Living in Christ

(Colossians 2:5-7)

As Christians, the most important thing we must do and remember to do is to live in Christ Jesus. We have been called to live in Him and His teachings are directed to help us to live in Him.

Living in Christ is not a hardship because it gives promise of a better life now and in the future, eternal life.

As we walk with Christ and learn what He taught us, we begin living in Christ. When we take His teachings to heart and follow the things Jesus instructed us to do, that is when we begin living in Christ.

What must we do to be living in Christ?

This scripture today gives us an insight into some of the things we must do to live in Christ. Consider these words.

5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 6 As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:5-7)

The first thing we see about living in Christ that Paul mentions is that the Colossians were in good order and firm in their faith in Jesus Christ.

In anything we do where we seek to be living in Christ, it must begin with faith and good order.

God is a God of order. This can be seen by the balance and order in His Creation. Everything is in perfect order and works together perfectly so that balance is maintained. When sinful man steps in that this balance is disturbed and chaos occurs. But in Christ the balance is restored because we seek to live in the love of God and His love does no harm to another.

And the second point is faith. All of the promises of God to mankind rest upon faith. Without faith we cannot please God and we cannot receive the promises of God.

Faith underpins the ability to be living in Christ and it is by faith that we must learn to abide in Christ.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

We see here that unless we abide in Christ and He in us that we are unable to do anything. Like the branch that is cut off from the tree dies, so too if we are cut off and separated from Christ we cannot grow and bear the fruit of the Spirit.

Living in Christ means that we must be in Him at all times and abiding in Him. And to abide in Him we must have faith and be solid in our faith.

Rooted and Grounded in Christ

The next point Paul makes about living in Christ is that we must be rooted and grounded in Christ.

Jesus uses the analogy of being part of a vine in John 15, and so too here Paul uses the analogy of a plant or a tree. When we think of a tree we must understand that it is a living thing. It grows and changes with the seasons and is strong and stable, able to withstand the storms that come because it is rooted and grounded solidly.

In the same way when we are rooted and grounded in Christ we can grow and mature in Him. We receive nourishment from Him in the form of teachings and encouragement as we walk with and in Him. When we are living in Christ we too are able to stand against the storms of life that will inevitably come to test us.

Again, thinking about a tree, we know that they can grow to great heights because they have deep and strong roots. The root systems on the largest trees can go down extremely deep into the soil so that they can absorb the nutrients that build and repair the tree when damaged. Trees that are deeply rooted are strong and stable.

This is how we need to view our walk in Christ. If we are to receive the nutrients or the food of life from Christ, we too must be deeply rooted and grounded in Him. What that means is that we need to learn His words and understand how to apply them in our lives. It is not enough to just learn them, we must apply them because it is the application of the truth of Jesus Christ that changes us and brings us to maturity in Christ.

Living in Christ with thanksgiving

Finally, we should remember to always give thanks to the Lord for what He has done and is doing for us.

The Lord has offered us eternal life in Him and in His kingdom for those who are living in Christ. He offers life, peace, joy, mercy, and salvation to all who come to Him.

Even more than that He offers us a pathway to His kingdom and to His Father.

For all of these things we should give Him thanks. We should thank Him for the opportunity to escape the ways of this world so as to live a life that will lead to salvation when we are living in Christ. Without Him we would be without hope, as so many in the world are without hope because they choose to reject Christ.

And it is our hope that those around us will see for themselves that living in Christ is not a hardship but a blessing.

So in all things give thanks to God for His mercy. He has called you to life and in Him is life. He has allowed us to find life in Jesus Christ and we need to seek this life and follow His directions to find life in Him.

This is the essence of living in Christ: That we find life in Him. So seek the life that comes from the Lord and learn to live in Him and walk in His ways.

You might also like:

Growth In The Kingdom Of God
I Am The True Vine
Abide In Me
Protection Of The Lord
Oops I Did It Again
Spirit Of Christ
Choose Christ
Be Convinced
Encourage One Another
Sustaining The Church
Gifts From God
A Simple Gospel
Wisdom From God
Growth
Faith Hope And Love Abide
Pleasing Christ
Maturity In Christ
Growing In Christ
Listen To God
They Will Not Listen
Imitate Christ
United In Christ