United With Jesus

Day 201: Romans 6:1-23

“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.” - Romans‬ ‭6:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

What kind of death do you want to die?

What kind of life do you want to live?

This chapter in Romans answers so many questions that we ask as we start to live this Christian life. The main one is: “How many sins can I commit and still be good to go for eternal life?”

Much of this confusion comes from a lack of knowledge about what is actually happening to us at our baptisms. When we are baptized, we aren’t performing an ancient rite of passage for believers. We are dying. We are resurrecting. We are joining in the act of Jesus during the first century when He was killed, buried, and raised.

Enslaved to sin?

That’s who we used to be. That person is dead and gone. We're new. We're set free. We don’t have to live a life according to our weaknesses or lusts. Jesus has given us a new life.

Our flesh still wants it, though. This is why it is so crucial for us to remember the day we confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, to remember the day we were buried and raised out of the waters of baptism. We are bound to forget. Jesus won’t let you forget as you stay focused on Him. We won’t let you forget either, as your Christian family.

This is not only our current status, but it will be our eternal experience as well.

"So he says, 'We were buried into his—i.e., Christ’s—death; that is, by the power of the Holy Spirit we were made to delve down deeply into the meaning of that marvelous death. In fact, so deeply did we, with heart and mind, bury ourselves into it that we began to see its glorious meaning for our lives. Therefore we reject and loathe the terrible wicked slogan, Let us continue to live in sin in order that grace may increase.'" - Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001) Romans (Vols. 12–13, p. 196)