United!

United!

‭Romans 6:5 NIV‬

[5] For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Romans 6:5 AMPC‬

[5] For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be [one with Him in sharing] His resurrection [by a new life lived for God].

One definition for 'united' is 'joined together.... for a common purpose, or by common feelings'. Another one says 'made one;  combined. relating to or produced by joint action'. As can be seen from these definitions, you cannot fully understand unity until you consider the parts that make up the whole. Right from creation, God was in one account with man. Sin came in and caused a separation between man and God. The unity was broken, and the only way to repair and restore it was for God to provide a fitting connection by which man could return to the initial status. In came Jesus, the One whose death and resurrection have now restored the unity that was lost due to sin. That sacrifice on the cross was not easy for Jesus to do, but the benefits and blessings at the end of it kept Jesus going. 

The big IF at the start of the verse again lays emphasis on my part; the bit where my freewill has to align with God's plan and purpose. If I will enjoy the blessing, I must be willing and ready to pay the price. His horrible death on the cross is the common denominator that all men must be subject to, if they would enjoy the grace of resurrection. I cannot choose any other start point; if it is not in Christ, it will not end up in Christ. As Jesus had to go down to the grave to rescue all who were subject to the power of the grave, so do I need to identify with his death so I can now live in victory over the grave. I cannot settle for anything less than the total package. I cannot start the journey and then drop off in the middle. 

I cannot trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, and then depend on my own strength and wisdom the rest of the way. Sin already made it clear that I cannot do anything to please God by my own effort or labour. The cross is the pathway to the crown. Death is the pathway to resurrection and eternal life with God. Being united with Christ in His death is the key to being united with Him in eternity. It is a death that makes a permanent separation and deliverance from the power of sin. It is a death that opens my life to the work that God can do in a life that is fully submitted to Him. The offer has been made, and it only lasts as long as grace is in place. The time comes when grace ends, and only those who have died as He did will rise with Him. Are you one of them? Am I? God's time of favour is here.