If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve probably asked yourself, How do I keep growing in my faith? Maybe you’ve experienced seasons of spiritual growth and seasons where you felt stuck, distracted, or even discouraged. In Colossians 2:6-8, Paul gives us a simple but powerful blueprint for spiritual growth. He reminds believers that the Christian life isn’t about chasing the latest trend, discovering a secret formula, or relying on human wisdom. Instead, growth happens when we stay close to Jesus, continue walking with Him, and allow our roots to grow deeper in Him.

Paul wrote this letter to the believers in Colossae after hearing about their faith through Epaphras, a trusted believer who had likely helped establish the church. While the Colossians had begun well, they were facing pressure from false teachers who claimed that faith in Christ alone was not enough. These teachers promoted a mixture of human philosophy, Jewish traditions, mystical experiences, and so-called secret spiritual knowledge. Their message was simple: Jesus was a good start, but believers needed something more. In response, Paul reminds them that everything we need for salvation, growth, and spiritual maturity is found in Christ. Paul wants the Colossian believers to have confidence and understanding so they won’t be deceived. That’s the backdrop for the powerful instructions we find in Colossians 2:6-8.

Paul begins in verse 6 telling the believers that they began in Christ; therefore, keep going in Christ. They had accepted Christ, but it doesn’t guarantee they will follow Him continually. Sometimes, the further we go in our walk with the Lord, the colder we grow and it’s easy to become apathetic. That’s why Paul encourages the people to be diligent to keep following Jesus, don’t get lazy or distracted or think there is need for something more than Jesus.

This is an important focal point for us because it’s possible to spend so much time working for Jesus that we neglect walking with Jesus. The same faith that brought us to Christ is the faith that sustains us. We never graduate from dependence on Him, yet it seems it is hard for us because there’s a constant temptation to substitute activity for intimacy with God:

• We prepare lessons
• We lead groups
• We answer messages
• We counsel hurting people
• We organize ministry or outreach events
• We serve faithfully

We are busy for the Lord, but we are not spending time alone with Him. If we continue to neglect our relationship with Jesus, our roots can become shallow if we’re drawing our strength from ministry success, affirmation from others, or sheer determination instead of Christ Himself. So the question to ask ourselves is: Are we spending more time serving Christ than we do with Christ?

We know we need to keep following Jesus, but what does this process look like? What do we need to do? Paul addresses this in verse 7, “Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Paul is using the picture of a tree. A healthy tree survives storms because its roots go deep into the soil. In the same way, Christians become spiritually stable when their lives are deeply connected to Christ.

To let your roots grow down into Him means making Jesus your Source of life, strength, identity, wisdom, and security rather than relying on yourself, your circumstances, or other people. So practically speaking, some ways you can “let your roots grow down into Him” by:

• Spending time in God’s Word (so that your thinking is shaped by His truth rather than the world’s opinions)
• Praying regularly and depending on Christ instead of trying to handle everything alone
• Obeying what God says even when it’s difficult
• Trusting Him during trials instead of abandoning your faith when life gets hard
• Staying connected to other believers who encourage your growth
• Finding your identity in Christ rather than in your achievements, failures, relationships, or possessions

Paul’s analogy of the tree is actually a great representation and example to study because a tree doesn’t grow deep roots overnight. The roots grow little by little. Likewise, growing deep in Christ happens through daily choices to trust, follow, and spend time with Him. You can see it in your life because you’ll notice that you panic less and pray more, you seek God’s wisdom before making decisions, Scripture comes to mind when you’re struggling, and your faith remains steady even when circumstances aren’t.

And letting your roots grow down into Christ isn’t all. Paul says in verse 7 to also let your life be built on Him. How do we do that? What does this look like? Let’s use the analogy of a house. Just as a house needs a solid foundation, your life needs a solid foundation. Christ isn’t just part of your life, He’s the foundation that everything else rests upon. When your life is built on Him, that means your decisions are built on what Jesus says, depending on Christ daily, and filtering your life’s storms through your faith. As a result, your identity comes from Him and not from anyone or anything else.

One way we can tell when a person builds their life on Christ is that they will keep growing in their knowledge of Him. The way to keep growing in one’s knowledge of Jesus is to abide in His Word. Reading His Word every day and spending time in prayer, asking the Lord to help this growth process will help you build your life on Christ instead of making ministry or service for the Lord the foundation. A life built on Christ will remain steady because its security was never in the ministry, people, numbers, or human success; its security was always in the Savior!

Consider this: If God removed your ministry or serving assignment tomorrow, would your sense of purpose and identity remain secure in Christ?

So, what happens when we continue walking with Christ, allow our roots to grow deep in Him, and build our lives on His truth? Paul doesn’t leave us wondering. He tells us exactly what the result will be, and it’s a beautiful picture of a healthy, growing faith. At the end of verse 7 he says, “Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught.” How does faith grow strong? By staying connected to Jesus, abiding in Him. But look at the specific way Paul says your faith will grow strong: “…in the truth you were taught.” This has contextual importance. Paul is trying to tell them that spiritual strength doesn’t come from chasing new ideas; it comes from staying rooted in the truth you already received about Christ.

As the Colossian believers continued trusting Christ, obeying Him, studying His Word, and living out the Gospel, their faith would become stable, mature, and resistant to deception. Think of it like the tree analogy that Paul shared earlier in Colossians 2. A tree doesn’t become stronger by constantly being transplanted to new soil. It becomes stronger by sending its roots deeper into the soil where it is planted. Paul wanted the Colossian believers to send their roots deeper into Christ and the truth of the Gospel so they wouldn’t be shaken by every new teaching that came along.

Spiritual strength comes from continually grounding ourselves in the same Gospel truths that saved us in the first place. But that’s not all because the rest of verse 7 says, “…and you will overflow with thankfulness.” This is amazing! Thankfulness is the natural result of spiritual growth. When you think about it, it makes sense. The deeper you grow in Christ, the more you realize what He has done for you, and gratitude naturally follows. Consider this for the Colossian church, who had been rescued from sin, forgiven, adopted into God’s family, and given eternal life through Christ. The more they understood these truths, and experienced Christ’s faithfulness in their daily lives, the more thankful they would become.

Thankfulness is a sign of spiritual maturity. People who are rooted in Christ tend to focus on what God has done for them. Whereas people who drift from Christ often focus on what they think they are lacking. We need to be careful that we don’t get so consumed with the next task, or the next event, or the next problem to solve, that we forget to pause and remember God’s faithfulness. Remember His calling on your life, and how He provided for you and has poured out His grace on you.

Why is it important that our faith grow stronger in the truth we were taught? And why is it important that we are overflowing with thankfulness because of that truth? Paul answers these questions in verse 8, “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” That phrase “capture you” literally carries the idea of being taken captive or carried off as plunder after a battle. Paul is telling these believers to be careful not to be taken captive by teachings that come from human thinking, or that depend on worldly principles, and that do not center on Christ.

The issue was avoiding anything that pulled believers away from the sufficiency of Christ. We may think that was just an issue in Paul’s day, but it’s also something we experience today. There are modern-day “high sounding” ideas that tempt Christians to look somewhere other than Christ for security, identity, wisdom, and fulfillment. Do any of these sound familiar?

• “Follow your heart” ideology
• Self-sufficiency and independence
• Finding identity in accomplishments (career success, education, marriage, motherhood)
• The pursuit of happiness above holiness
• Social media approval
• Materialism
• Relativism (the belief that everyone creates their own truth)
• New age spirituality (ideas that promise enlightenment, inner power, manifestation, or spiritual growth apart from Christ)
• Political saviors
• Cultural saviors
• Ministry success as validation

You may look at that list, as a seasoned believer, one who is mature in their walk with the Lord, and think those items listed are not applicable to you. You may confidently believe you won’t be carried away by false teaching. You may take pride in feeling adequately grounded in biblical doctrine. And all of that might be true of you, but you’re not invincible. You are still susceptible to being captured by false teaching if you are not careful. Consider David who fell into adultery and murder. Consider Solomon who was carried away by his wives into their false gods. The church at Ephesus was rebuked in Revelation 2 for leaving their first love. The church of Thyatira was rebuked in Revelation 2 for tolerating “Jezebel.” Revelation 2:20 says, “But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.”

What about us? Maybe it’s more knowledge, maybe it’s thinking “Jesus + _____”, or maybe it’s following our feelings, trusting too much in self, believing half-truths, or perhaps it’s pride. Where are you most tempted to look for something that only Jesus can give? Identify it, surrender it to Christ, and intentionally choose to deepen your roots in Him through His Word, prayer, and obedience.

The secret to spiritual growth isn’t hidden knowledge, a better formula, or adding something to Jesus. It’s continuing to walk with the same Savior who rescued you in the first place. As your roots grow deeper into Christ and your life is built on His unshakable foundation, your faith will become stronger, your gratitude will overflow, and you’ll be far less likely to be carried away by the empty promises of this world. Stay close to Jesus. Keep walking with Him. Keep growing in Him. Because everything you need for life, godliness, and lasting spiritual growth is found in Christ alone.