Scripture: Romans 6:5-7 ESV, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

When I was in the eighth grade, the world was embroiled in the Cold War, the state of political hostility that existed between the Soviet bloc countries and the US-led Western powers. Fears of godless communists and the atrocities attributed to them were common during this time. My homeroom teacher at St. John’s Lutheran School, Mr. Wunderlich, challenged us to consider our faith in Christ. “If communist soldiers marched into this room and demanded you deny Christ or face execution,” he said, “what would you do?” For me, it was a profoundly important question. I had never considered that there might be a cost to following Christ. I knew the sacrifice Christ had made for me. Would I be willing to pay the ultimate price for him? I remembered the courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who faced a fiery furnace because they refused to worship an image that King Nebuchadnezzar set up (Daniel 3). I decided I would never deny Christ, even if it meant certain death. That day God gave me a sense of peace that has been with me ever since and it has been tested several times over the years.

In our scripture for today, the apostle Paul speaks to the church at Rome about being set free from the slavery of sin. That freedom gives us peace in the face of death and gives us victory over sin. Paul goes directly to the source of our freedom: we are united with Christ. We are united in his crucifixion. We are united in his resurrection. Because our old self was crucified with him, we are no longer enslaved to sin.

The Bible teaches that we are in Christ and Christ is in us:

“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.” 1 John 4:13

God the Father blessed us in Christ and chose us in Him before the foundation of the world:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” Ephesians 1:3-4

In Christ Jesus you are loved by God with an inseparable love:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

Because we are in Christ, we have been made alive with him and we are seated with him at the right hand of the Father:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” Ephesians 2:4-6

Christ is also “in us.” God created human beings with a body and a spirit. Our spirit is our deepest part, created to connect and commune with the Spirit of God.

In Paul’s Second letter to the church at Corinth, he describes Christ in us as “treasure in jars of clay.” What an apt description! Though we are weak, fragile, common “jars of clay,” Christ is the treasure in us:

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Paul conveys the same message to the Galatians as he does in today’s scripture addressed to the church at Rome. He makes it clear that it is no longer we who live but Christ lives in us:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

As we grow in our relationship with Christ, he becomes more and more of who we are. Paul viewed the believers in Galatia as his spiritual children. He had labored to help them receive Christ at their salvation, and in the verse below, he continues to labor for them so that the Christ they received would be fully formed in them. Christ lives in us from the time we are saved, but he becomes more fully formed within us as we grow in our relationship with him.

“My little children, I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! Galatians 4:19

Let us remind ourselves daily that we are united with Christ. We are united with Christ in his death on the cross. We are united with Christ in his resurrection from the grave. Our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing. Christ is in us and we are in him. He has set us free from sin. That fact gives us peace in life and victory over sin.

“Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:34-36

Heavenly Father, thank you that your Son, Jesus, has set us free and you have united us with him by faith. By your gift of faith, we are united with him in his death and resurrection. Because our old self was crucified with him, we are no longer slaves to sin. We have peace to face life’s challenges and victory over sin. Help us to live by the truth of your Word and the fact of Christ’s death and resurrection for us. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Clif Baumer