Scripture:
“Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” – Colossians 2:12
Theological Reflection:
The phrase “having been buried with” (συνταφέντες) is rich in theological and grammatical significance. It 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 highlights that this act of burial was performed on us by God. This language demonstrates a completed and transformative spiritual reality: through baptism, believers are united with Christ in His burial, symbolizing the death of their old selves by faith.
Did This Actually Happen?
Yes, it did. To understand this, consider Adam. When Adam sinned, humanity was “in Adam.” We were physically connected to him through the continuity of life. While we were not fully formed individuals during Adam’s time, the genetic material that would one day form us existed within him.
The Bible provides a compelling analogy in Hebrews 7:9–10, where it says, “One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.” This passage suggests that Levi, Abraham’s great-grandson, was considered to be “in the loins of Abraham” when Abraham acted. Similarly, we were “in Adam” when he sinned, and we are now “in Christ” through faith, sharing in His death, burial, and resurrection.
If we accept that Adam’s sin caused us to be born into sin, why would we doubt that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection included us as well? When we place our faith in Christ, we are born into righteousness in the same way we were born into sin through Adam.
Romans 5:17–19 (ESV):
“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
How awesome it is! We are made righteous by the life of Christ. All we need to do is to have faith.
Living in the Truth of This Reality:
Many struggle to accept that their sinful nature—their “old self”—has been crucified and buried with Christ. They wrestle with temptations and doubt that such a profound transformation has occurred. However, consider this: when an unbeliever performs righteous acts, we don’t claim they are not sinners. In the same way, a believer’s struggles with sin do not negate the truth of their righteousness in Christ.
All the benefits of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection belong to us because we are united with Him through faith. This union is the foundation of our righteousness, justification, and sanctification, transforming us into new creations.
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