So Walk in Him

Colossians 2:6-7 ESV

 

“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.”

 

Well, people receive Christ Jesus the Lord in many different ways, but only one way is the true way, the biblical way. For we don’t receive Christ Jesus the Lord merely by repeating words after someone else in a prayer. Now I am not saying that there aren’t people who are genuinely converted while repeating “the sinner’s prayer,” but that the mere act of repeating words after someone else does not constitute a genuine conversion.

 

Mere words in confession of Jesus as Lord, or in profession of faith in Jesus, or in acceptance of what he did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, or in accepting his love, his grace, and his forgiveness of our sins, do not, in and of themselves, constitute a genuine conversion. There has to be a change of heart and mind that takes place away from living for sin and self to God to following Jesus in obedience to his commands.

 

Paul said that the truth that we should have learned, if we were taught the truth that is in Christ Jesus is this:

 

“To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:22-24).

 

Jesus said something very similar to this when he said these words:

 

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Lu 9:23-25)

 

And Paul taught us that this is what takes place in our hearts and lives when we believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-given faith:

 

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin” (Rom 6:6-7).

 

“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Rom 6:17-18).

 

So, this is the way we should have received Christ Jesus as Lord (owner-master) of our lives. And this is how we are to walk (in conduct, in practice). We are to continue to daily die with Christ to sin and to self and to walk in obedience to his commands. And we are to be being conformed to the likeness of Christ Jesus and not to the ways of this sinful world.

 

We are to no longer walk in the ways of sin and of the flesh as we once did, but we are to conduct our lives according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God in holiness and righteousness and purity of devotion to our Lord. We are to no longer walk (in practice) as slaves to sin but we are to walk as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

 

Colossians 2:8-12 ESV

 

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

 

Therefore, since you now know the truth, you are to see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For, the “gospel” that is widely being accepted today here in America is exactly what we are being warned about right here.

 

The “gospel” message that is widely being spread and accepted is the exact opposite of what Jesus and Paul and the other apostles taught. But they may share in common the story of Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death on a cross, resurrection, ascension to heaven, the sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell Christ’s followers, and the soon coming again of our Lord.

 

Yet the gospel message which teaches us how we can come to faith and how we can be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God is not the same. Now, again, the two gospels being presented may share some common elements and may use some of the same Scriptures, but the one we need to watch out for takes liberty with the Scriptures, for it teaches them largely outside their context and it twists them to say what they want them to say, and they tend to ignore the Scriptures they don’t like.

 

For, they do not teach dying with Christ to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness as necessary components of believing faith. They do not teach that we must repent of sin (forsake our former lives of living for sin and self) or that we must walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, or that we must bow to and submit to Christ Jesus as Lord (owner-master) of our lives.

 

Theirs is more like a “fast food” gospel that you grab and go. They make it easy to believe and they say that belief now secures you salvation from sin and eternal life with God regardless of how you live your lives from that point forward. For they teach that salvation can never be taken away from you and that your sins are all covered, so you are good to go.

 

But that is not biblical salvation. Biblical salvation is a daily walk of faith, of putting to death the deeds of the flesh, by the Spirit, and walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands. And we must continue in that walk of faith, steadfast, until the very end, or we don’t have salvation. For if we continue living in sin, we don’t have eternal life with God.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10, 19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:22-25; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Matt 7:21-23; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10]

 

The Prayer

 

Written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager,

Alberto Testa and Tony Renis

 

I pray you'll be our eyes

And watch us where we go

And help us to be wise

In times when we don't know

 

Let this be our prayer

When we lose our way

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe.

 

I pray we'll find your light

And hold it in our hearts

When the stars go out each night

Remind us where you are.

 

Let this be our prayer

When shadows fill our day

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqFCbtRz1Z0

Caution: This link may contain ads

P.S. This is not an endorsement of the singers other than as musicians