“rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
When we walk daily by the same kind of faith we came to know Christ (verse 6), our spiritual lives will strengthen and mature in the faith. A walk with God establishes a sound faith. Verse seven gives the basis for a strong faith.
and built up in Him
The second statement about how God strengthens our faith is we are “being built up in Him.” The Greek word for “built up” means to build a house upon an existing location, emphasizing the process. The first synonym for strength in this verse was “rooted,” now the second is “built up.” As we grow in Christ, God makes us better able to live the Christian life by constructing our soul like a building on the foundation of faith.
Thus, “built up” is the metaphor of constructing a building on an existing foundation, the foundation of our salvation. Its foundations go deep into the ground and sit on firm footings; it is profoundly “rooted” in Christ and his work. A mature Christian has the solid foundation of security of salvation in Christ. The foundation is eternal security in Jesus Christ. Well-built buildings can withstand great earthquakes. When the Christian faces storms and earth-shattering adversity, he stands firm; he stands firm because he possesses eternal salvation in Christ. Christ himself is the binding force for the formation of solid faith.
The tense of the verb “built up” carries the idea of ongoing. The building process for the Christian is a process that continues throughout his days until he meets Jesus in eternity. A Christian edifice must be built block by block until God erects an edification construct in his soul.
Jude 20 says that we build strength into our lives by what we believe,” But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
In Acts 20:32 and this verse, “built up” means to build strength into the Christian life, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” The grace-oriented Word of God will build us into God’s design for us, a substantial edifice of the soul.
God strengthens churches as well as individuals. Acts 9:31 uses “built up” for churches, “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”
PRINCIPLE:
When the process of becoming strong in Christ reaches a point of stability, the Christian becomes spiritually mature.
APPLICATION:
Not only do Christians need to grow deep and root their salvation solidly in Christ, but we need to grow up as well. It is essential to erect an edification construct of the soul on the solid foundation of eternal security in Christ. After a person comes to Christ, there must be development and progress until that individual becomes strong. We erect buildings brick by brick and require an architect, plans, materials, and workers. This erection of a building is the picture of a Christian who is in the process of growing up spiritually, but there must come a time when the installation is complete when the believer reaches the point of maturity in Christ.
