RESURRECTION LIFE PICTURED IN BAPTISM

Rom. 6:4

Morning Meditations 6/18/17

Yesterday we considered Romans 6:4 and its symbolism of our identification with Christ in His death and resurrection. Today I want to look further into our identification with Him in death and resurrection.

This is not an easy subject to deal with. Probably because it deals with facts as God sees them and His appeal to us is on the basis of faith. He says it, we be believe it. The thing that makes this sixth chapter of Romans difficult for me is that much of what is being said does not seem to harmonize with my personal experience. When I trust Him completely and say, “Ok, I died with Christ and I was raised with Him, I died when He died, I was raised when He was raised,. I still have problems and dead people are not supposed to have problems with these things. Now Lord you tell me, “For he that is dead is freed from sin,” (6:7) but why do I still sin. Why do I even want to sin. I thought my “want to” died with me when I died with Christ. I thought when I was raised with Him I got a new “want to” that would never be subjected to the lusts of the old adamic life?

What is true? My death with Christ that frees me from sin? Or, sin that still dwells in the same body with me? Is this just the power of positive thinking or is this a real faith life that is free from sin but just does not seem like it?

Well you have to admit those are some good questions. And I may not answer them to your satisfaction or mine. But I will attempt. There is a new world of reality for us that begins with resurrection life. That resurrection life begins the moment we are saved and it is symbolized by our baptism. Our walk now that we are saved is to be in the newness of life or resurrection life.

Resurrection life in a sense does not have a past.. It has a beginning that took place at the point of the new birth. Our bodies do have a past. We still live in the same bodies we lived in before the new beginning. So the Old Sin Nature that was a part of the body before I was saved still exists. I live in my resurrection life in Christ in the same body. But I am not my body. I am a spiritual man now that I have been saved. I am a spiritual man and am one with the Lord. I must identify, now that I am saved, with the spiritual man. If I say when I sin, “That is me,” then I am denying my new life in Christ and identifying with the old man. Now I know that this does not seem to coinside with my perception of the facts. I believe this is what Paul was saying in Romans 7:16-17: “If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Paul recognized “sin that dwelleth in me” as the cause for doing wrong.” He said “It is no longer I that do it.” That has give good and godly writers problems over the years. I know I won’t straighten that out in this article.

The fact is that I am operating on the basis of a new principle altogether now that I share the resurrection life of Jesus. In the new life in Christ I operate by faith in God’s truth as He declares it. What God says is true is true. I am dead and my life is hid with Christ in God (Col 3:3). I am alive and the new life has been freed from sin (6:7). What verse in the Bible harmonizes with this statement? Romans 4:8 says, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” Now I am not teaching antinominism. It is not ok to sin. We do still have to deal with sin and we are still responsible and John deals with this in First John chapter 1 verses 8-10.

My understand of this principle is that as we stand before God our new man does not sin. What we are in Christ is without fault before God (Col 1:22). Our new life is freed from sin (Rom 6:7) by His death. What He is we are in this world right now (1John 4:17). But we are still in the same body with “sin that dwellth in us” (Rom 6:17,20). When the body sins, it is because we have yielded to it instead of to God. That sin must be confessed and the moment it is we are forgiven. So we as Christians have a constant reminder that if salvation were not by Grace we would never be saved. If a Christian cannot correct this principle of sin that operates in the body after he is saved, then how could he ever be saved apart from the death of Jesus for him on the Cross.

Why do we need to confess sin and deal with it at the cross. Because we have been set free from the dominion of sin. We do not have to sin. So, when we sin, it is because we have yielded to “sin that dwelleth” in us. We must take responsiblity for it and be honest with God about it.. That is what “Walking in the light” means. There must be and openness between us an God. We are forever reminded that the Cross is essential. Even after we are saved, we must constantly qpply the blood of Christ by faith to our fellowship with the Father: Hewrews 10:19: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,” Why boldness? Because my worship is mixed with leaven. I must continually acknowledge my need of His blood. When I think on that, it takes boldness to continue my approach to God. On my part I sense my unworthiness. But on the ground of His blood by faith I know that I am accepted in the Sinless One.

May the Lord bless this words to your heart.

In Christ

Earl White, Gal 2:20