“Therefore, as you have received Christ the Lord, so walk in Him,” (Colossians 2:6 ESV)
Matthew Henry has a great deal to say about this particular verse: “Received Him is to have consented to Him, taken Him for our in every relation and every capacity. The great concern of those who have receive Christ is to walk in Him. We must walk in Him in our daily course and keep up our communion with Him.”
Consent is a buzzword in our post-commitment culture. Since sex has been so casually extracted from marital boundaries and even committed relationships, ‘consent’ has become a consideration in every physical encounter. It’s become crucial to establish the participants’ initial and continued willingness to engage. The flimsy nature of the casual sexual encounter only adds to the uncertainty: the involved souls do not truly know each other and so much of intimacy is non-verbal. Perhaps that’s why the KJV utilizes the word ‘know’ to describe marital sex? Knowing is essential for maximum satisfaction.
Matthew Henry writes how we have given Christ consent. Before you blush too deeply; understand how we have received Him. We’ve invited Him into our heart, we’ve made Him Lord of our lives, we’ve asked His breath to fill our frames. This spiritual concept is so similar to the physical relationship between husband and wife; a complete uncovering and receiving.
As Christ followers, we surrender to His touch, trusting Him completely with our story. Consent is about allowing another into our most personal space. This is the kind of receiving that Apostle Paul writes of: complete and utter intimacy with Christ, allowing Him to reign in all the creases and folds of our frame, and remaining entwined as we walk with Him through life.
“In Him we live and breathe and have our being” (Acts 17:28 ESV)
Lord, give us the courage to consent to Your inhabitation. Take up permanent residency in our flesh. We want to live in ongoing response to Your leading. May our fellowship with You be unbroken in this life and the next. Amen.