Please listen to the words the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome: “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:3-5).
The purpose of these series of articles has been to focus on “life.” In the above quoted passage we see the opportunity to “walk in newness of life.” Many are those who have made a mess of their lives. But here in these verses we see hope, the opportunity to put the past behind us, to be new and to let that newness be seen in how we now live. As long as there is life in the body it is never too late to make a new start. Someone asks, “What does it mean to walk in newness of life?” It means:
We have accepted God as our Father.
There is “one God and Father of all…”(Eph. 4:6).
We have accepted His Son as our Savior.
“…we…know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:42).
We have accepted His word as our guide, our standard for life.
Jesus said, “…If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31, 32).
Another someone asks, “What does it mean to abide in the word?” In the original Greek language abide means “a settled determination to live in the word of Christ.” To me that means we listen to it, we reflect on it, and we do what it says. That is obedience. Jesus said, “You are My friends, if you do what I command you” (John 15:14).
In the hustle and bustle of life, it is never too late to stop and do an inventory, to check our priorities. Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”(Mt.6:33). Am I, are you truly walking in newness of life? Am I, are you seeking God first? What does my inventory reveal? What do my priorities tell me?
Stay with me as we look further into what it means to “walk in newness of life” from this Romans 6 passage.
— Les Ferguson Sr., S. Huntington Church of Christ
