You can listen to the full audio here: Lives Hidden With Christ - Rooted

We continue our series in Colossians by looking at Colossians 2:6-8:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world, rather than on Christ.

Here, Paul gets to the heart of why he wrote this letter. The church was wrestling with what he calls “empty philosophies” rooted in “human traditions” and the “elemental spiritual forces of this world”—ideas that were beginning to capture their attention and pull them away from Christ.

Beyond the Basics: Human Tradition vs. Christ’s Way

A key part of this passage is the phrase translated by the NIV as “elemental spiritual forces.” While there’s debate on its exact meaning, I believe the context suggests a translation closer to the “basic principles of this world” or the “elementary principles of this world."

This fits perfectly when connected to “human traditions.” Paul is essentially saying: Don’t get caught up in empty philosophies of human traditions and the basic, commonsense principles of the world.

The world operates on its own basic foundation—a sort of “one plus one equals two” mentality rooted in traditional ways of human thought. But when we follow Jesus, we move past the basics. We adopt a fundamentally different, upside-down view of the world.

The Basic Principle of “An Eye for an Eye”

To understand what Paul means by moving past the world’s basic principles, consider this story I heard from a missionary whose husband was killed by terrorists.

Days after her husband was murdered, she publicly stated her forgiveness for the terrorists. Years later, while serving in a prison in the same country, she came face-to-face with the man who had killed the father of her four children. What would she do?

A few years after that, her grown son had the opportunity to meet this same murderer. The jailers left the six-foot-four son alone in a small room with the man who killed his father in cold blood.

The elementary principles of this world say “an eye for an eye.” They demand pain, revenge, and justice as the world defines it. But the follower of Jesus is called to a different way.

When this mother came face-to-face with the murderer, she forgave him. When her son met his father’s killer, he forgave him. As the missionary put it, she “walked out of that place as though a giant ball and chain had been left behind.”

This is not human tradition. This is not the world’s basic principle. This is the way of Christ, who, being unjustly crucified, looked out and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Three Metaphors for a Transformed Life

To be able to forgive that kind of evil requires being rooted, built up, and strengthened in a way that is distinctly Christian—seeing the world through the lens of grace. Paul gives us three powerful metaphors for what this life looks like:

1. Rooted (Agricultural Metaphor): Your faith is like a plant whose roots have gone deep into the soil, drawing nutrients that allow it to withstand any storm. You are not easily uprooted by the world’s shifting cultural winds or pressures.

2. Built Up (Architectural Metaphor): Your life is built upon a firm foundation—one that won’t give way under heavy pressure or erosion. Christ is your solid ground; your faith will not shatter.

3. Strengthened (Legal Metaphor): The Greek word here suggests being validated or confirmed, like a contract that is absolutely sure and cannot be broken. Your faith is not a fragile hope, but a sure and validated bond you can fully trust.

Notice Paul follows these three powerful images—from the garden, to the foundation, to the courthouse—with one essential overflow: “overflowing with thankfulness."

The Wellspring of Gratitude

All of these—being rooted, built upon, and strengthened—flow out of a deep sense of gratitude for what Christ has done.

Paul brings us back to the beginning of the passage: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him."

Think about that moment you first came to faith. You were keenly aware of God’s overwhelming, amazing grace and mercy. There was awe, joy, and gratitude. Over time, that sense of awe can fade. We get caught up in “church stuff,” culture wars, or politics, and we lose the central truth: we are unworthy, yet Christ lived, died, and rose again so that we might be brought into his presence.

Paul is calling us to maintain that initial sense of wonder. To do this, we must continually go back to the source—to Jesus. We need to put on the “Christ lenses” by immersing ourselves in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

He saw the world differently: the super-religious who had it all together were “whitewashed tombs,” while the broken and messed up were closer to the Kingdom of God. He saw the world through grace, mercy, and compassion.

This is how we move beyond “an eye for an eye” and other basic human traditions. The way of Jesus says, “We play in a pool of grace. We forgive them for they know not what they do."

This is what it looks like to have a faith that is rooted, built upon, and validated in Christ—a life lived out of an overflowing sense of gratitude for his transforming work.