Many know the fact that Christ died, was buried and resurrected 2000 years ago. But that is one facet of Christianity. A very important facet is that we died, we were buried and we were raised with Christ. Paul talks about this in Col 2:12

having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Let’s unpack this.

The Principle of Location

One of the most profound principles of spiritual life found in the Bible is the importance of our location in relation to God. Everyone born into this world is naturally “in Adam”. When Adam was created, he was in perfect fellowship with God, but through his sin, he experienced spiritual death and was separated from God (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12). As a result, all those born “in Adam” inherit that separation, because we were in Him. Man experienced a “dislocation”.

Notice that, it’s not just that Adam sinned—it’s that we, too, were considered participants in that sin because we were in Adam. Even if we were infants, we inherited this spiritual condition because of our location in Adam.

Our New Location

God, in His mercy and grace, changed our location. He provided a way for us to move from being “in Adam” to being “in Christ”. But how could this happen?

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ—the Second Adam—to create a new humanity (Romans 5:19). Just as being “in Adam” made us participants in his sin and death, being “in Christ” makes us participants in His righteousness and life.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Through faith in Jesus, we are spiritually baptized by the Holy Spirit into Him, changing our location from Adam to Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This baptism is not water baptism¹. This refers to the immersion into Christ by the Holy Spirit, and thats why were said to be In Christ

“For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Paul explains this clearly:

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

His Benefits are My Benefits

This Union has many benefits. In this blog, you can see how by being in union with Christ, you were freed from the law. When Christ obeyed the law, you obeyed the law with Him. Rom 8:4 says that the righteous requirement of the law was fulfilled in us. Isn’t it glorious? We are His body.

It is because of this Union that we use his power (Eph 1) and his authority (Matt 28:18-20). This is the reason why we have every blessing in the spiritual realms in Christ. So when someone brushes it aside saying it is all “prosperity gospel”, that’s not true. This union with Christ is the foundation of our righteousness, our justification, and our sanctification. It is a truth rooted in Scripture, and it transcends our understanding while remaining fully real and effective in the life of every believer.

We were Crucified With Him

When you were immersed in Christ and brought into this beautiful union, you participated in everything He accomplished. Just as a newborn who has never visibly committed a sin is considered to have sinned in Adam, being in Christ means you share in all His righteous acts, even though you didn’t visibly perform them.

If we accept that Adam’s sin made us inherently sinful because we were “in Adam,” why would we not also believe that Christ’s perfect life, His obedience to the law, His death, burial, and resurrection included us as well? Paul affirms this truth:

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

By faith, we are united with Christ and become partakers in His victory. This union transforms our identity. In Adam, we inherited sin and death; in Christ, we inherit righteousness and life.

Thus, when Christ was crucified, we were crucified with Him. As a result the body of sin was done away with, and we are dead to the law. Law is not applicable to us anymore.

We were Buried With Him

Also, we were buried with Him ². This phrase in Greek clearly shows a completed act done by God. We don’t have to do spiritual gymnastics to die and buried. You need to see yourself buried with Christ. You were crucified, you died with Him, and you were buried with Him.

I once put a five-dollar bill in my pants and completely forgot about it. Unknowingly, I washed those pants, packed them, and traveled to various places—on flights, trains, and taxis. The five-dollar bill went everywhere I did. Was there any place I went where the bill wasn’t? No, it was with me the whole time.

In the same way, when Christ was buried, we were buried with Him. Wherever He went, we were with Him because we are united with Him in His death and burial.

“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” (Romans 6:4).

I Resurrected With Him

Again the grammar here indicates this is a past, completed action performed by God. We were raised together with Christ, experiencing the benefits of His resurrection, even as they await the full physical resurrection in the future (Romans 6:4–5).

The biggest tragedy is when divine new creation seated in the right hand of God, endowed with authority and power, is entangled in the lowly affairs of this world.

I Have The Workings of God in Me

This “working of God” is experienced and participated in through faith as stated earlier in Colossians 2:12. Faith connects believers to God’s power, allowing them to share in the resurrection life of Christ. The same ἐνεργεία (energeia, working) that raised Christ from the dead is now at work in believers.

Ephesians 1:19–20:“And what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.

This is the power that reversed death in the physical body of Christ, when he was raised from the dead. Each cell was restored to life, reversing decay, demonstrating a power that acts not merely spiritually but in the physical realm as well.

This same power is now at work in believers through the Holy Spirit. As Romans 8:11 states:

“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

This power can transform not only our spiritual state but also our mortal bodies, giving life and reversing the effects of sin and death. It assures believers of their future physical resurrection and empowers them to live victorious lives now.

Footnotes

1. The word “baptism” itself means immersion, and in the New Testament, the Greek word “baptizo” is used to describe both water baptism and spiritual baptism. Baptism doesn’t always include water, as Jesus himself said he would baptize in fire. Determining which type of baptism is being referenced depends on the context of the passage. For example, in Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist speaks of baptizing with water but contrasts it with Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit. This distinction shows that “baptizo” can refer to different kinds of immersion, depending on the situation. ↩︎
2. The phrase “having been buried with” (συνταφέντες) is an aorist passive participle in the nominative plural masculine form. The aorist tense indicates a completed action in the past, while the passive voice shows that the action—being buried—was performed upon the subject. ↩︎