Romans 6:1-4

Scripture Verse

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

One with Christ Jesus

I remember when I was working in the business world, I had colleagues whose success was heavily tied to that of a boss. The boss-employee relationship was so close, that it was almost inevitable that the employee’s trajectory within the company would mirror that of their boss’s – for good or for ill. Sometimes it worked in the employee’s favour to be so closely identified with their boss, sometimes it did not.

The Apostle Paul, in the first few verses of Romans 6, outlines a similar dynamic between the believer and Jesus Christ. In addressing the issue of God’s unlimited grace being used as a license to sin, Paul points out that since the believer has been united with Christ through their faith (signified by baptism), they will be united with him in his death, a death that produces ultimate victory over sin.  Through this spiritual death, Paul teaches, sin will no longer have the same control over the believer as before.

Thankfully, though, as we are reminded of on this Easter Sunday, our shared trajectory with Christ doesn’t end with his death.  Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so we will be raised from the dead, enabling us then, like Christ, to live a resurrected life, a “new life” (as Paul describes it) — one that witnesses to the power of the Spirit in us. What a blessing, indeed, to be reminded on this Easter Sunday that as believers we are united with Christ in his death, his resurrection, and the life he lived in communion with God.

Prayer:

God our Heavenly Father, with awe and thanksgiving we celebrate today the resurrection of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may we joyfully witness to the union we have with him, reflecting his image in our lives. In Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.