A note from the desk of our Pastor:

”Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

Colossians 2:7

Our study verse this week, Colossians 2:7, is composed of four distinct phrases. Phrase A: “rooted and built up in him”; Phrase B: “stablished in the faith”; Phrase C: “as you have been taught”; Phrase D: “abounding therein with thanksgiving.” To appropriately study and understand this verse we need to examine each phrase and reflect on how they connect to one another.

Notice that Phrase A changes tenses in the middle. The Apostle says you have been rooted in Christ and then says you are being built up in him. The child of God is often compared to a tree. The tree grows from the roots upwards. Jesus Christ did the original planting of the child of God through the act of regeneration. The ongoing building or growing of the tree is done by the disciple continuing to learn and grow in the knowledge of Christ. It is by this continual pruning and growing that the tree can bear fruit just as it is with the saints in this life and the fruit of the Spirit.

Phrase B of the verse then says that you have been stablished or established in “the faith”. The word stablished in this verse is synonymous with having a foundation. The scriptures also often compared a child of God to a house. For that house to persist it must have a strong and solid foundation. For the disciple, the foundation of their house is Jesus Christ, and functionally that equates to a knowledge of his truth and doctrine.

Phrase C then moves to how these believers had been established and continued to grow. They had been taught by the Apostle, by Epaphras their minister, and by others. It was necessary for them to be aware of and avoid those false teachers who would harm their foundation and/or their growth, and furthermore, inhibit them from producing spiritual fruit.

Finally, Phrase D describes how the faithful should behave in an ongoing manner. They should recognize that they have been rooted in Christ Jesus, have a foundation in his doctrine, and continue to grow by the teachings of the ministers. This recognition should cause them to abound in thanksgiving to God for those blessings.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah