Romans 6:4 – Therefore, we were buried with Him by baptism into death that just as Christ was raised up from the dead through the glory of the Father, in this way also we may walk in newness of life.
Before we can ever have a resurrection, there must first be a death. God in His great love for us experienced the sorrow of death so we could experience the joy and the glory of the Resurrection. Being buried is the certification of death, and surely the Resurrection is the surety of a miraculous and supernatural life. The first part of the Resurrection we receive is the spiritual resurrection, or the inward resurrection (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12, 3:1). We were raised up by the glory of the Father when the Spirit of God came upon us and made us a new creature and gave us a new heart and a new spirit and put His Spirit within us (2 Corinthians 5:17-18; Hebrews 10:15-16; Ezekiel 36:26-27).
When we were born from above, we were given a fresh new life. The Greek word used here, ‘kainoteti’, as used in combination with the kind of life Jesus had when He was raised from the dead, speaks of a new form of life. The life that was crucified with Christ and buried was entirely sinful; but the new one raised up together with Christ is to be entirely holy (Ephesians 2:1-5; 1 Peter 1:15-16, 2:5; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21; and Romans 6:22; 2 Peter 1:9-11; 1 John 3:6).
We now live the life of the Spirit, or the life of the Heavenly realm, instead of a carnal and earthly one (Ephesians 2:6, 1:3; Romans 8:5-9; Philippians 3:20; John 3:5-6). Through living this Heavenly life, we are guaranteed we will also have a physical resurrection one day. Whereas we were once separated from God because of sin, we are now separated (dead) from sin because of the life we have received in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:6,11,18, 22; 1 John 3:6; 2 Peter 1:9-11).
If we would only enjoy the full benefits of this life and allow the Holy Spirit to continually fill us with this realm, then we would be raptured into the Heavenly and not find it strange to be separate from the evil. We should give ourselves over completely to the ability to walk in this new sphere of life. If we take hold of everything God has said about us in His Word – and accept it as ours, then faith will take us into the experience of the Word (2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
We may all say:
- I am crucified with Christ
- I am buried with Him by baptism into His death
- I am raised up together with Him
- I am alive together with Him
- And I am seated together with Him in the Heavenlies
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
