Bible Discussion Thread

(Verse 2) "Since we have died to sin." This means that if we are dead, legeally, we are no longer under sin's control. That is, sin has done its job and killed us. But how did we die? We died and were buried with Christ. Baptism pictures this. Going under the water pictures our dying with Christ to our old way of life, and coming up out of the water pictures Christ giving us a new way of life after we have been saved.

(Verse 5) "Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised as he was." That is, Christ was our stand in. So when he died, in the eyes of the law we died, too. That is what Paul means by "our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ." So again, we are no longer slaves to sin because our old crucified self is dead. And by the power of God, a new self has taken its place.

So we should consider the old me dead, and live for God through the new me. And all of this came about by God's grace-his willingness to give us something we did not deserve.