Week 13 - Saturday

A New Life

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, (Romans 6:4-5)

If you are a Christian, you were there with Christ when he died on the cross and you were with Him when He was raised from the dead also. You didn't just die some kind of symbolic death either and then come right back to life. You were dead long enough to be buried with Him. After Jesus died on the cross His body was placed in a tomb. (Matt. 27:57-60) Jesus was in that tomb for three days before he rose from the dead and every Christian was in there with Him. Right now you might be thinking, "But I don't remember ever dying or being in a tomb". The reason you don't remember is because it happened before you were born. However even though it happened before you were born, you were still there. But how can that be? Imagine that the moment you first put your faith in Christ, you were transported back in time by some divine miracle to participate in Jesus's death and resurrection.

Pretty incredible isn't it. A lot of people might find it hard to believe, but it's true. How do I know it's true? Because the Bible says so. If God's word says something happened, then I believe it happened. It's that simple.We live in a world bordered by time and space. God lives in eternity. The things God does are not restricted by time and space. When Jesus died on the cross, God took every person who would ever believe in Him and baptized (or submerged) them into Jesus. This means God poured every Christian into Jesus and they experienced death with Him. Consequently every Christian has literally died, been buried, and raised from the dead with Christ. Water baptism symbolizes this. When a person being baptized is plunged into the water it represents the fact that they have already died and been buried with Christ. When they come out of the water it represents that they have been raised from the dead with Him.

This is another reason why Christians cannot continue to live in sin. Not only have they died to sin, but they have also been raised to a new life. The result of Christ's death on the cross was that He was raised to a new life. Jesus wasn't raised from the dead in the same mortal body that He had before He died. He came back in a new glorified body. The reason that we have died and been raised with Him is so that we too might walk in newness of life. The word walk refers to how a person lives their life. Whenever God gives someone a new life, they become a new person also. They are no longer the same person they were before. They now have a new heart and they have God's Spirit living in them. The fact that they have a new heart and Spirit will show up in the way they live their life. It will be seen by the things they say and it will be seen by the things they do. We have not been given a new life so that we can continue to live like we used to. The reason that God has given us a new life is because He is going to make us just like Jesus. We have been united with Christ in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.

Readings for today: Col. 2:11-12; 2 Cor. 5:17; Ezek. 36:26-27; Eph. 4:22-24; 1 John 2:6; 2 Cor. 3:18