Rooted and built up in him
By these metaphors, the apostle expresses the safe and happy
state of these believers; and which he makes use of as arguments,
to engage them to walk on in Christ, and as pointing out the
manner in which they should. Believers are sometimes compared to
trees, and are trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord;
and their root is Christ, from whence as such they spring, and by
whom they are filled with the fruits of righteousness; in him
they are to abide, keep close unto him, and walk in him; deriving
all their life, nourishment, fruitfulness, grace, and
perseverance in it, from him as their root: they are also
sometimes compared to a building, to an house, a temple, an
habitation for God; and Christ is the sure and only foundation on
which they are laid, and where they are safe and secure; and,
being fitly joined together, grow up as an holy temple to the
Lord; and this being their case, they are to go on laying the
whole stress of their salvation on him, building their faith and
hope of eternal glory entirely upon him; and building up one
another also on their most holy faith, of which he is the
substance, as it follows:
and stablished in the faith:
that of Christ, or in the doctrine of faith which respects
Christ: the apostle here expresses the same thing without a
figure, which he had signified by the two foregoing metaphors,
and explains what he means by them; namely, that they were well
settled and grounded in their faith in Christ, and thoroughly
instructed and established in the doctrines of the Gospel; and a
very good thing it is to have the heart established with grace,
both as a principle and a doctrine; which is God's work, and was
the happy case of these persons; wherefore it became them to act
as such, and not be like children tossed to and fro with every
wind of doctrine, or carried about with divers and strange
doctrines, but abide by those which had been preached to them by
the faithful ministers of Christ, and they had received: as
ye have been taught:
by Epaphras their minister, and others; and therefore should not
listen to false teachers, and to a contrary doctrine taught by
them; considering of whom they had learnt the true doctrine, what
evidence it carried with it, and what use it had been of to them,
in convincing, converting, comforting, instructing, and
establishing them: and therefore should be
abounding therein with thanksgiving;
that is, in the faith; as in the grace, so in the doctrine of
faith; for as saints are to abound in the work of the Lord, and
in every good work, and in the exercise of every grace, so in the
knowledge of truth; see ( 2
Corinthians 8:7 ) ; and to make use of all means for the
increase of, and growth in Gospel grace and light, and the
knowledge of a crucified Christ, which is meant by abounding: for
all which there is great reason for thanksgiving; both for the
unspeakable gift of Christ, who is received as such by faith, and
in whom believers are rooted and built up; and for faith itself,
which is the gift of God; and also for the Gospel, and the truths
of it; and for every degree of spiritual light in it, and
knowledge of it.