Pastor John MacArthur once said, “No one sets out to become an apostate – it’s never the result of one abrupt, drastic turn away from the Lord. Instead, apostasy is most often the product of a pattern of sinful compromises that harden and gradually steer the professing believer away from the truth.”
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” (Colossians 2:6, NASB95)
A consistent, faithful walk is essential for the believer to continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. As a pastor, I am very concerned when people come to a place where they stop growing in their faith because they have begun to listen to the world and its views. The foundation of faith is first established in the “receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.” How does the believer receive Christ Jesus? Believing and receiving Jesus as Savior speaks of a spiritual event of being born again by the Spirit of God. The believer is placed in the Body of Christ and receives all the benefits of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, giving the believer forgiveness of sins and a new life. From that point, the believer becomes a Christ-follower who begins a daily journey walking in Him.
But what does Paul mean by “walk in Him.” Upon conversion, the believer is placed “in” the body of Christ to live as a Christ-follower while existing in this world under the Lordship of Jesus. There is a challenge for believers in this world because, as they grow in their faith, they are challenged in their thinking from the world they live in. There is a temptation to be conformed into the image of the world and fall back into our natural old man. Christ-followers must reject the teaching of false teachers and secular worldviews that lead you away from a life in Christ. There will be times when a believer wonders away. When that happens, the Christ-follower needs to go back to the beginning, how were you saved, what were you saved to, and what were you saved from? You are saved from death and saved unto eternal life.
May you enjoy a consistent, faithful walk with Jesus and grow in the grace and knowledge of Him.