Death Turned to Life

 

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:5-11 ESV).

 

There is some advantage to dual citizenship in today’s world. For those who travel to Europe a great deal, citizenship in both the United States and the European Union provides easier access and egress abroad. It can be complicated, especially if you don’t have a familial tie to one of the EU countries. I’ve done a little research into the possibility of applying for an Italian passport. Since my grandparents were all Italian citizens prior to immigrating to the United States and becoming citizens here, I meet the basic qualifications for a dual passport. It is a relatively simple process. In our reading today we see a different process. The Apostle Paul tells us that it is much more complicated becoming a citizen in the kingdom of heaven. To be a citizen in God’s kingdom, we must die and be born again.

 

In this text, as well as other passages, the apostle Paul speaks of being crucified with Christ, dying with Christ, being buried with Christ, and rising with Christ. Jesus teaches that unless we are born again, we will not see the kingdom of God (cf. John 3:3). As Paul explains in Ephesians, we are “to put off [our] old self”—our old sinful nature—and “to be made new… to put on the new self, created to be like God in righteousness and holiness” (cf. Ephesians 4:22-24). Dying and being born again calls for a radical change in how we think and act.

 

But this is not a transformation we can manage on our own. As Paul puts it, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). God gives us new life through the Spirit, putting the old sinful nature to death. And even before that, the Spirit of God moves us to recognize our sin and our need for new life. So, we pray in repentance and ask God for forgiveness, trusting in his power to save us through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Thank God for this great work of grace!