This verse seems to be a kingpin for all of the other verses in this chapter. It’s like they rotate around it as little planets of thought. Some of them have to do with the negative influences of the world’s philosophy and tradition. The false teachers encouraged the Christians to have a human version of humility and to exercise a necessity of worshiping angels. They were offered the opportunity to show false wisdom. On the other side of our text is the positive lifestyle of the believer. They were challenged to avoid being subject to worldly ordinances, commandments, and doctrines of men. While being steadfast in faith are the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Because of this they deserved to be praised for their steadfastness and how orderly they conducted themselves as a church with firm faith in Christ. They are worthy of praise because they were living out strong faith as they should with discipline and stability.
The beginning phrase of our text and the last comment of our text gives us reason to be faithful in the same way that we once received Christ as Savior. That first phrase says, “As you have therefore received…” We share a common brotherhood over the centuries with the members of the Colossian church. They were faithful even though they had never seen Jesus. Like them, we have not touched his hand, nor have we heard his voice but are led into the halls of salvation. Had it not been for Christ, we might find ourselves buried in the traditions of hedonism. Even so, there are many across the United States and other parts of the world in which they prefer any type of fantasy other than to recognize Christ as the Son of God.
The modern Christian maintains a difficulty with the right impression of how great the sacrifice and strivings of Jesus was while here on earth in our behalf. There are times and places in which our hearts need to be comforted. This is so of our churches today if the congregations would be fortified passing the true depth of faith onto one another. As we have received Christ, we have a unity among ourselves in the comfort of knowing him. It took a divine revelation of God’s mysteries in these recent times for us to fulfill the meaning of wearing the robe of Christianity.
We are to think and act every day, every minute according to the way that we first received Christ as Savior. We have received the salvation of Jesus and worshiped him as Lord initially because we accept the supreme authority of him over the church expanding to all of the universe beyond earth and to the farthest star. If we dare call ourselves Christians in this day, in this moment then we are bound by our past action that we have claimed what made a difference in our lives. The believer who truly accepted Christ is not perfect but will never cast himself off from the golden chariot bound for heaven.
After reflecting on our original experience of salvation, Scripture expects us to nurture our spiritual growth parallel to the time we accepted Christ and even more so. When our text says that we are to “so” walk in him, it begins from how we were rooted and built in him. Therefore, faith is to be established today parallel to that which we had earlier experienced. Only stronger and more determined. The Christian’s faith is not a work to gain salvation but an effort to establish his faith as he was originally taught so that it grows and develops. It is not a question of allowing ourselves to drift away. It is more an expectation that we assure ourselves that we are grounded with the right hold on Christ’s teaching.
God expects us to live consistently, to walk in him, with the same faith and power that we had at the beginning of our divine relationship. The believer that has become a new creation in Christ finds himself appalled by his own efforts, as small as this may seem, to sin. “As we have received…….. So must we walk in him.” Here is the evidence of our conversion and our pathway that we walk toward heaven. A true child who is rebellious against his father will return expressing guilt and requesting forgiveness. Without that, such a bastard child is like one mentioned elsewhere in this chapter who are deluded by human thinking, human decisions, and faith in human self….. Not God’s Self.
Christian Writer 