Dead and Alive

I love the Apostle Paul’s writings for many reasons. One of them is his way of presenting logical arguments for faith. An argument that isn’t logical is being dead and alive at the same time. How can that be? How can Christians be dead and yet alive? Why is dying such a huge part of really living? It has to do with Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross and our identification with Him.

I would like to express Paul’s explanation, found in Romans 6:1-11 in a chart, this way:

DEAD                                                            ALIVE

to sin (2*)

                                                         

buried with Christ in baptism (4)                    raised with Christ to walk in new life (4)                                                                 

buried in the likeness of Christ’s death (5)      like Christ in His resurrection (5)

old nature crucified with Christ, and               freed from sin (7)

the body of sin destroyed (6)

dead with Christ (8)                                        will live with Christ (8)

unto sin (11)                                                    unto God (11)

*verses where you find these phrases

Romans 6:23 presents salvation like this: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:1-2 describes the believer’s relationship with sin: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Romans 6:21-22 puts death and life into perspective: What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

DEAD to sin, ALIVE to God! What an amazing concept!