The Victories Of Christ For The Believer Sample

Christ Did it in our Favor

In this passage it says we were baptized in Christ Jesus; however, it does not mention or refer to it as the baptism of water. Okay, so if the passage is not referring to water baptism what does it mean exactly to be baptized in Christ? Just as we said previously, baptism means to submerge or put inside. The baptism of water is an external act of what happened internally. When we declared Christ as our only Savior, we were submerged in Christ. In that instant, we were separated from sin, died to sin, freed from the kingdom of sin, and now united with Christ, transferred to the kingdom of Christ.

Our union produces not only a change of identity, the rebirth in that we are now children of God, but also produces change of jurisdiction. Before we were under the authority of sin, sin ruled over us. Sin would tell us to have sex out of marriage, get drunk, and we would do it because we were slaves of sin. Nevertheless, now we have not only acquired a new identity, but have also passed from the authority of darkness to the authority of Christ. Now Christ is ruler over us and we have Christ as president and His army as our defense.

Co-Resurrection

Very well, we have transferred to the kingdom of Christ, but it is to live a victorious life. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Note the contrast: death and raised from the dead. The “raised from the dead” is not referring to our physical bodies. Remember Paul is contrasting two lifestyles, the old and the new. The lifestyle contaminated with sin and evil, with the new life, the resurrected life, the life that’s free.

There is something marvelous about this passage. Paul is saying that this resurrection, the new life that we have, was possible for the glory of the Father -- glory meaning the greatness of the power of God. Can you imagine the power that acted upon Jesus’ dead body, to bring life after three days of being dead, and taking Him directly to God’s right hand? The implication here is that the same power that acted upon Jesus to resurrect Him, is the same power that acts upon His children to make it possible to live in righteousness and holiness. Thus, the separation of the power of sin, and then added to the union with Christ gives the victory.

This great power Christ won on the cross, was to break vicious cycles of sin so that we could enjoy the resurrected life, the life of victory.