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Scripture Story Sketch Notes · Colossians 1–2

Rooted and
Built Up

“Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith.” Colossians 2:7

False ideas were tugging at the Saints in a small town called Colosse. Paul wrote to help them sink their roots deep into Jesus Christ, the Creator who holds all things together.

Start planting ↓ Read Colossians 2:6–10 first
Hand-drawn doodle map: a messenger carrying a letter into a green valley town, a person looking up at creation in wonder, a great tree holding up the sky, a person planting a sapling, a cut-away tree with deep roots reaching water, a family giving thanks under the tree, a gray scribble pulling at the tree while its roots hold, and the grown tree full of fruit.

Before you begin

The story in brief

Colosse was a small town in what is now Turkey. False ideas there were mixing Christian, Jewish and pagan beliefs, and some Saints were being pulled away. Paul wrote to remind them who Jesus Christ is: “by him were all things created,” and “by him all things consist,” or hold together.

Then Paul gave them a picture of strong faith: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” He warned them not to let “philosophy and vain deceit” carry them off, because “ye are complete in him.”

Who’s who

  • Paul: the Apostle, writing as a prisoner
  • The Colossian Saints: members in a small town in Asia
  • Jesus Christ: the Creator who holds all things together

Where and when

A letter from Paul to the Saints in Colosse.

Watch for the Savior

Watch where the roots go, and what keeps the tree standing.

Read it yourself: Colossians 2:6–10

Part 1 of 7

The growing, mapped

Eight stops from Paul’s letter to a tree full of fruit. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.

    Part 2 of 7

    The story, plainly

    Four scenes: the letter arrives, planting, deep roots and fruit. Look for the Savior in each one.

    Read it plainly

    The words that trip people up

    Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1

    1. Colossians 1:17“by him all things ”
    2. Colossians 2:7“ in the faith”
    3. Colossians 2:7“ therein with thanksgiving”
    4. Colossians 2:8“lest any man you”
    5. Colossians 2:8“”
    6. Colossians 2:8“the of the world”

    Part 3 of 7

    Look closer

    Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders or Church resources. Each card says which.

    0 of 9 turned

    Part 4 of 7

    Where are you?

    Dry ground, strong winds, still growing, or bearing fruit. Which feels most like you right now?

    Try it

    Grow your roots

    Paul gave four pictures of strong faith in one verse. Tap the things you’ll try this week and watch each one grow.

    “Nourish the roots, and the branches will grow.” Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

    Part 5 of 7

    Their world, their words

    A little background helps us picture Colosse and the ideas pulling at the Saints there. Outside sources are labeled.

    Church resource · Student manual

    Where Colosse was

    Colossae was “a site in modern-day Turkey.” Paul asked them to share the letter with nearby Laodicea.5

    A small town with a big letter.

    Church resource · Student manual

    Mixed-up teachings

    Local beliefs were “blending Christian, Jewish, and pagan ideas,” including “the worship of angels.”5

    Paul answered by pointing to Christ.

    Church resource · Student manual

    Christ above all

    Paul gave “an especially complete picture of the divinity and saving mission of Jesus Christ.”5

    Creator, Head of the Church, Redeemer.

    Church resource · Student manual

    Two beings

    Paul greets them from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” two distinct beings.5

    He knew the Father and the Son.

    Word study · Greek

    rhizoō ῥιζόω · “rooted” (Colossians 2:7)

    Bible Hub: “to cause to take root.”6 Outside · lexicon

    Paul’s word pictures roots taking hold deep in the ground.1

    Word study · Greek

    themelioō θεμελιόω · “grounded” (Colossians 1:23)

    Bible Hub: “to lay the foundation of.”7 Outside · lexicon

    Grounded means built on a laid foundation.2

    What the text does not say

    The story does not say roots grow overnight. Paul says to keep walking in Christ “as ye have been taught.” Like Alma’s seed, faith takes “great care” over time.13

    Part 6 of 7

    Look to Him

    He is the Creator, the One who holds all things together, and the soil our roots grow in.

    “Faith is strong when it has deep roots in personal experience, personal commitment to Jesus Christ.”

    Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf4
    “A vital part of that effort is making sure we are firmly rooted in Christ.”
    Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf4
    “A testimony is not something that you build once and it stands forever. It’s more like a tree that you nourish constantly.”
    Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf4
    “Nourish the roots, and the branches will grow. And in time, they will bear fruit.”
    Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf4

    Alma

    Nourish the tree

    “If ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience … it shall take root.” Alma 32:41

    Alma

    The sweetest fruit

    “By and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet.” Alma 32:42

    Part 7 of 7

    Seek Him today

    A question to ask in prayer

    What can I do to send my roots deeper into Jesus Christ? Colossians 2:7

    Ask Heavenly Father what part of your faith needs nourishing most right now. Then do one thing each day this week to water those roots.

    Try it today

    One root each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.

    0 of 7 today

    This week:0 of 7 days

    A quiet moment

    “By him all things consist.”

    Read Colossians 1:15–20 slowly. Think about how the Savior holds your life together. Thank Him for one thing He has kept steady for you. Colossians 1:15–20

    A verse to hold

    Talk about it

    1. What were the Saints in Colosse struggling with?
    2. Why do roots matter so much to a tree?
    3. What can you do to “nourish the roots” of your faith?
    4. How does being thankful help your faith grow?
    Open

    For adults and deeper study

    Go deeper

    Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
    Apostle

    Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Nourish the Roots, and the Branches Will Grow” (2024)

    Telling the roots from the branches, testimony as a tree you tend constantly, and being firmly rooted in Christ.4

    Read the talk →
    Church resource

    New Testament Student Manual: Philippians and Colossians

    The false teachings in Colossae and Paul’s complete picture of who Jesus Christ is.5

    Read the chapter →
    Scripture

    Alma 32: the seed and the tree

    Alma’s parable of planting the word, nourishing it with patience, and tasting its fruit.3

    Alma 32:28–43 →
    Scripture

    Colossians 1: Christ over all

    Paul’s witness of Christ as Creator and Redeemer, who made peace “through the blood of his cross.”2

    Colossians 1 →
    To ponder

    Harder questions

    • Why might Paul answer false teachings by describing who Jesus Christ is, instead of only arguing against the ideas?
    • Elder Uchtdorf warned against mistaking branches for roots. What are the roots of your faith?
    • How does gratitude help keep a testimony from drying out?

    Sources

    Every quotation, gloss, and piece of background on this page is listed here: scripture first, then Church sources, then outside scholarship (labeled).

    Scripture

    1. Colossians 2:6–10: “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith.”
    2. Colossians 1:15–23: “By him were all things created.”
    3. Alma 32:37–42: “Nourish it with great care, that it may get root.”

    Church leaders and Church resources

    1. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Nourish the Roots, and the Branches Will Grow”, general conference, October 2024.
    2. New Testament Student Manual, “Philippians and Colossians”, Gospel Library.

    Outside sources (labeled on the page)

    1. Strong’s 4492, rhizoō, Bible Hub lexicon.
    2. Strong’s 2311, themelioō, Bible Hub lexicon.

    Quotations checked against the linked pages on October 11, 2026. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version as published in the Gospel Library.

    “Rooted and built up in him”

    Water the roots. Everything good grows from Him. Colossians 2:7

    Back to this week: October 4–10 Earlier: Press Toward the Mark Next story: Breastplate of Faith and Love All New Testament Story Sketch Notes
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    Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The teachings are in Colossians 1–2; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.