Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ~ Romans 6:4
One of the more frequent comparisons the apostle Paul makes is the fact that our salvation is like that of Christ’s being raised from the dead. This means that salvation is actually a resurrection, and it makes us into completely new creatures:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are not literally crucified, but we are spiritually joined to the death and resurrection of Christ when during salvation, and the saving is God’s part. Our part is to walk in newness of life as we live out what God has accomplished in us.
Still, we are enabled by God to live in newness of life “by the glory of the Father.” It is the power He used when He raised Christ from the dead:
And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. ~ Ephesians 1:19-20
What gives us newness of life is the resurrection power of God. This is why we should always “reckon ourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:11). Our part is to reckon, or consider, that it is a spiritual fact that we have died and been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life. As we do so, we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2), and that’s what makes it a reality in our life experience.
