21st June 2026
Alive in Christ
We 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. 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 6:4-5 (NIVUK)
Paul’s letter to the Romans is one of the clearest pictures of the transforming power of grace in the New Testament. At the beginning of Chapter six he asks a question that naturally arises whenever grace is preached clearly: If God’s grace is greater than all our sin, why not keep sinning? (v.1). His answer is immediate and forceful: ‘By no means!’ (v.2). Grace does not give us permission to continue sinning. Grace is God’s active, loving work to unite humanity with Jesus Christ and bring us into participation in the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because of Jesus, we are not only forgiven – we are made new.
In the header scripture, Paul explains that believers are united with Christ in both his death and resurrection. When Jesus died, our old sinful humanity died with him; when he rose, humanity was lifted into new life with him. Baptism symbolises this profound reality: we have been buried with Christ, and raised to walk in newness of life. This means the Christian life is not about trying harder to become acceptable to God; in Christ, we are already accepted. Transformation flows from relationship as grace changes us from the inside out. Salvation is participation in the life Jesus shares with the Father. Jesus has already entered our brokenness, overcome sin and death, and drawn us into his relationship with God. Therefore, holiness is not self-improvement – it is sharing in Christ’s own life through the Spirit.
When Paul says, ‘…count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus’ (v.11), he is not asking us to pretend. This is a call to live according to what is already true because of Christ. Sin no longer defines us. Our true identity is found in Jesus. Every day we face choices shaped either by the old self or by the new life Christ has given. Grace invites us to stop striving for God’s approval and instead live from the security of being loved children of the Father. The resurrection life of Jesus is not only a future promise; it is a present reality. Because Christ lives, we can live differently today.
No matter where you find yourself, the grace of God, in Jesus Christ, is greater than your failures, stronger than your struggles, and deeper than your fears. Because you are united with Christ, your past does not define you: Jesus’s resurrection life does. Each new day is an invitation to live in the freedom, hope, and joy of belonging to the Father. As you walk forward, remember that God is not reluctantly tolerating you: he is faithfully transforming you in the love and power of his Son through the Spirit. In Christ, you are alive, accepted, and never alone. What amazing grace.
Prayer
Loving Father, thank you for your grace, revealed through Jesus Christ. Thank you that through his death and resurrection, we are forgiven, reconciled, and made alive to you. Teach us to live in the freedom of our new identity in Christ, as your grace, through the Holy Spirit, transforms us into the image of your Son. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
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Study by: Barry Robinson About the author: |
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Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church