Raised to Newness of Life

We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

–Romans 6:4

I like the old story about a farmer who lived his entire life in the backwoods of Tennessee. He married his childhood sweetheart and reared five children with her. When their children were nearly grown, the farmer took his family on a vacation to the big city. They pulled up to the swankiest hotel they could find, and the farmer and his eldest son walked inside to check things out. They were flabbergasted by the vaulted ceilings, the chandeliers, and the waterfall in the lobby. But what really caught their attention was a row of little rooms that people were going in and out of. The farmer and his son watched as an old woman, wrinkled from head to toe, pressed a button on the wall, and when a light appeared above one of those little rooms and the metal doors slid open, she shuffled inside. When the doors reopened, out walked a young, blonde bombshell. The farmer and his son were speechless. Finally, the farmer nudged his son and said, “Go get Mama.”

We all like the idea of transformation. That’s what Colossians 3 is all about: how we can be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. And Paul said we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven–this transformation can happen right now for three reasons.

The first reason is our participation in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Verse 1 says, “If you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above.” In Greek, that first clause assumes an action has already taken place. So the verse could be translated as “Since you have been raised up with Christ.” Yes, there is still a future, physical resurrection. But right now, the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is working in our lives to give us a brand-new way of life. In Romans 6:4, Paul wrote, “We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

What do you admire most about Jesus? What do you wish you had in your life that Jesus possessed in His life on earth? Is it His singular devotion to serving God? His genuine love for other people? His peace no matter what was happening around Him? His ability to say no to sin? His perfect relationship with God? Paul was saying you don’t have to wait until you die to experience that. The same quality of life Jesus experienced can be yours right now because you have participated in His resurrection.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “Wanted: Dead and Alive” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2012.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.