Are you a sports fan? If so, have you ever dressed in your team’s gear on game day and rejoiced after a victory with the celebration of “We won!”? The obvious answer is yes; that is what it means to be a fan. We identify with our team. However, the reality is that I sat on my couch eating chips and did absolutely nothing to affect my team’s ability to win or lose the game. I didn’t win, the team did. This is one example of social identity we regularly slip into to use group achievement to bolster our self-esteem.
This identification is fluid based on the season or sport and is effective as long as our team is winning. It’s been a rough go as a Browns fan! Well, there is always next year, right? Haha (Isn’t it amazing how much power sports have over our attitudes, moods, and self-image?!) I could say that during football season, as a fan I am “in the Browns” or “united with the Browns.” I cheer for, follow, watch, talk about, and discuss Browns. During the Browns season I will adjust my plans according to game day, I will spend money on gear, games, and food. Being united with the Browns as a fan does have some impact on my life but it is fleeting and temporary, and the Browns like to lose. If being a sports fan becomes my sole identity, then I better prepare for life to be a roller coaster of emotions without any stability.
The apostle Paul, in the Book of Romans, has been building the foundation of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, and how it reveals a new humanity. What do we mean by a new humanity? We are born into a sinful world, dead in our trespasses and sins, enemies of God, and therefore spiritually unaware of our desperate need for a Savior. We are born “in Adam” united in sin. Therefore, Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:3). Jesus continues to tell Nicodemus about the need for spiritual birth, or regeneration. When God brings us to life spiritually, we become a “new kind of humanity” who are spiritually alive in Christ.
The phrase “in Christ” is the most common occurrence in Scripture to refer to the believer’s “Union with Christ” and will be our focus for our lesson in Romans 6:1-14. In Romans 6, Paul uses several phrases to capture our attention about our union with Christ: baptized into Christ Jesus, baptized into his death, united with him in death, united with him in the resurrection, died with Christ, live with him, in Christ Jesus. Paul wants us to understand that our identity has changed from old to new.
Roman 6 is one of the reasons that we at Lakeside hold to a “believer’s baptism by immersion,” as we saw a couple of weeks ago when Will was baptized. The Greek word for baptism (baptizo) literally means to dip into water or immerse. A very common use of the word referred to soaking the fabric in dye to transform its color. Have you ever made a tie-dyed shirt? Or maybe colored Easter Eggs? You immerse fabric or an egg into a dye that permanently changes the identity of the fabric or egg. Similarly, when we come to Christ in faith, we are changed permanently. Coming to faith in Christ is to come alive spiritually and be united with Christ being washed by his blood. Baptism is a picture of this, being buried with Christ in his death, and being raised to life again to newness of life in him (Rom. 6:4).
Union with Christ refers to our relationships with him and our new identity through him. One of the clearest verses in Scriptures concerning the implications of union with Christ is 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
This is the doctrine of imputation as Jesus took our sins on himself and put his righteousness on us. He takes off our filthy, ragged, and torn coat and wraps us in clothes of his righteousness, purity, and perfection. Understand that sin is forensic and native to us, our legal standing on our own is deserving of eternal damnation. Yet when we are united with Christ, we are given an alien righteousness and position because of the finished work of Christ on the cross.
Our union with Christ is why we no longer stand condemned as we see in Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is the doctrine of justification, to be declared righteous before God. Justification is not only being forgiven of sin, but it is also receiving the righteousness and standing of Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:29; Rom. 8:17). So we are justified by the imputed righteousness of Christ for the purpose of our sanctification.
Sanctification is an amazing dynamic byproduct of our union with Christ. Sanctification means to be “set apart.” If you are an athlete, then you have shoes or equipment that you only use for your sport. If you are a chef or cook, then you have knives and utensils that are set apart for specific purposes. We know what it means to set apart objects, clothing, or utensils for specific purposes and sanctification is the word used to refer to God setting us apart for himself. Sanctification is a three-part word for believers: past, present, and future.
The moment you came to salvation in Jesus Christ you were sanctified being united with Christ, this means that God declared you holy. 2 Corinthians 5:17a describes this reality, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Union with Christ means you are a new creation, you have been made new, and you are spiritually alive. However, we all know the struggle with sin does not disappear when we become Christians, which means we need further sanctification.
In the present, we participate, or live out our union with Christ, by seeking further sanctification. 2 Corinthians 5:17b describes this as “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” The Greek tense of this verse is the “old is passing away continually, the new is continually growing.” The reality is we are all in the process of being sanctified and learning holiness. Paul focuses in on this aspect in Romans 6 describing the believer’s death to sin and living unto righteousness. Our union with Christ is a compelling reason to do away with sin. Our union with Christ means that we are no longer slaves to sin. Our union with Christ means we can walk in the newness of life.
The apostle John wrote in 1 John 3:6, 8b-9
No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
John uses the words “abide in him” to describe our union with Christ. Abide means to dwell with, to remain in close proximity. When we stay close to Jesus, we won’t continue in sin. Jesus came to destroy sin, so those who are born again cannot keep on sinning.
Jesus describes this union with him as a branch united with the vine:
John 15:3–7
Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Again, we see the word “abide” being used to describe our union with Christ. Jesus referred to us as branches who bear fruit when we stay connected to him. When we stay in close proximity with Jesus we will bear fruit. If we step back and consider our lives, have we grown to be more like Jesus? Or do we look more like the world? Are we abiding in Jesus and allowing our union with Him to change us? A true relationship with Jesus changes us from the inside out in such a way that the evidence of our faith will be seen.
The Good News is that salvation and union with Christ is by grace and not by the law. Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” With Paul’s emphasis on grace, some began to teach that keeping the law was not important. They began teaching that you can continue in sin because God will forgive you anyway. They taught that sinning a lot was a way to see the abundance of God’s grace. This teaching was called antinomianism and is wrong. This was why Paul was so forceful at the beginning of Romans 6, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!” To think we can continue in sin is to completely miss the gospel. Understanding our union with Christ is foundation for us to walk away from sin and walk in newness of life with Christ.
This does not mean that a Christian won’t fall into sin, it means a Christian won’t walk in sin again. When we fall, we repent and continue walking with Christ, “a righteous man falls seven times and rises again” (Prov. 24:16). A Christian’s life should not be characterized by sin but by Christ for sin has no dominion over the believer (Rom. 6:14) because he conquered death and sin (Rom. 6:10-11).
There is so much more to being united in Christ and you would do well to look throughout the Scriptures to understand this wonderful teaching. Abide in Christ, keep your eyes fixed on the Author and Giver of Life, and walk with him daily. To God be the Glory!
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