Chapter CONTEXT from MHCC: The apostle expresses his love to, and joy in believers. (1-7) He cautions against the errors of heathen philosophy; also against Jewish traditions and rites which had been fulfilled in Christ. (8-17) Against worshipping angels; and against legal ordinances. (18-23)
I used the following quote from the Price of Preachers to illustrate the point that if we have no reason to complain, we should have every reason to be thankful.
Matthew Henry Comments on our text as follows:
A sovereign antidote against seducers (v. 6, 7): As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in him, rooted and built up, etc. Here note, 1. All Christians have, in the profession at least, received Jesus Christ the Lord, received him as Christ, the great prophet of the church, anointed by God to reveal his will; as Jesus the great high priest, and Saviour from sin and wrath, by the expiatory sacrifice of himself; and as Lord, or sovereign and king, whom we are to obey and be subject to.—Received him, consented to him, taken him for ours in every relation and every capacity, and for all the purposes and uses of them. 2. The great concern of those who have received Christ is to walk in him—to make their practices conformable to their principles and their conversation agreeable to their engagements. As we have received Christ, or consented to be his, so we must walk with him in our daily course and keep up our communion with him. 3. The more closely we walk with Christ the more we are rooted and established in the faith. A good conversation is the best establishment of a good faith. If we walk in him, we shall be rooted in him; and the more firmly we are rooted in him the more closely we shall walk in him: Rooted and built up. Observe, We cannot be built up in Christ, unless we be first rooted in him. We must be united to him by a lively faith, and heartily consent to his covenant, and then we shall grow up in him in all things.—As you have been taught—”according to the rule of the Christian doctrine, in which you have been instructed.” Observe, A good education has a good influence upon our establishment. We must be established in the faith, as we have been taught, abounding therein. Observe, Being established in the faith, we must abound therein, and improve in it more and more; and this with thanksgiving. The way to have the benefit and comfort of God’s grace is to be much in giving thanks for it. We must join thanksgiving to all our improvements, and be sensible of the mercy of all our privileges and attainments.
We at FSMandFSMWO are thankful for all our readers and so much of God’s bountiful Grace.
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Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach 