0.1 What is Rooted?

Rooted is a Bible Reading plan with a difference.  The “Rooted” approach is grounded in the presupposition that every book of the Bible was written with one purpose: to more deeply establish believers and churches in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we might be transformed more and more into His image. 

The theme verses of the Rooted series are Colossians 2:6-7: 

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” 

In these verses the Holy Spirit reminds us of two essential aspects of our Christian walk. First, we are pointed back to the moment of our conversion (“as you received Christ Jesus the Lord”). Earlier in Colossians 1:12-14, Paul’s prayed for the Colossians, referencing the great transference that occurred at that moment they came to faith: 

“[I am always] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” 

When we came to faith in Christ, we were transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. Before we walked even one day with Christ, we were completely forgiven of all of our sins. 

Yet the focus of these verses is not the past, but the present. 

Faith Walks 

Here’s the picture: our coming to Christ is like turning a key in the ignition of a car.  Before the key is turned, the car is dead. It won’t go anywhere.  But after the ignition is turned it is in the operator’s hands to go where he wills.  A person doesn’t start a car to go nowhere; he starts it to go somewhere.  

You’ve been turned on, Paul says, so walk with Christ.  In using the language of walking in Christ, Paul uses just about the most non-threatening language I can imagine about how to live the Christian life. He’s not trying to scare us away. He’s definitely not trying to lay a burden on us that is more than we can bear.  Just walk. No need to run, no need to hurry. You’ll get there. Just keep walking. Keep moving forward. One foot in front of the other. Always making progress. Together with Christ. That’s not so scary is it?  Some translations interpret the idea as “live” in Christ, and that’s appropriate too.  As I walk in him, no matter where Christ leads me, I live in Him for he is my life. 

Being Rooted

At some point as you are walking with Christ, it should become clear to yourself and others that you are established in your faith.  1 John 2:12-14 recognizes the stages of growth that believers may be in:

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.



Notice the progression here. The little children in the faith only know that their sins have been forgiven and that they are God’s kids.  And really, that’s quite enough isn’t it?  But as they walk, as they live, as they grow, they become young men - more mature, more established, having learned how to overcome the evil one’s influence in their lives.  John says that they are now strong, with God’s word abiding in them. To use Paul’s language in Colossians, they are “rooted” - established in their faith.  Now what is amazing about both of these passages is that to be established in the faith is quantifiable. It seems that there is a point that you reach in your walk with Christ where it can be said of you that you are “rooted”.

Being rooted in the faith is a lot like learning an instrument.  When you’re learning an instrument you practice, practice, practice.  People see you carrying your case and ask, “Oh, you play?”  “No, I’m just learning,” you reply, mortified that they may ask you to play for them.  But you keep on practicing and someday, sooner or later, guess what – you play. Now, if someone asks you, “do you play?” you say, “Yes, I do”.  You are now a guitar player.  Are you perfect?  No.  But you play.  No if I asked you – when did you become a piano player – you most likely have no idea.  You just practiced and kept at it and it slowly happened.  That’s how becoming rooted in your faith happens as well.

When you first come to Christ you may be a wreck.  You may get discouraged easily.  You may succumb to temptation easily.  You may experience doubt or disillusionment at times.  But you keep walking.  Step by step with Christ.  You keep praying, Lord help me.  Step by step.  And someday you may hear someone say, “That Lynda, she’s really strong in her faith,” and you say, “What?” but then you look at how far in Christ you walked and you realize that your times of doubt or failure or whatever seemed to have left you somewhere along the way.  And at that point you overflow abounding in thanksgiving, because you are seeing how much love Christ is pouring on you and how much work Christ is doing in you and you look up and realize how far you have come by his strength.  That’s where we are trying to get each of you.  To that point where you are strong.  Where you have overcome the evil one.  Where you have God’s word abiding in you so that you’re no longer driven by the whims of circumstance.