“For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”
Colossians 2:5-7 (NASB)
Faith is hard to describe in one or two words. Nevertheless, one of the best words to begin to describe faith is trust. Trust is the foundation of faith. For example, without trust in the character of a speaker it is impossible to believe what they say. Without trust in a system people will not willingly submit to that system. Trust in an outcome makes it much easier to do difficult things when confronted with adversity. During difficult times, trust in some authority is what keeps confidence up and prevents faltering.
In this passage the apostle Paul is pleased to see the Colossians focus on their faith. By focusing on Christ they have achieved stability and confidence. Notice the ways that Christ accommodates faith: He provides stability and discipline (vs 5); he gives the ability to firmly walk on stable ground (vs 6); he is a firm root and provides a foundation so faith can be built up (vs 7). Each of these things builds trust in other areas of our life. Stability and discipline foster trust in the family. Stable ground gives us the confidence to move quickly and without fear of falling. A firm foundation and structure allows us to trust that our house will not collapse on top of us.
We can have confidence, or trust, in our faith because our faith is in Christ. We know without doubting that the teachings of the Bible are dependable. Finally, we will be overflowing with gratitude. We are grateful because we know what it is to be lost. In the flesh there is no stability and certainly nothing to trust (Ph 3:4; I Ti 6:17-19). We know what it means to be abused and buffeted in the world without hope. We are no longer like them; instead we have confidence in our salvation because of the one who has promised. Our salvation is more than enough reason to rejoice.