He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
–John 3:36
The primary evidence that you are a Christian is not your profession of faith; it is your obedience to God. Walking in Christ proves that you belong to Christ.
In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” And in John 3:36, He said, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (emphasis mine). If you believe in Christ, you’re going to have a desire to follow Christ.
The corollary of that is sobering: if your life is no different from that of the average non-Christian, then you may be in church every Sunday, but you are not in Christ Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul said, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” That doesn’t mean the change happens the minute you’re saved. But the process of sanctification–that is, becoming more like Christ–is always moving forward in a true believer’s life.
To illustrate the growth that should be occurring in our relationship with Christ, Paul used an illustration from agriculture: “Walk in Him, having been firmly rooted” (Colossians 2:6–7). The tense of “having been firmly rooted” denotes an action that was completed at a point in time. Paul was referring to salvation. You were saved at a point in time, just as a seed is planted at a point in time.
If Paul had written Colossians for his English class, he would have flunked for mixing metaphors. Notice his switch from agriculture to architecture: “Walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith” (vv. 6–7). The phrase “being built up” could be translated as “continuing to be built up.” Being planted in the faith is a once-for-all action; being built up in the faith is an ongoing construction project.
Several years ago, our church completed the construction of a brand-new campus. When we finished the foundation, we didn’t have a giant ribbon-cutting celebration. It was a milestone event, but it was simply the beginning of an even greater process. It is the same way in our Christian lives. So many Christians make salvation the end event in their spiritual lives. Yes, receiving Christ is a milestone event, but it’s just the beginning of your relationship with God. God’s plan for you is to be continually built up in the faith.
