Death to Life
Christians are familiar with the concept of trying to live like Jesus. The whole purpose in calling ourselves “Christians” is to be affiliated with His person, His gospel, His hope, and His life. Often, we (or at least I) think about this through my daily decisions on things like how to reach people or the example I try to set around others.
We all want to love like Jesus, give like Jesus, and have compassion like Jesus. One thing we often don’t want to do is sacrifice like Jesus. However, if we want the blessings of Jesus, we need to consider how we can do this in our daily lives.
I was looking through material for my Wednesday night Bible class and something hit me anew.
[Sidenote: Don’t you love that about the Bible? You can read something over and over and yet find new insights and ways to understand more deeply!]
I was looking in the letter to the Roman Christians in chapter 6 where the gospel is summarized so beautifully in Verses 3-4: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” If you keep reading, you realize that, through that death is how Christ – and we – access the fruits of sanctification and eternal life! It is in sacrifice that we gain the most.
I love the words at the beginning of verse 19: “I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations.” God, through Paul, certainly knew I would need help understanding anything as magnificent as His grace and salvation! And yet, even I, with my limited mortal understanding of such things, can put the following 2 verses together (and go my way singing the second) as a way to remind of God’s continual saving grace and power:
Romans 6:10 “For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.”
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
