“Having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed” (Colossians 2:7).
Paul told the Colossians that they were rooted and established in faith. Again, the source of faith is the word of God (Romans 10:17). We are established as we follow what He has instructed us in His word.
Paul told the Ephesians that having the “unity of the faith” meant that they would not be “carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:13-14). Through faith we are able to stand firm.
Why is stability important? We will all face troubles in life that will produce turmoil and will try our faith. Having a stable faith helps us to endure the trials and temptations that will come. James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). Though the trials we face will test our faith, if we hold on to our faith, these trials will ultimately strengthen our faith and make us “complete.”
Later in the same chapter, James wrote, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). Besides the trials of life that we will all endure, we also face temptations to sin. These temptations are attacks from Satan. Our faith protects us (Ephesians 6:16) so that we can “resist him” (1 Peter 5:9). [More on this point in the next lesson.]
Without the right foundation, the trials of life will overwhelm us. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described one who built his house on a faulty foundation: “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall” (Matthew 7:26-27). Without the right foundation – hearing Christ’s words and obeying them – the hardships of life would be too much to handle.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained the meaning of the “rocky soil” as “those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13). Without a strong root – which involves being “established in [one’s] faith” (Colossians 2:7) – one will only follow Christ when it is convenient to do so. When the life of a Christian becomes difficult, he will fall away.
In contrast with these examples, we are to have faith which will give us a firm foundation. How does faith provide this type of foundation? Notice what Jesus said: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25). We must hear His word and obey it. This is the sign of a strong faith and will help us endure the trials of life.
Again, in the parable of the sower, Jesus explained that the “good soil” represented “the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:15). We must hold fast to His word and bear fruit in our service to Him. This will not only cause us to please Him, but will also help keep us from turning back to the world.
We can have stability in life by faith. That does not mean we will not face trials and turmoil in life, but our faith provides us with a solid foundation as we can look past the troubles of life to the reward that God has promised.
