How does Romans 6:5 connect with Galatians 2:20 about living in Christ? Walking in Union with Christ Romans 6:5—United With Him in Death and Resurrection • “For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.” • Paul presents an accomplished fact: believers have already been grafted into Christ’s death. • The future tense regarding resurrection carries a double edge—pointing both to the future bodily resurrection and to new life already germinating now. • The word “united” pictures two lives grown together, inseparably intertwined. • Literal union with the crucified and risen Lord is the foundation for every command that follows in Romans 6. Galatians 2:20—Living Out the Union • “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” • Paul shifts from positional truth to personal testimony. • Crucifixion with Christ ends the old self’s dominion. • Ongoing earthly life becomes a vessel for Christ’s indwelling presence. • Faith serves as the moment-by-moment connector that lets Christ’s life flow through the believer. How the Two Passages Interlock • Romans 6:5 states the union; Galatians 2:20 shows the expression of that union. • Romans emphasizes corporate reality (“we have been united”); Galatians highlights individual application (“I have been crucified”). • Both declare that death with Christ precedes new life. The cross is not merely an example but an event that literally includes every believer. • Resurrection life is certain (Romans 6) and experiential now (Galatians 2), manifesting through faith. Additional Scripture Threads • Colossians 3:1-4—Believers raised with Christ are to set minds on things above. • Ephesians 2:5-6—God “made us alive with Christ” and “seated us with Him” in the heavenly realms. • 2 Corinthians 5:17—“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” • John 15:4-5—Abiding in the Vine describes the same shared life pictured in Romans 6 and Galatians 2. • Philippians 3:10—Paul longs “to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,” echoing both passages. Practical Implications for Daily Walk • Count on the factual union: temptation meets a self that has already died. • Offer every moment to the indwelling Christ: His resurrection power energizes obedience. • Live by faith, not feeling: trust the objective reality announced in Romans 6:5 and Galatians 2:20. • Reject self-reliance: spiritual growth flows from Christ within, not personal effort detached from Him. • Anticipate bodily resurrection: present holiness is a foretaste of future glory. Summary and Encouragement Romans 6:5 proclaims that believers are organically joined to the crucified and risen Christ; Galatians 2:20 describes the day-to-day experience of that same union. Death with Christ frees from sin’s rule, while life in Christ fills the believer with His own presence. Stand on the certainty of Romans, walk in the vitality of Galatians, and let the risen Lord live His life through you. |
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