It All Starts With The Root.
Colossians 1:6-7
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him,
and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught,
abounding therein with thanksgiving.
"Rooted" is a verb in the perfect passive tense which should be read as "having been rooted." In ancient Greek non-biblical writings "rooted" was used in two ways. In it's literal use it was an agricultural term that was used in relation to planting. In the figurative sense it was used to refer to the foundation of a building and/or the solid stance of a sportsman or soldier. The perfect passive tense tells us that we were not the instigator of the act of being rooted but instead we were the receiver of the action. Perfect passive is used to denote an action in the past that has ongoing results and effect. So to fully communicate the tense in English we could say: "Having been rooted in the past, we are now rooted and will always be rooted."
Psalms 1:3-4 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Please note that our rooting is not in education, secret knowledge, experience, religion or any other fleshly thing. We are rooted in Him. Any other root or foundation is on sinking sand:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
(by Edward Mote 1770s)
We are rooted in Him: The second chapter of Ephesians makes it clear that God was the one who initiated and carried out our rooting in Christ:
Ephesians 2:4-6: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"
God made us to sit. "Sit" is a position of rest. A position of stability. Rooted. We are rooted together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Again, we are not the one performing the action but it is God who caused us to sit IN Christ.
As Christians, "having been rooted" refers to our spiritual birth, or infilling of Holy Spirit and the ongoing outpouring that results from having been rooted. Colossians 1:27 states that we have Christ in us who is the root, the foundation and our solid stance. We did not plant ourselves or cause ourselves to be planted. Eph 2:8-10 tells us: "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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." The accuracy, precision and specificity of the original Word of God is amazing.
So, having a solid foundation that cannot be moved we are being progressively built up in Him. "Built up" is a verb in the present passive tense that should be read as "being built upon." It is present ongoing action but we are the receiver of the action. God is the actor. He acts through our brothers and sisters who are outpouring the Spirit on our behalf. When we interact with one another we are to build up, encourage and comfort one another in love. We all have the ministry of reconciliation.
Neil
