Connect Romans 6:4 with Colossians 2:12 on baptism and new life. United Imagery: Burial and Resurrection Together • Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12 paint the same picture: baptism as a burial with Christ followed immediately by resurrection with Him. • In both verses, the movement is downward (burial) and then upward (raising), mirroring Jesus’ own journey from the tomb to life. • Scripture treats this as more than symbolism. God counts our old self dead and our new self alive in Christ—an objective spiritual reality that baptism visibly proclaims. What Burial with Christ Means • Romans 6:4: “We therefore were buried with Him through baptism into death.” • Colossians 2:12 echoes: “Having been buried with Him in baptism.” • Burial signals finality. Our former identity dominated by sin is decisively put away (Romans 6:6; Galatians 5:24). • Just as a body does not return from the grave on its own, we do not revive the rule of sin; it has lost its claim. Raised to Walk in Newness of Life • Romans 6:4 continues: “Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.” • Colossians 2:12: “You were also raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.” • Newness is both positional and practical: we are legally alive to God and now able to live differently (Ephesians 2:4-6). Faith Links Us to the Power of God • Colossians highlights the instrument: “through your faith.” Baptism is not a human work earning merit; it expresses and confirms reliance on God’s resurrection power (1 Peter 3:21). • The same “glory of the Father” that raised Jesus (Romans 6:4) energizes our daily obedience (Philippians 2:13). Living Out the New Life • Count yourself dead to sin, alive to God (Romans 6:11). • Present your members to God as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13). • Seek the things above where Christ is (Colossians 3:1-3). • Put off the old practices and put on the new self, renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator (Colossians 3:9-10). • Depend on the Spirit, who applies resurrection power to everyday choices (Romans 8:11-14). Scripture Echoes That Reinforce the Theme • 2 Corinthians 5:17—new creation in Christ. • Galatians 2:20—crucified with Christ, now Christ lives in me. • Ephesians 4:22-24—put off the old self, put on the new. • Titus 3:5—washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Key Takeaways • Baptism unites us with Christ’s death and resurrection; what happened to Him counts for us. • Burial with Christ severs the dominion of sin; resurrection with Christ empowers a transformed walk. • Faith receives what God accomplishes; baptism declares it publicly. • Daily Christian living flows out of this once-for-all union: we live resurrected lives now, grounded in the finished work of Jesus and animated by His Spirit. |
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