Union With Christ in Romans 6: You Died and Rose With Him

Romans 6 is not first a list of tips for better behavior. It is a revelation of identity.

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

The deeper meaning of “with Him”

Paul’s ethics begin with union. What is true of Christ becomes, by grace, true of those who belong to Him: - Died with Him → sin’s dominion is broken. - Raised with Him → new life is not self-help; it is shared life.

So when Paul says “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11), he is not asking you to pretend. He is asking you to reckon with a fact God has already established.

Holiness, then, is learning to live from a death and resurrection that already happened — yours, hidden inside Christ’s.