Solid and Dynamic Faith

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." 

Colossians 2:6-7, New International Version

We are given some word pictures by the Apostle Paul that show us that our life of faith is both solid and dynamic [1].

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We’ll start with the solid pieces. Paul says, “Continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught.” This first image talks about plant life. As we know, roots provide stability to a tree or plant so that it can remain intact when winds and storms come. When we are rooted in Christ, we have a solid base and receive our nourishment from him rather than other sources.

And Christ also builds us up. Christ is the sure foundation of our lives, much stronger than reinforced concrete, steel or titanium. We can fully trust Christ in every situation, and he will never leave or forsake us.

Then two other word pictures indicate that unlike a tree or a building, we are not meant to stand still. They are dynamic images. The encouragement to “continue to live your lives in him” contains a reference to walking in the Greek. The New King James Version translates this phrase as “walk in Him.” 

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British theologian N.T. Wright comments that we need to move forward in this life with Christ. He says, “Being a Christian is like riding a bicycle; unless you go forward, you’ll fall off. And going forward as a Christian means, once more, nothing more nor less than going forward ‘in Christ,’ in the king” [2].

Finally, Paul adds, “and overflowing with thankfulness.” When something overflows, there’s movement and action. The storyline of Christ is enough to satisfy us, and we don’t seek anything in addition to Him. Our response is gratitude, which flows into good works and kind deeds. 

For further reflections on gratitude, you may enjoy the following posts:

Gratitude: Weakness or Strength

Easy Go, Easy Come

Give or Receive, Part 1

[1] Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat (2004) Colossians Remixed, page 135 says, "Paul frames metaphors of solidity and stability (rooted, built, established) with metaphors of growth and dynamic change."

[2] N. T. Wright (2002) Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters, p. 164.