In Christ I Am Rooted and Built Up
Stable in Him, deepening from the same grace I first received
Part 16 of 17 Series — What being “in Christ” personally means to
you
Colossians 2:6-7 — “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
Opening Reflection
Many believers feel spiritually unstable. A hard week shakes them, a sharp criticism rattles them, a season of doubt begins to feel like a possible unraveling. The instinct is to look for steadiness somewhere new — a different church, a fresh teacher, a sharper discipline. Scripture answers differently: in Christ, the believer is called not to look elsewhere but to go deeper, growing rooted and built up in the One they have already received.
Taking a Devotional View
Colossians 2:6-7 sits in the same chapter Paul devotes to confronting false teachers who promise spiritual stability through philosophy, religious rules, or mystical experiences. His instruction is striking for its simplicity: “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” The pattern of starting is the pattern of continuing. Believers came to Christ by grace through faith, and they grow in Christ by grace through faith. Paul then fuses two images. Rooted is agricultural — a tree drawing nourishment from deep soil — speaking to growth that draws from below the surface, from the unseen. Built up is architectural — a building rising on a settled foundation — speaking to development that adds upward, structure on top of structure. Both share the same anchor: “in him.”
The implications are practical. Stability does not come from a different Christ or a deeper religion; it comes from deeper engagement with the same Christ already received. The agricultural image points to the slow, ordinary disciplines that put roots down — Scripture meditated on rather than only consumed, prayer that becomes conversation rather than performance, obedience tested in small daily decisions. The architectural image points to the visible structures that grow from those roots — convictions held in storm, patterns of repentance, relationships of accountability, fruit visible to others. Paul ends the sentence with “abounding in thanksgiving,” which marks the soil itself: rooted and built-up Christians are grateful Christians, because they live consistently with what they have already received in Christ (Ephesians 3:17; Psalm 1:2-3).
Key Thoughts & Takeaways
Key Thoughts
- Believers grow in Christ by the same pattern they first received Him — grace through faith (Colossians 2:6).
- Rooted speaks to depth drawn from unseen sources; built up speaks to visible growth on a settled foundation, both anchored in Him (Colossians 2:7; Ephesians 3:17).
- Stability in Christ is the result of going deeper rather than looking elsewhere, and shows itself in thanksgiving (Colossians 2:7; Psalm 1:2-3).
Ask Yourself
- When I feel spiritually unstable, do I look elsewhere or go deeper into the Christ I have already received?
- Which ordinary disciplines have I been treating as too small to put down real roots?
- Where in my life is gratitude missing that signals soil running shallow rather than deep?
Lord Jesus, thank You that in You I am called to be rooted and built up rather than tossed about. Forgive the restlessness that searches for stability in a deeper religion when it is You I have already received. Send my roots down through Your Word, prayer, and obedience, build me up in the convictions and patterns that match a settled foundation, and let thanksgiving be the soil where this growth happens. In Your name I pray, Amen.