Wednesday, Oct. 10

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If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.  The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.  - Romans 6:5-10

One Sunday evening in 1943, at the close of a Westminster Chapel service, a well-known preacher came up to Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones after he had finished preaching and asked him, “When are you going to preach a series on the Epistle to the Romans?”  Lloyd-Jones replied, “When I have really understood chapter 6.”  (BTW - Lloyd-Jones eventually went on to preach a series of sermons on Romans which lasted over 10 years!)

Like Jones, and many others, I have struggled to truly understand this chapter.  I have read books and commentaries, listened to sermons and lectures on it, but I always felt unsatisfied, like I was missing some deep truth that the Apostle Paul was saying.  I don’t want to suggest that I have it all perfectly figured out now, but I do think that the passage above is critical to understanding the heart of Paul’s message in this chapter.

The theme of this passage is our unity with Christ - this is the key to understanding what Paul is saying.  This spiritual union with Him is the key to experiencing His resurrection power at work in our lives!  The word for united is actually a horticultural word that means to be grafted in at the root.  In other words, this union we have with Jesus runs deep!

Paul says that we are united with Christ in two specific ways; in His death, and in His resurrection.  

What does it mean to be united with Christ in His death?
First of all, it means that His death is payment for our sin, and we need not fear condemnation for our past, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Secondly, it means that there is a complete severance between what we were under the reign of sin and death, our “old self”, and what we have become under the reign of grace to eternal life in Christ. We are not that person anymore!
Finally, it means that we have been set free from the power and effects of sin.  It might sound strange to connect death with freedom, but this is precisely what the Apostle Paul does when he says, we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin (Romans 6:6-7).

What does it mean to be united with Christ in His resurrection?
Some people say that this is just a reference to our resurrection bodies which will be with Christ in glory for eternity someday in the future.  What Paul is saying certainly includes this, but it is about so much more.  Our union with Christ means that His resurrection power is in us!  The same power that raised Jesus from the grave is at work in our hearts when we are united with Him by faith.  The promise that we will one day share completely in this victory gives us the power to overcome sin in our lives right now.  John Piper explains it this way,  “Sin can’t enslave a person who is utterly confident and sure and hope-filled in the infinite happiness of life with Christ in the future.”

Christ’s death and resurrection not only paid the penalty for our sin, but also provided the power that we need to overcome sin on a daily basis.  So, whenever you face the temptation to revert back to your old sinful patterns of acting or thinking, you must remember that that person is no longer you, your old self has been crucified with Christ, you are now a new creation in Him and His resurrection power is at work in your life!

Jeff Frazier