Born Again: Alive in Christ

April 18, 2025

Through Christ's death and resurrection, we are no longer slaves to sin but have true freedom.

Celebrate the boundless, overflowing, and utterly transformative love of our Savior! His sacrifice on the cross is not just a historical event but a living reality that offers each of us a brand new life, vibrant, free, and overflowing with purpose. This meditation explores the profound spiritual truth of our union with Christ in his death and resurrection, drawing specifically from the wisdom found in Romans chapter 6. It's an invitation to not just understand this truth intellectually, but to embrace it with your whole being, allowing it to permeate every aspect of your life. This is the miracle of being born again – alive in Christ!

Dying and Rising with Christ

"Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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." - Romans 6:3-4

Just as Jesus physically died a real, agonizing death on the cross and was miraculously, undeniably raised back to physical life, we too share in this experience, not physically, but spiritually. This spiritual reality is activated through our faith in Him. The moment we genuinely accept Christ, our old, sin-bound selves die. This death is not an annihilation of our being, but a death to the power and dominion of sin. Our former way of life, dominated by sin and separated from the life-giving presence of God, comes to a decisive end. This spiritual death, while sounding perhaps negative, is not a loss but a profound gain. It is a necessary, crucial step towards embracing the vibrant, abundant new life that Christ offers. Baptism, then, becomes a powerful, outward symbol of this inward transformation. It's a public declaration, a visible testimony to the invisible reality of the change that has taken place within our hearts. It signifies our deliberate identification with Christ's death and resurrection, a public acknowledgment that we are now new creations in Him. Just as Jesus was raised to a glorious new life by the power and glory of the Father, so too are we raised to walk in the newness of life, empowered by the very same Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead. This new life is not just a slightly improved version of our old life; it is a completely new creation, characterized by freedom from sin's dominion, a growing, deepening intimacy with God, and a life lived in joyful accordance with His perfect will.

Buried with Christ

"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death," 

signifies our complete and decisive break from the tyrannical power of sin. This burial, of course, is not a physical one, but a spiritual one. It represents the definitive end of sin's reign in our lives. Imagine sin as a cruel dictator that once ruled over your thoughts, emotions, and actions. Now, through Christ, that dictator has been overthrown. Our old sinful nature, with its relentless desires and destructive tendencies, is buried and left behind. We are no longer defined or limited by our past mistakes or failures, but by our vibrant, ever-evolving new identity in Christ. This is not a temporary truce with sin, but a definitive break, a complete separation from the old way of life. We are no longer slaves to sin's demands, but free to live in the ever-increasing righteousness and power of Christ's resurrection.

United in Christ's Death

"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."  - Romans 6:5

This powerful verse assures us of our inseparable, unbreakable connection with Christ. Our union with Him is not merely a metaphorical concept or a poetic image, but a deep, abiding, spiritual reality. Just as a branch is vitally connected to the vine, drawing life and sustenance from it, so are we connected to Christ. His very life flows through us, empowering us to live a life that is pleasing to God, a life that reflects His character and fulfills His purposes. Because we are united with Him in His death, having died to our old selves, we are also, and even more gloriously, united with Him in His resurrection. We share in His triumphant victory over death and the grave. This union is not just a sentimental notion; it is a rock-solid guarantee of our future resurrection and our eternal life with Him.

United in Christ's Resurrection

"We shall surely be united with him in the resurrection," 

emphasizes the absolute certainty of our shared victory over death. This is not wishful thinking, a blind hope against hope, but a confident assurance based on the unshakeable promise of God's Word. The resurrection is not just something we look forward to in the distant future; it is a present reality that powerfully impacts our lives today. The same resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead is actively at work within us, giving us victory over sin, sickness, fear, doubt, and every other challenge we face. We are already experiencing the first fruits of the resurrection, the down payment of the glorious inheritance that awaits us, and we can live with the confident expectation of the full realization of this promise in the future.

Conclusion:

Take time now to reflect on the profound truth of your death and resurrection with Christ. Allow this reality to sink deep into your heart and mind. Embrace your new identity in Christ and the incredible freedom it brings. This is not just a theological concept; it is the very foundation of your new life in Christ.

Reflect on This:

• What does it truly mean to you, personally, to be "dead to sin" and "alive to God"?

• How does your baptism serve as a tangible, visible symbol of your new life in Christ?

  
  

Prayer:

Father, thank you for the unimaginable gift of uniting us with Christ in His death and resurrection. Help us to not just understand this truth with our minds, but to live it out with our hearts, souls, and bodies. Empower us to walk daily in the freedom and newness of life that you have so graciously given us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Key Takeaways:

• We are new creations in Christ, our old selves gone, and we now live in His resurrection power.

• Through Christ's death and resurrection, we are no longer slaves to sin but have true freedom.

•  Baptism symbolizes our identification with Christ's death and resurrection, a public declaration of our new life.

•  We are united with Christ, drawing life and strength from Him like a branch connected to a vine.

• The same power that raised Christ from the dead is active in us, giving us victory over sin and challenges.

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To dive deeper into this powerful message, watch the full sermon on our YouTube video below.