Friday 3rd April
Read Romans 6:5-7
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” (NIVUK)
This Friday as we reflect on Christ’s death on our behalf we are reminded that it was our sin that held Him there. That is what that most underappreciated doctrine, union with Christ, means in practice.
Paul has spoken of justification, being declared right with God because of what Jesus achieved on the cross. Paul has spoken of glory also. Triumphant life in Jesus!
“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5:17) (NIVUK)
What he has missed, and returns to now, is the nitty-gritty of the Christian life. The process of sanctification. We discover here that union with Christ, by faith in His grace towards us, is how we also continue in the Christian life. We don’t trust and accept and then work hard in our own efforts to maintain our new God-given life. Grace is the spark that saves us and the fuel that sustains us.
Grace unites us with Christ in His death and unites us to Christ in resurrected life.
