Roman 6:5 United with Christ
Wayne Grudem Definition: Union with Christ is the relationships between believers and Christ, through which Christians receive every benefit of salvation.
We are In Christ
Eternal Plan- In God’s Eternal Plan Eph. 1:4, 2 Tim. 1:8-9, We did not exist before the foundation of the world so God, looking into the future and knowing that we would exist, thought of us being in a special relationship with Christ. He did not first choose us and later decide to relate us to Christ. Rather, while choosing us as belonging to Christ in a special way, as being in Christ.
Earthly Presence -During Christ’s Life on Earth Rom. 5:19, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 2:20, Eph. 2:6 Throughout Christ’s entire life on earth, God thought of us as being “in Christ”. That is, whatever Christ did as our representative, God counted it as being something we did too . . . believers were present in Christ only as God’s thoughts. God thought of us as going through everything that Christ went through, because he was our representative. When Jesus perfectly obey God thought of us as having obeyed too. Because God thought of us as being in Christ, he also thought of our sins as belonging to Christ. These were sins that we had not yet committed, but God knew about them in advance, and thought of them as belonging to Christ. But it was not just our sins that God thought of as belonging to Christ, it was ourselves (Rom 6:6) When Christ died God thought of us as having died.
During Our Lives Now
Dying and Rising With Christ [Col. 2:12, Rom 6:4, 11] The Holy Spirit brings such a change in our character that we become so unresponsive to the pressures, demands and attractions of our previous sinful way of life that we can say we are dead to those influences, because we have died with Christ.
New Life in Christ [1 John 5:11, Eph. 1:3]-- Every stage of the application of redemption is given to us because we are “in Christ.” It is “in Christ” that we are called to salvation (1 Cor. 7:22), regenerated (Eph. 1:3, 2:10), and justified (Rom. 8:1). “In Christ” we die (1 Thess. 4:16) and “in him” our bodies will be raise up again (1 Cor. 15:22). These passages suggest that because our lives are inseparably connected to Christ himself, the Holy Spirit gives us all the blessings that Christ has earned.
All Our Actions Can Be Done in Christ [Rom. 9:1, Rom. 15:17, Eph 6:10, Phil 2:1, 1 Thess. 3:8, 2 Tim. 3:12, Rom. 16:12]
All Christians Together Are One Body in Christ [1 Cor. 12:12, 26; 1 Peter 2:4-5, John 17:21
The author is going to seek a way to express how we should walk in this newness of life. Jones . . . something profound has happened to us so that we walk "in newness of life – that's everything – not a part of life, all of life. Paul wants to help us not continue in sin v 1-2 He believes that God will us the text to make it a means of our triumph over sin – to enable us to walk in newness of life. (Piper)
For if . . . we shall certainly What matters above everything else is our union with the Lord Jesus Christ. The word “if” doesn’t suggest any doubt, but means since – like if you agree this is true then this must also be true. What is being said is” Since we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Jones)
United Gk Sumphutos a combination of two words: sun meaning with and Phuo beget, bring forth, produce, to be born, to spring up, to grow so the meaning of the term is grown together, united with . . . becoming one -united together, like a branch is in the vine, grafted in. (Jones) It is a present reality from a past event.
Likeness – Our death and resurrection are not identical with the Lord’s. Everything that happened to Him was unique because of who he was. Thus everything that happened to him is unique and did not happen to us. Our death and resurrection are in the likeness of his, but they are not identical with Him. Rom 8:3 we are not told that our Lord came in this world in sinful flesh, but we are told that he came in the likeness of sinful flesh. We did not die with Him literally, physically; we shall never know the agony that He knew in his death . . . but because of our spiritual relationship to Him, the effects, the consequences of His actual literal death become ours. We have all the benefits and the results of that resurrection. (Jones) Our death with Christ and our future resurrection with Christ are not identical with Christ's death and resurrection, but very much like them. Christ died as a sinless sacrifice for us; our death with him is not identical to that. He became in the likeness of sinful flesh Rom 8:3 He is like us in our sinful flesh. He is like us but not totally like us in that His flesh wasn’t sinful. So there is likeness of him coming down and joining us an a likeness of us being united to him in his death and resurrection. And Christ rose as the death-destroying first fruits of a great harvest; our resurrection with him will not be identical to that. Rather our dying and rising are like his, but not identical (Piper)
Appropriation of our Union with Christ 1 Cor 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ , 2 Cor 5:17 In Christ, he is a new creation, Eph 2:10 Created in Jesus Christ for good works. How did you get into Christ?, it is by God’s doing This is a work of God in which we are spiritual united to Christ. He creates the union by his grace. We embrace it and experience it by faith Gal 2:20 (Piper)
Advantages of Union with Christ 1 Cor 1:30
All that Christ is for you, he is for you in Christ. Because you are united to him These four, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, take in all that is necessary or desirable, to make a soul truly and perfectly blessed. John Flavel
From Ignorance to Wisdom from God- In this union Christ becomes wisdom for you and this overcomes your blinding, deadening ignorance. Piper
From Isolation to Righteousness- In this union Christ becomes righteousness for you and this overcomes your guilt and condemnation
From Insolence to Sanctification- In this union Christ becomes sanctification for you and this overcomes your corruption and pollution
From Inability to Redemption- In this union Christ becomes redemption for you and this overcomes in the end all the miseries and pain and futility that come from sin and guilt – like sickness and death Rom 8:23
You have ignorance overcome by Jesus, guilt and condemnation overcome by Jesus, corruption and pollution overcome by Jesus, and death and pain and sickness overcome by Jesus, all because you are in Jesus.. This union Jesus is now your wisdom, your righteousness, your sanctification and your redemption when you are in him. (Piper)
Do you want to be free from the blinding effects of spiritual ignorance? Do you want guilt and condemnation to be removed and be replaced with Christ’s righteousness? Do you want sanctification so that little by little you triumph over sin in your life and you become more holy and Godly then you are today? Do you want to not go to hell and have a new body and be done with all tears and all crying and all pain and all depression and all brokenness put away from your life and eternal life forever and ever? If the answer to that question is yes – then would you now start prizing your union with Jesus? Would you begin to treasure it more and more? Would you dwell on it day in and day out? Cherish your union with Christ. Love being united to him. Grow in your grasp of these things. Live in them. Savor them. Carry them with you through the day. Make them your meditation day and night. Think often on what it means to be united to Christ. What it means that "by God's doing you are in Christ Jesus." (Piper)
2 Cor 5:21. by virtue of our union with Christ – our being "in Christ" – that we become righteous in the same way Christ became sin. He was sinless and God put our sins to his account. We were sinful and God put Christ's righteousness to our account. And he did it because we were "in him." (Piper)
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We are not left in the grave, we have risen to newness of life, and we are to walk in newness of life. We are living in this new life with Christ, because we have been raised with Christ. (Jones)
This new resurrected life is not only present but “shall be” – it is guaranteed, nothing can overthrow it. Though we are now suffering with Him, it is equally certain that we shall reign with him in glory- a faithful saying (2 Tim 2-11-12, 19) Let there be no doubt or hesitation about believing it and living upon it. (Jones)
Everything that has happened in Jesus Christ was designed to take us out of that realm of sin and put us into the new realm. We have died with him – for what end or purpose? in order that we might rise with Him and having risen with Him we might walk in Newness of life. (Jones)
Application of Union with Christ
Believe God when he says what has happened to you and who you are and who he is for you in Christ. Believe him. Trust him, when he says, "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" Phil 4:19. Trust him when he says, "Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" Rom 8: 38-39. To become who we are in Christ is to believe these things. Believe that because you are in Christ all your needs will be met. Believe that because you are in Christ you will never be separated from the unfailing love of God. Believing these things is to be satisfied with all that God is for you in Christ, and to become all that you are in him. Believe him.
This text is tremendously relevant for everything you do. This is not about a little religious corner of your life. It is about all of your life. How you are involved in class, relationships, work, on the court or field. How you watch TV and use your leisure time. How you pursue your “studies” and “career. How you dress and eat and spend your money. How you treat your “girlfriend or boyfriend”, your friends, neighbors and peers. How you engage in missions.
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