JUST four verses for our study this time seems at first far too small to occupy our time for one hour. However I have focused our study on these four verses because of their crucial importance in our understanding of the real Christian experience when a soul puts its trust in Christ for salvation and acceptance with God. These verses speak of the nature of the change that takes place in a person of saving faith, and how that change has been achieved. We have met this doctrine already in Colossians (2: 11-12; 13; 20). It will be good for us to read with these four verses the fuller expression of this teaching in Romans 6: 1-14.

THE DOCTRINE.

The doctrine is expressed in the words "you have been raised with Christ" and "for you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God"

. In Romans 6 Paul speaks of the believer as having died with Christ and as having been raised with Christ. Verse 5 of Romans 6 says "If we have been united with Him (Christ) like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection".

Sin and its eternal consequences of death and separation from God can only be cancelled by death. This is because the sentence of God for sin is death - Romans 6: 23 "For the wages of sin is death". If the sentence is carried out on us the sinner then we are eternally dead, dead in trespasses and sins now (Ephesians 2: 1) and dead in hell everlastingly when this earthly life ends.

We are unable to help ourselves in this dire predicament. The Bible message is that God sent his Son to save us from this predicament. God's way to save sinners was to make Christ responsible for our sin, and take the punishment in our place.

The doctrine before us in Colossians 3 and Romans 6, is that we who have trusted our souls to Jesus are untied to him by faith in such an intimate way that Paul speaks of us as being in Christ. (Romans 8: 1). What this means is that we were in Jesus when he died on the cross, and when he rose from the dead, and are still in him now in the sight of God..

What this means is that the 'Adamic' person we were when we were born into this world, dead and dying and sentenced to everlasting death for our sins, died on the cross with Jesus. As far as God is concerned that person died in Christ when Christ died and as far as God is concerned satisfaction to God's law on account of our sins was fully met at that time.

Being untied to Christ in his death, we are still united to him in the tomb and when he rose again. In Christ we have been raised to new life, the old person has gone and a new person has been created. Paul expresses this in 1 Corinthians 5: 17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come".

This new created person is described in Ephesians 4: 24 "and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness".

There is a great deal more to be explained about this massive change which takes place when we put our whole trust in Jesus as our Saviour and Lord, but I feel that this is enough to set our minds thinking in the right direction so that, by meditating and thinking about this truth in our discussion, we may go forward into clearer understanding of this Christian reality and experience.

EXPERIENCE AND LIVING and APPLICATION.

What does this reality mean in our life? In the first place it is an experimental reality in our life. We are different and we have new desires and aspirations. These make themselves felt powerfully in our living which effects the way we think and feel; and in the desires and motivation in our lives. This new life desires God, loves Christ, longs after heavenly things, hates sin, wants to live for God rather than self and the world.

However we still live in this sinful world, and this new life can only be expressed through our body and sinful flesh which has not changed, and we are still forcefully attacked by Satan who excites the sinful flesh, and stimulates desire for the things of this world.

So Paul tells us "set your hearts on things above" and "set your minds on things above." Such an exhortation is useless to someone who is not united to Christ in his death and resurrection. They have no new life. But we have, and we know the attraction and pulling power of this new life, and the desire it has for God and heavenly things. So this exhortation by Paul has meaning and can be carried out. This we must do.