Crucified, Buried, and Risen With Christ In Order To Walk in Newness of Life

In light of this glorious resurrection of Christ Jesus that we trust in for past regeneration, present justification, and hope in for future glorification, how does it now effect us? How does it apply to us? What effects come from our faith in this resurrection of Jesus? How shall we now live in light of this truth?

Chiefly, the greatest effect of believing in the resurrection of Christ Jesus and God’s promise to therefore resurrect us in light of that belief, is that we “might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

How does this happen? If we were baptized by faith into Christ Jesus, then, as Romans 6:1-4 says, we “were baptized into his death”. Which means we were also “buried therefore with him”. How? The text says “by baptism into his death”. This means that when Christ was crucified, we were crucified with Him like Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

So what does this mean? This means that through our faith, we were there at Calvary 2000 years ago. When Christ was crucified, we were too, that is our flesh. When he died, we died with Him and so did our sin. When He was buried, we were too through our baptism into Him by faith.

But thank God we are not left there dead and in the grave, when we deserved to be. No! God rose Christ from death, defeating the grave and conquering the enemy, graciously raising us with Him through our faith. But why? Why were we crucified and buried with Christ into His death and burial through our faith in Him? Why was our crucifixion and burial and death also necessary?

The text tells us: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Just like the old saying: He died that we might live! But now we are required to dig deeper into that truth with this: He died that we might die that He might live that we might live! His death —> our death (flesh). His burial —> our burial (through baptism). His resurrection and life —> our newness of life.

Now the question is, what does “walk in newness of life” really mean? Does it just mean we are now able to do spiritual things or think spiritually or simply just call ourselves “Christians”?

Again, the text tells us:

Romans 6:1-4 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

That’s our death from being crucified with Jesus!

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

That’s our baptism into His death through our faith.

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

That’s our resurrection with Him.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self [1] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free [2] from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

That’s a Gospel Truth in action right there! Since our old self was crucified with Him so that our body of sin might be made rubbish, so that we are no longer the slaves of sin, therefore we are set free from sin. And if we have indeed died with Him, we will also live with Him. Since He died to sin and now lives to God, so we also must realized we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

What is Paul telling us then as the reason as to why we had to be crucified, buried, and risen with Christ by faith in His death, burial, and resurrection? The answer is simple: to seek, kill, and destroy our sin! To stop living in our sin! That’s why we were crucified with Christ, so that “we may walk in newness of life”. That’s what it means. Because we are new: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. [6] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). To no longer live enslaved to sin obeying the lust of our flesh and indulging in fleshly things. Now that we have been given new life through Christ’s resurrection by our faith, we can and will now live for Christ and obey Him.

So ultimately our old self, our flesh, died with Christ at the cross. Then our old self was buried with Him through baptism by faith in His name. Then we were graciously given new life and the ability and desire to walk in this new life after His righteous grace and no longer after our sinful fleshly nature that wants to only sin and please sinfulness.

So the great effect of our resurrection with Christ by faith is that we no longer live a life of sin but are now dead to sin and alive to God, enabled to live unto righteousness obeying Him and pleasing Him.

Today’s Resurrection Quote from John Piper’s message, United with Christ in Death and Life, Part 1:

“If you are a Christian, God created a union between you and Christ, as verse 5 says. Because of this union, you died with Christ, when he died. Because you died, you are now free from the guilt and power of sin in your fullest and truest identity, that is, in your union with Christ. And because of this unshakable position and identity, you are already justified, and you are most certainly being sanctified, but you are not yet perfected. Therefore, confirm this great transaction by reckoning yourself to be what you really are in Christ.”

Today’s Resurrection Scripture: Romans 6:1-14

6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self [1] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free [2] from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.