Our new life begins with faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin. When we are "born again," we cross from an eternal death to an eternal life; "whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24). Sin caused our condemnation and required our death; but Jesus took our sin and received sin's punishment. When we identify ourselves with Christ, we also identify with His death; "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" (Romans 6:3).
True salvation requires that we are "baptized into Christ," which means we completely identify with His life and sacrifice on the cross. He was put to death for our sins, and has crucified the old sinful nature of all who believe; "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
The old nature has been crucified - it is dead! Granted, we often attempt to bring that comfortable old nature back to life and allow it to war with the things of the Spirit, but the old nature can no longer take control - it can no longer win!
This understanding will bring a glorious victory and freedom. The life we live in this body is not our own, we have died with Christ; "The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14). And if we have died to the world, the world cannot harm us and should not cause us to fear. But our new life is much more than the identification with His death. The purpose of being crucified with Christ is so we can also be resurrected with Him and live a resurrected life.
Romans 6:4-5
"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. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection."
We have not been crucified so we can simply wait to be called Home and taken out of the world. The new life we have received ought to set us free - free from the pulls of this world, free from the world's definition of success and failure, free from the concern of how others evaluate our life, and free to live each day for the glory of God.
Our lives should be a witness to the power of the gospel. If the gospel message resides in our heart then we have been empowered to change the way we live today! We have died to the power of sin and been made alive to the contented joy of Christ. Let's demonstrate the power of the gospel by living a life which is both crucified and resurrected.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries
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