Colossians 2:6 Insights

Colossians 2:6

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him…

O’Brien’s Introduction: As he [Paul] begins his interaction with the “philosophy” of the false teachers, the apostle admonishes the addressees to continue in the teaching they had received and to remain immovable in their faith. These two verses summarize much of what has preceded and lay the foundation for the attack on the Colossian heresy that follows.

· Therefore…The “therefore” though pointing immediately to the previous verse, does, in a very significant way, point to and summarize the entire letter up to this point. Paul has previously prayed, with thanksgiving (vv.3-8) and supplications (vv.9-12). He gives thanks for the work of gospel among them (producing fruit and growing). He then asks for God to grant that they would walk in a way that is indicative of the gospel’s work – that is that they would “walk” (2:6) in a way that shows they have faith in Christ. Up to this point the general outline is – Paul’s prayer (1:3-9), Paul’s Christology (1:13-23), and Paul’s ministry/example (1:24-2:5).

· The Colossians received Christ by faith, as he was presented to them in the gospel (1:3-8); this corresponds with 2:6a – “just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord.” Paul prayed that they would walk in a certain way (1:9-12); this corresponds with 2:6b – “continue to live in Him.” Paul’s Christology (1:13-24, 26-27, 2:2-3) is nicely summarized in the expression “Christ Jesus the Lord.” Paul points to his own example of standing firm, struggling and striving – all in subjection to Christ and for the proclamation of his Gospel. By doing so, he is showing that even he is “rooted” and being built up in Christ; and that he is established in the faith (that Christ taught him) and abounding in thanksgiving (2:7). Now with this in view, we can see how and why many commentators see this passage as the hinge of the book as a whole. It summarizes what has previously been communicated and gives the proper foundation for what follows.

· As you have received (aorist, active, indicative, 2pl). Paul is giving instruction for the practical lives of the believers in Colossae. In order to face the enmity of the seed of the serpent (Gen 3:15), an enmity with which Paul was all too familiar (Acts 9), the Christian must continually walk in the Christ he receives. It is important to note, however, that the focus of the instruction lies in the past. The believers must understand what happened in history to understand how they ought to live in the present. The conjunction draws the eye to the past tense (aorist) verb. “As, you received…”

a. Harris notes that the verb “to receive” is not simply the passive receipt of Christian tradition, but active acceptance of the person who was the essence of that tradition.

b. O’Brien comments in the same line with Harris: Receiving Christ Jesus as their Lord is not simply a personal commitment to Christ (though this is no doubt included), but the use of the semi technical term specifically employed denotes the receiving of something delivered by tradition (p.105). Paul’s teaching does not come from the tradition passed down from man to man, but from the Lord himself (1Cor 11:23).

c. Moo. To “receive Christ” – in this verse at least- is not only a matter of believing “in” his person; it also involve a commitment to the apostolic teaching about Christ and his significance. This tradition, which the Colossians have heard from the faithful Epaphras, stands in contrast to the “human tradition” of the false teachers (v.8).

· The receiving instrument in the individual is none other than faith. It is an instrument that, before the work of the Holy Spirit in a person, is non-existent. It is a gift (Eph 2:8-9). And salvation comes not by the greatness of the gift, but by the greatness of the object that the instrumental gift receives. Knox Chamblin has often said, “that it is not faith’s size that is of greatest importance, but its object.” The size of faith can be as small as a mustard seed. But the object of faith must be able to move mountains (Matt 17:20). Faith, as Machen has put it, does not consist in doing something, but in receiving something. It is not merely possessed by someone, but places its confidence in someone. This is important for us to know.

· Christ Jesus the Lord. Cf. 2Cor 4:5. The accusative case identifies Christ Jesus as the direct object who receives the action of the verb. He is the object of faith; or, the one that, by faith, believers “receive.” Placed in the context of the whole of the letter up to this point, we must understand that Christ is not empty of meaning and substance. Machen, speaks of the “profound fact about faith, a fact without which everything else…would be valueless…that it is not as a quality of the soul that faith saves a man, but only as the establishment of contact with a real object of the faith…[In our day] faith is being considered merely as a beneficent quality of the soul without respect to the reality or unreality of its object; and the moment faith comes to be considered in that way, in that moment it is destroyed.”

· Much work has been done on the part of the apostle to inform the people of the particulars concerning Jesus. He is the redeemer (1:14), the divine God incarnate (v.15), the head of all creation (vv.16-17), the head of the church (vv.18-19). He alone is where the fullness of salvation (v.19), wisdom and knowledge (2:3) is to be found. He is the one, in whom reconciliation takes place (1:20-22). He is the mystery of God revealed (1:27), who is both in us and who is our eschatological hope (1:27). He is the sole subject of the church’s proclamation (1:28) and the object of her faith (1:4). He is the spring from which the church receives power and energy while struggling, striving and toiling through this life (1:29). He is the one who will finally present us before God (1:22). He alone is the King (1:13). He alone is the Lord (2:6) – Yahweh incarnate.

a. O’Brien notes. This is an early creedal confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” The one whom the Colossians received as their tradition is the center of God’s mystery (1:27; 2:2), and the Lord of both creation and reconciliation (1:15-20). He is Lord absolutely (1 Cor 8:5, 6), not just one among many.

b. Moo. Nowhere else in Paul do we find the exact same sequence of names and articles that we find here; indeed, this combination is found nowhere else in the NT. The article before the word “kurios” or “Lord” sets it apart and that it is this title that receives the emphasis in the verse. Furthermore, coming after a transitive verb such as “receive” the title may function predicatively; hence TNIV’s “Christ Jesus as Lord.” Paul is probably intentionally echoing, then, what was arguably the early Christian confession: that “Jesus is Lord.” And Christ is added to the formula in two texts that may (despite different syntax) be cited as close parallels of what Paul probably intends here: “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2Cor 4:5, cf. Phil 2:11).

· Saying that Jesus Christ is the Lord is a succinct way of saying that he is: The image of the invisible God; The firstborn of all creation (1:15); the head of the body, the church (1:18); The Mystery of God (2:2; 1:27); and the repository of all wisdom and knowledge (2:3). Moo summarizes the implications for the expression, “it is this central confession, with all it’s varied and far-reaching implications, to which the Colossians need to return in order to ward off the threat of the false teaching.”

· Question. How did they receive Christ?

a. Not wages – Receiving Christ is not like receiving a paycheck. We did not work to earn him.

b. Not a Christmas present - Receiving Christ is not even like receiving a Christmas gift. Be careful!

c. But a gift freely offered in the gospel and received by faith [and repentance]. This makes him the Lord whereas the others identify the receiver as Lord – the one who has the final say.

· In Him, walk [or, “continue to live”] (present, active, imperative, 2pl). As is common in Paul, the indicative comes before the imperative. The history is the basis for the present [and the present lived for the future]. The same way the church in Colossae received Christ, that is the way they ought to walk. This verb characterizes the Christian’s life and behavior. He has already prayed for them to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (1:10). Now he exhorts them to that end. The exhortations in Paul (or, the imperatives) are not calls to independent living. On the contrary, Paul trusts that God will work in them what he exhorts them to do (1:10 à 2:6). We walk understanding that our walking is dependent walking.

a. Harris notes that the formula “in Him” is less likely to be that of instrumentation (“by Him”), but more likely to be that of location; either “in union with Him” or “as incorporated in Him.” This indicates that Christ is the sphere circumscribing the entire life of the believer.

b. O’Brien, to walk is to “continue to live”.

c. Moo states that this expression in the present tense is an exhortation for the Colossians to “stay where they are!” Let Christ [and not the world] establish your values, guide your thinking, and direct your conduct.

· It is not uncommon for people to have misconceptions about the Christian life. Receiving Jesus Christ as Lord is not merely a check on a list before one dies; but a call to lose one’s life for His sake. It is a full and final submission. There is, for the Christian, no other authority to which he can now submit after receiving Christ without being is cognitive rebellion.

· One thing could be mentioned here. Christ is not the Lord because people receive him as such. If all were to rebel against him, this would not lessen his lordship. All men will one day bow (Rom 14:11). We must not play his patience and longsuffering against him. His waiting to impose himself on all finally does not diminish his strength, but rather heightens it! We have all sinned and denied His lordship. That is why the flip-side of the coin of faith is repentance. Once embracing His lordship we are never again to reject it! We do not go back to our former lives – having received him we are to “continue to live in Him.” We all formerly submitted to other authorities. We obeyed them; and found ourselves in quite a predicament in doing so! We all, at one time, trusted in some other controlling “power” or “authority” in the universe. For some of us, we were that providential governor – and others look(ed) to fate, the stars, mother nature, or other random powers. Trusting in them often caused much stress and anxiety and thus called for abandonment in preference to another. And we all, at one time, were motivated by individualistic, near-sighted, self-love. We desired no help, lived for no one, and loved no other. Talk about disaster! The Lordship of Christ brings redemption to all of these casualties! Because he is authoritative and in control of all things, we can now “trust and obey” for there is no better way. This should be comforting. And because he is Immanuel (God with us – by His Holy Spirit), we have the renewing power and presence to bring forth peace, love, patience, joy and the like (Gal 5).

· Christ is not needed as a one-time remedy; but as a life long from which we must continually draw. He alone is sufficient for this. He alone is the living water – a source that is never dried up. It is contrary to the nature of all living things to be once made alive and then be completely self-sustaining. All life is ultimately dependent on THE life-giver. When we take a moment to reflect on our utter dependence on others, and ultimately on God, we stand confounded and amazed that all of the resources needed to sustain our lives are readily available to us.

· “IN HIM” is a loaded phrase and very much related to what has been said before. Though he is over all (1:15-20), we are in Him. Our new union with Christ, which is our life in Him, demands that we see all of life through the lens of his Lordship. There is now, for the believer, no random particle, action, or thought in the entire universe that is independent Jesus Christ. As Lord over all creation – and over the entire Church – Christ, sits (at the right hand of God) in control, with ultimate authority; all the while, by His Spirit, he is intimately “with us.”