Colossians 2:6 tells believers that the way they began their life with Christ is the way they should keep living it. Paul is saying that the same Jesus who was received by faith is the one to be followed day by day, with a life that grows out of that first step. Paul wrote this letter to the church in Colossae, a city in what is now western Turkey, to Christians he had never personally visited but whom he loved and wanted to strengthen against false teaching.
As therefore you received Christ Jesus, the Lord, walk in him…
Colossians 2:6 (WEB)
What Colossians 2:6 Means
The verse begins with “as therefore you received,” which points backward. Paul is reminding the Colossians of something they already experienced: they accepted Christ Jesus as Lord. Nothing about their standing with God depended on a long process of earning or proving themselves. They took hold of Christ, and that was the real beginning.
The second part, “walk in him,” shifts to the present and the everyday. The word “walk” is an old way of describing how a person conducts daily life, the choices, habits and attitudes that shape a whole pattern of living. Paul is saying that the relationship that started with faith should now shape the ordinary rhythm of their days, so that Christ is not just the entry point but the place where they live.
The verse does not promise that the walk will be easy or that doubts will never come. It does not describe a formula that guarantees spiritual progress on a schedule. What it does give is a clear direction: stay connected to the Lord you have already trusted, and let that connection set the course of your life.
The Context of Colossians 2:6
Colossians was traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul, written while he was in prison, and it was sent to a congregation that Paul had not founded himself. Some believers there were being pressured by teachers who promoted a mix of philosophy, ritual rules and claims to special spiritual knowledge. Paul’s answer is to point them back to Christ, in whom, as verse 3 says, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
Just before verse 6, Paul warns that no one should deceive them with persuasive speech, and just after it, in verse 8, he cautions them not to be carried off by empty philosophy and human tradition. Read in that setting, verse 6 is not a general call to be a good person. It is a specific instruction to hold firmly to the Christ they first received, so that they are not pulled away by teachings that sound impressive but lead away from him.
Key Phrases in Colossians 2:6
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, that no one would boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
(WEB)
This passage describes how believers are saved by grace through faith and then created for good works. It helps explain why Paul in Colossians can say that the walk should follow the initial reception of Christ, since the new life is a gift that is meant to be lived out.
Galatians 5:25
If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.
(WEB)
Paul uses the image of walking in the Spirit to describe the daily shape of a believer’s life. It sits close to Colossians 2:6 by showing that the walk is guided by the one who first brought new life, keeping the ongoing journey tied to the initial faith.
A Short Prayer From Colossians 2:6
Lord Jesus, you are the one I first received by faith, and I thank you for making a way for me to know you. Help me not to drift from you as the days go by. Teach me to walk in you in the ordinary moments, in the choices I make, the words I speak and the worries I carry. Keep my heart rooted in the truth I have already been given, and let my life grow from that foundation. Amen.
