Chapter two of the book of Colossians paints a clear picture of what it means to give your life to Christ and the change that occurs as a result of that decision.
Colossians 2:6 says “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:” This is a call to a new identity because when you receive Jesus, your identity changes and you become empowered to ‘walk in Him’.
Verse 7 provides more explanation to what walking with Jesus is and how you can do it. “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” This simply means that Jesus is now our foundation and it is upon Him we stand for everything in our lives. We’re also called to be rooted in Him which means essentially having Christ as the basis of our very existence; it is being connected with Him deeply and at the root level. We keep growing in Christ Jesus and are rooted in Him when we spend time with Him in prayers and by word study. It is with these spiritual activities that we’re able to go root level with God.
From verse 8-10 the author of the book of Colossians warns his readers to not be deceived by any person trying to hold them captive through the traditions of men based on the teachings of this world instead of the teachings of Christ. He tells them that the Godhead dwells fully in Christ bodily and that they’re complete in Jesus who is the head of all powers. This to me points to the fact that we’re absolutely and without a doubt complete in Jesus and we don’t need the traditions of men to achieve that completion.
When the Gentiles started accepting Jesus, some Jews argued that they should be circumcised and keep some other traditions but the author in verse 11 makes it clear that his readers are already circumcised but not the type of circumcision done with human hands. Rather, their hearts had been circumcised as a result of their belief in Christ and therefore there was a “putting off the body of sins”. This signifies the removal of an old nature so that the new nature in Christ can be established. (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Verse 12 then begins by explaining the nature of baptism. It connotes a burial just like Christ died for us and was buried but when one is brought up from the water, it signifies a resurrection just like Jesus was resurrected on the third day through the power of God and we are resurrected into a new life based on our faith in God.
In verses 13-15, the author tells us all the wonderful things the death and resurrection of Jesus brought to the Gentiles (us). We were once dead in our sins but are now alive through Christ Jesus and we have all our sins forgiven. Not only that, the debt we were to pay for all the times when we lived in sin, Jesus took it away by nailing it to the cross for us and then He triumphed over principalities and powers and made a public show of them so we could know that His authority is supreme and superior to all.
I believe these 9 verses encapsulate the believer’s story, acknowledging our past identity and making room for the new. It is my prayer that we continue to grow in the knowledge of God and His Son Jesus, who loved us and gave His life for us. (Ephesians 1:17-18 and Galatians 2:20).
All scripture quotations are taken from KJV.
