Colossians‬ ‭2:6‬ ‭

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” – Colossians‬ ‭2:6‬ ‭

Paul admonishes the Christians living in Colossae to walk in the LORD Jesus Christ just as they had received Him. What’s interesting is that these Colossian believers had never met Paul in person. They had heard the gospel and were likely taught by a man named Epaphras, who later spoke to Paul about the concerns within the church at Colossae.

For us to understand Paul’s words, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord,” we must be honest, transparent, and take a moment for reflection. Whether you have been with the Lord for many years, for a short time, or even since yesterday—did you fully understand the gospel when you first received the Lord Jesus? Did we truly understand the depth of the gospel of Jesus Christ at the beginning? We don’t! because receiving the LORD Jesus Christ is only the beginning.

Before I was baptized, someone sat with me and explained the gospel and what the LORD Jesus had done. But because this was my first time hearing and learning about the Kingdom of God and His goodnews through our LORD Jesus Christ, much of it was hard for me to understand. The Word of God tells us that sin separates us from God, and that separation made us strangers to Him and unfamiliar with His ways.

When we first respond to God’s call, we do not understand everything, and that is normal. There is nothing wrong with not knowing, because the truth is that we have been separated from God for generations. Darkness was all we knew. That is why sin came naturally to us. All we knew was how to sin, and we could not stop ourselves from doing it. Sin was our way of life. Then, when we received the LORD Jesus, everything felt unfamiliar and new. Because we did not yet have the Word of God to teach us who God is—His nature, His ways, what He loves, and what He does not love. 

In our condition of being separated from God, we could not truly understand the things of God. At the beginning of our faith, what we most needed was the truth that Jesus loves us, He died for our sins, and through Him we can enter heaven. This foundational understanding is not shallow; it is exactly what we need at that stage of our faith. Only the love of God gives us the courage and strength to step out of darkness. The first step for all of us is to leave that darkness and receive the LORD Jesus Christ.

The believers in Colossae were not mature Christians; they were new believers. Even Paul himself was once a new believer, though he was ahead of them in learning, teaching, and walking with the LORD Jesus. Also, God had a greater purpose for Paul’s life, as He gave him wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to preach the gospel and to care for the churches.

Consider Paul’s background. He was raised in Israel and was a Pharisee. This means he grew up learning about God and studying the Scriptures. Yet even with all that knowledge, Paul could not truly discern who God was until the LORD Jesus encountered him on the road to Damascus. His life shows us that even they who think they have knowledge about the Word of God are all alienated from God unless God Himself reveals the truth to us.

This is why Paul prayed for the Colossians: saying, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9). Paul was asking God to give the Colossians understanding, because that is exactly what God did for him. Only God can reveal Himself to us. As Jesus said, “I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). When God gives us understanding of who He is and of His Word, then we are able to ... walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;” (Colossians‬ ‭1:9-11‬)

Paul understood that what a new believer needs most is God Himself. He also knew that no one can truly understand spiritual things unless God gives them an understanding. As it is written, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:13–14). Anything about God and His truth can only be taught by the Holy Spirit. That is why we need to receive the Holy Spirit. Only He can give us true understanding about God, not human wisdom. A natural person cannot understand the things of God, because spiritual things must be spiritually discerned. This helps us understand why walking with Jesus is so important. If we want to know God more deeply and understand His Word, we must walk with Jesus.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He walked with His disciples who were struggling to believe that He had risen from the dead. As they walked together, He explained the Scriptures to them, beginning with Moses and the Prophets, and showed how all the Scriptures pointed to Him (Luke 24:27). As Jesus was teaching them while walking, their hearts were stirred. As it is written, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). Salvation begins when we receive Christ, but transformation happens when we walk in Him. This is why walking with Jesus matters. This is where our knowledge increases, because He is the One who opens the Scriptures to us. He is the One who stirs our hearts, because His words are life, and His words that produce life begin to work in us. Transformation does not happen instantly at one moment but gradually, little by little.

The Word of God teaches us that we are not only called to believe in Jesus but also to follow Him. As it is written, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” Many Christians have believed for a long time, yet their lives remain the same because they do not walk with Jesus. As Scripture says, “You have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:20–21). This is the reason many Christians have been believers for a long time, yet their lives remain the same because they do not walk with Jesus.

Only through walking with Jesus do transformation and true life begin. Walking with Jesus brings us closer and deeper into fellowship with Him. As we walk with Him, He shares with us His heart, His thoughts, His will, His ways, and His nature. He teaches us what He loves and what He does not love. He reveals His Kingdom and His future plans. This close fellowship with Jesus is a beautiful and life-changing relationship. As our fellowship with Him deepens, our lives begin to change, and our purpose becomes clearer. Scripture says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We begin to talk like Jesus, think like Jesus, and love like Jesus. Through this walk, we become children of light. The Bible says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).