“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7).

When Paul used the word walk, he was referring to lifestyle. The Christian walk is not just coming forward, raising a hand, or acknowledging a certain belief system—it’s a daily manner of life.

Part of Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, was that they would “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (1:10).

He used walk again in chapter 3: “Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them” (vv. 6-7). And again in chapter 4: “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time” (v. 5). That is, let your life be filled with wisdom—then live a wise life.

A lot of people start the Christian walk really well, but something happens: They stop coming to church. They stop reading their Bible. They stop hanging out with Christian friends. They had a good start, but they stopped.

Paul used the word in the present tense, denoting a continuation of activity, a present reality. If you want to have a successful Christian walk, keep moving forward. If you stop moving forward, you’ll start sliding backward.

Here's another warning: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (2:8).

Philosophy is simply the love of wisdom. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if you’re seeking wisdom in everything except Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:3), that’s idolatry.

Christ is the center, and in Him dwells the fullness of God (see 2:9). So if you have Him, you have all you need. “You are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (2:10).

Some people get caught up in legalism, thinking, “If I do this or that or keep myself from doing this or that, I'm more spiritual than everybody else.” This is righteousness by a checklist. You set the standard for your performance, whereby you consider yourself righteous. That’s where it’s deceiving, because Paul said He saved us “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy” (Titus 3:5).

I think the idea of receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord is a good description of someone becoming a Christian. No one actually accepts Jesus. The truth is, He’s the one doing the accepting. You're doing the receiving.

When you come to Christ, He works from the inside out, not the outside in. Outside-in is self-imposed religion—trying to work your way to heaven.

When you come to Christ, you become a “[partaker] of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). He gives you new desires and new appetites. He changes you from the inside out.

Religion is not the gospel. Religion is man-made. The gospel is God-given.

Salvation is a free gift. Christ says, “I'll dwell in you. I'll live in you. I'll walk with you. I'll help you.”

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