“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him:”
(Colossians 2:6)
How did we receive Jesus the Lord? It was by faith. It was by believing Who He said He is and what He did. And it was by accepting the benefits of what He did for each one of us individually and personally. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
There was a Christian campaign in the late 1970’s called “I Found It.” The responses following it could be, salvation in Jesus, new life in Jesus and Jesus. As a new Christian, it excited me that there was a simple tool to witness. But truth be known, it’s not totally Scriptural. Ephesians 2:8 states “For by grace...” That little phrase packs a lot of power because grace is from God. It’s God’s undeserved favor. God chose to open our eyes of understanding to see that we needed His salvation, that we can’t save ourselves and we cannot change our lives from the wreck we’ve made of it. So, there were many who understandingly didn’t approve of this message. There were alternatives that were devised by the Christian community and also others.
“For by grace...” God’s love and mercy toward us moved Him to be so kind and generous with His gift of salvation. It was nothing we did on our own. Anything earthly taints God’s pure and holy gift. We can’t even believe without God’s touch to open our eyes of understanding. As long as we were in that kingdom of sin and death, we were blinded. Salvation is totally a work of God. I’ve heard Christians say, “I don’t know why my brother, my friend, neighbor (whomever they shared the Gospel with) can’t understand the Truth.” They can’t see it. I remember when the Gospel was shared with me. I didn’t get it. But... now this is super important. When we share the Gospel, use your testimony and use Scripture. Yes, they don’t understand. But God’s Word is alive and powerful and it’s light. That light of God’s Word penetrates the darkness. They may not believe, but their ears have heard the Word and it went to lodge in their spirit, bringing the light and power of God to do a work. It will bring understanding. It will open their eyes. It may not be at that moment. But the Word will bear fruit.
Now in Colossians 2:6, Paul states as you “...received Christ Jesus the Lord...” so “...walk in Him.” Salvation was totally a gift from God. And here Paul is telling us that walking with Jesus is the same, a gift of God. We have been translated into the kingdom of God, of Jesus, of light, of Truth, of peace and life. We cannot try to live a holy life. We can’t in the natural. It’s impossible. We have flesh. And we live in this world. We have a soul (mind, will and emotions) that most times we allow it to be influenced by the flesh and the world. For instance, some may say, “No, I won’t go to prayer night. I’m too tired or too busy.” Or some may say, “I do enough already.” That’s the flesh and the world. If God is going to show up in a supernatural way somewhere, and we are aware of it, to not show up is snubbing God. We don’t think of it that way. Let’s listen to the Spirit in us. He wants us to go. He wants to touch us, our souls and our lives in a supernatural way. Yes, we’re already saved. But don’t you want to be in God’s presence when He manifests His glory? We should be at the church’s doors before they open. We should be that anxious and excited to be in God’s manifest presence.
Walking in Jesus is walking by faith. It’s believing all Jesus said. It’s putting Him first in every decision and in every step we take. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) It’s dying to self so that Jesus can live through us. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) It’s listening to the Holy Spirit Who is continually speaking to us, “Turn here. Turn there.” Most of us hear Him more easily in church during worship, the sermon or prayer. But He is always speaking to lead and guide us in righteousness. “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13) It’s amazing to even think that what the Holy Spirit is telling us, the choices He’s telling us to make and the steps He is directing us to take was a product of the Godhead consultation. The Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all agreed what was best for us. Why wouldn’t we listen to Him and obey Him?
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