Now Walk in Him

 

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

—Colossians 2:6 NKJV

 

 

If we genuinely followed this verse, we would avoid many mistakes in our lives. Paul mentions that we ought to live our lives in the same manner we accepted Jesus as our Savior.

 

We received Jesus Christ by fully placing our faith in His grace. We had no holiness to offer Him. We had not fasted, prayed, or read the Word. We came just as we were—sinners in need of His forgiveness and grace.

 

Some believers, after accepting Christ by faith, feel that God's response to them is based on their actions. They think their blessings in this world depend on how well they adhere to His standards. Instead of trusting in the faith and righteousness that Jesus provides, they find themselves striving to prove their worthiness for God's love. This mindset can lead them away from the assurance of their right relationship with Him.

 

We have nothing to prove about our worthiness. Our worth comes solely from Christ. Attempting to demonstrate our worthiness to God is self-righteous and does not reveal the righteousness we have received through Christ. Just as we received Christ by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), we should continue to live our lives in the same way. This is the central message Paul communicated to the Galatians when they began to stray from the grace they had discovered in Christ.

 

"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh" (Galatians 3:1-3)?

 

We can never achieve perfection through our own actions. We did not receive Christ through our works. Having begun our journey through faith in Jesus, why do some believe that the value of their love for God lies in what they do for Him? The truth is, it is Christ's love that makes us worthy in God's eyes. However, faith without works is not true faith at all. We perform works for God because of what Christ has done for us, not to feel good about ourselves, looking to find a sense of peace and joy. We walk by faith in His gift of righteousness, knowing that we do not need to prove ourselves to God—Jesus has already demonstrated our worthiness, and He is our peace and joy. Understanding our righteousness in Him empowers us, and His grace fuels our journey. We love because He first loved us.

 

When you came to Christ for salvation, you did not earn it; instead, you placed your faith in what Jesus accomplished and received it as a gift. Colossians 2:6 states that we continue to receive from God in the same way. By putting our faith in Jesus, we continually receive His grace through that faith.

 

If we came to Christ for salvation through faith, why do we sometimes hesitate to approach Him for our other needs? Perhaps it's because we don't feel worthy of His love. Maybe we think that if we pray enough, fast enough, give enough, and do enough, God will respond to us.

 

We cannot do anything "enough" to move God to action. He has already addressed all of our needs through Jesus. We receive from Him through faith when we ask, knowing we will have what we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15). Jesus earned the salvation that we cannot achieve on our own, and this salvation includes the healing, deliverance, and provision that we are unable to obtain. We cannot earn what Christ has already accomplished for us. Instead, we receive from God when we know that in Christ alone we are worthy. Our faith should rest on what He has done, not on anything we do.

 

Why would we ever turn the grace we receive through faith into works to earn God's love? Our attempts may make us feel good about ourselves for a while, but eventually, they will make us feel empty. Only Jesus fills the void. It is the Holy Spirit who produces good works within us. When we have nothing to prove because we know in our hearts that Jesus has made us righteous and that we are worthy in God's eyes, we surrender, trusting in the grace of Jesus. The change within will be manifested in our lives.

 

Just as you have received Jesus Christ, your Lord, now walk in Him.

 

 

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