◄ What Does Romans 6:9 Mean? ►

We who by God's grace have been placed in Christ by faith, are identified with Him and He with us. When we start to truly understand the significance and importance of our mutual identity, we begin to understand the depth of the riches of both the wisdom of God and His gracious love towards us.

Christ identified with our sin and took the punishment that we deserve so that we might identify with His righteousness by faith, and not only be forgiven of our sin but also receive in our body His very life. For as by one man (Adam) sin entered the world and death gained access because of sin, so also by one Man (Jesus) the price of sin was paid. Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, paid the price for sin so that His eternal resurrected life could become the present and eternal possession of all who trust in Him by faith.

The eternal, resurrected life of Christ is given to all believers, to empower us to live each day as Christ lived, in spirit and in truth. Christ's righteous, risen, eternal life is not only a confident, future certainty, but it is also our present, practical possession. The eternal, resurrected life of Christ which we receive at the point of our salvation, has all we need for life and godliness in this earthly realm, and in the world to come, life everlasting. But sadly, the truth of Christ's identification with us and our identification with Him is often ignored, missed, or completely misunderstood.

Death had no power over the eternal Son of the eternal God for in Him is eternal life. But as the eternal Son of God, He laid aside His glory and came to earth as the perfect, sinless Son of Man. Jesus took on human flesh, was born into the human race, and lived amongst us, being tempted just as we are, yet without sin. And because Jesus lived a sinless human life, the icy fingers of death and the cruel curse of the Law had no power over Him. The wages of sin is death, but the perfect Son of Man lived a sinless life and so death had no claim on Him.

To glorify His Father, He took our sin upon Himself and became the prey of death. Jesus willingly offered up His sinless life in our place, and was crucified, dead and buried.

But death could not hold Him in the place of death once He had sacrificed His perfect, sinless life on our account. And so on the third day, as prophesied in Scripture, the perfect Son of Man was raised from up from the grave conquering death on behalf of every man who would trust in His name.

Christ rose victorious from the grave, never, ever to die again. And we who believe in Him are identified with Him and made one with Him. His death became our death and the price for our sin was paid in full. Just as He identified with our sin and died on our account, so we by grace through faith are identified with His life. We died and were buried with Him through baptism into His death, and we too are raised from the dead through the glory of the Father. His resurrected, eternal life became our eternally resurrected life.

Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again, and we who are identified with His life by faith, have the same relationship with death. In Christ we have eternal life, never to die again. The price of sin has been paid and death no longer has power in our life, for we are one with Christ forever and ever, amen.

Heavenly Father, thank You that Christ Jesus identified with my sin and took the death sentence that I deserved. Thank You that by faith in Him, I am identified with His eternal resurrected life. To Him be all praise and glory, AMEN.