You started by receiving Christ Jesus as your Lord, so continue in Him; that is, walk the pathway of your life ‘in Him.’”

Paul goes on and gives the churches three helpful descriptive word pictures (metaphors) and then finishes with an amazing and releasing understanding. Paul knew that in order for these churches to survive the pressures and tensions of life, they had to learn to live a life totally centered in Him—in Christ alone!

How can we achieve such a well-centered balance in Him that the pressures of life do not overtake us? How can we be sure that our focus is really on Him? The apostle speaks clearly to this in this passage:

1. “Rooted . . . in Him”
A friend in California had a giant oak tree in his yard. The great tree was unmoved by the weather, the economy, the earthquakes, the drought or the occasional snow flurries. Even having “The Terminator” as the governor of California didn’t bother the tree. Why? Because very quietly over time, it had sunk its roots deep into the earth and was drawing life-giving water from unseen sources. That’s an exact picture of what Paul is encouraging us to do: Get our roots deep into the soil of Christ and draw from Him the life-giving nourishment we need. The root system anchors and feeds us no matter what hell is breaking loose around us. It takes time and patience but it is so worth it.

2. “Built up in Him”
Paul’s picture here is of the wise man Jesus spoke of in His parable in Luke 6:48-49, the man who built his house on the rock: “And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded [well built] on the rock.” The spiritual life of the believer is built upon the Rock, Christ Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 10:4). The other man in the parable whose home was destroyed by the same storm is pictured as “doing nothing—not listening, and building on sand—not on the rock.” He couldn’t be bothered to dig in and so he lost everything!

3. “Established in the faith”
How do we make sure that the foundation of our faith life is solid and stable? We do so by getting into the Word and getting the Word into us. “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8, NIV).

The word prosperous as it is used here means “to go on (in life) well, to finish (life) well.” The word success means “to have insight and understanding, to know how to act wisely.” These definitions sound to me like someone whose faith life is solid. Paul’s admonition to the error-prone church is, “Get into the Word and get the Word into you.” The error mongers never really emphasize anything other than their interpretations of the Word.

4. “Abounding . . . with thanksgiving”
The word abounding suggests a picture of a river overflowing its banks. When we received Christ as Savior, it was through drinking the water of life by faith and at that time He put within us a well of living water (John 4:1-14). It’s His desire that we become “rivers of living water.”

Paul is saying to let the thanksgiving—the praise—the worship—flow, not trickle. Let it flow like a river! “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The natural outflow of a life that is rooted in Him, built up in Him, and established in Him is thanksgiving, praise and worship. I am embarrassed by how long it took me to really understand the importance of this. It took the pain of sickness for me to finally put aside the silly notion that praise and worship was good but it was just the prelude to the main event. Praise is not the prelude, it is a key part of the main event!

Personally I am convinced that our abundant, overflowing of thanksgiving is the glue that holds all the elements of stability in place. True, the elements are important but our thanksgiving, our praise, binds them all together and invites His presence into our daily life.