… in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Summary: Understanding Paul’s language requires understanding the reality of the spiritual realm.
If being “buried with him in baptism” is a metaphor for spiritual things, how much more is the rest of Paul’s sentence?
Actually, Paul’s sentence is more of a “mixed metaphor.”
The last part, where he writes “the working of God, who raised him [Jesus] from the dead,” is literal and true. God did raise Jesus from the dead. This same Jesus whom God raised to life two thousand years ago is alive today.
When I was very young, perhaps seven or eight years old, I had a personal encounter with the living Lord Jesus. I am not alone in this; others have told me similar stories.
These are not stories like Paul’s story about meeting Jesus (Acts 9). That was a “Jesus encounter” with a grown man. More than that, Paul was someone uniquely opposed to the idea that Jesus was alive. He actively persecuted anyone who dared to admit to believing that Jesus was alive.
To get his attention, Jesus had to resort to extreme measures. He opened the door of heaven and let the light from God’s world shine into ours. The impact of this event literally blinded Paul. This was not some gentle assurance of the Lord’s presence given to a child. This was a real-world supernatural intervention.
When Paul writes about “God, who raised [Jesus] from the dead,” he knows what he is talking about!
But what about the other part of the sentence? What about the part where Paul writes “… in which you were also raised with him through your faith”?
He speaks about believers already being raised (past tense) with Jesus through faith.
What does this mean?
I don’t know about you, but I am still here, on earth, not yet raised to heaven.
This is where Paul slides back into the use of metaphor. He knows very well that we are not yet in heaven. He also knows that people have “fallen away” from God’s grace (Galatians 5:4). This is not a case where Paul is saying that we are already across the finish line.
Looking at Paul’s whole sentence (Verses 11 and 12), we see a description of how God reaches through the barrier between our world and the spiritual realm and saves us. The “self ruled by the flesh” is put off, and we are “buried with [Jesus] in baptism.” At the same time, we are “raised with him through … faith in the working of God.”
Throughout Scripture, God points to the duality of our nature: one part is physical and the other is spiritual. The physical is doomed to die, but the spirit is eternal. Life and death for the spirit are defined by our relationship with God. Life is being with God forever, and death is being separate from him.
Once again, Paul is teaching us about the invisible realm: our spiritual natures.
Application: Thank God for new life in Jesus Christ!
Food for Thought: What does it mean to be “raised with [Jesus]?”
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Jesus was our representative. He is the “second Adam.” He died on the cross as a substitute for us as a representative of the human race. When we accept Him as our Savior and representative, then what He has done for us is applied to us. By identifying with Him we died with Him, were raised with Him, and are seated with Him in the heavenly realms. I don’t understand this, but it is taught in Scripture. He has done what we cannot. Paid the price we cannot. And now we are in Him and are with Him – and our inheritance in which we experience all this is sealed.
1 Peter 1: 3 – 8: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Romans 6: 3 – 10: Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We 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.
5For 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. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, a that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Colossians 3: 1 – 4: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your a life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Romans 5: 12 – 21: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
13To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Thank you, Rich!
Great verses!! I don’t understand gravity either, but it still has a hold on me, just like Jesus! 🙂
Good thoughts Rich.
If we die in Christ (die to sin, die to self), we are raised with Christ. This is just one of the many attributes to being redeemed and sanctified by Christ. Only through Christ can we experinece this kind of death and resurrection. Mankinds attempts do not lead to life.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me
Chris,
Isn’t it amazing that God made it possible for us to find him, and he marked it with a cross!
Thank you!
Great, Great responses here. Thank you R and CH!!!!
What does it mean to be “raised with Jesus?”
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Believers are raised up from the dead. We have experienced the full power of God the moment we received Jesus’ payment for our sin and were given life together with Him.
Ephesians 1:20
Our hearts are now set on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. We have died to sin, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is now our life, appears, then we also will appear with Him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4
Christ himself gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, to equip believers for service, so the body of Christ is built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in His knowledge become mature, to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13
Those who now live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace
Romans 8:5-6
Thank you, Ron.
What I hear in your response is that Jesus changes us. It is true! We are blessed beyond measure.