Living to God in Christ Jesus!

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” – Matthew 6:8-11 NIV

First of all, all of us ought to know that we meant to be alive to God in Jesus Christ until the end of the age. This is because we have been created by Him to be the children of God in His image (Genesis 1:27). “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30) Hence, we have to believe in Jesus Christ to be legal children of God (John 1:12-13) and to be the light of Him to the world (Matthew 5:14-16). However, the main reason why we have to believe in Him is that He is only way to the truthful life as He is actually the image of God, so He proclaims, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7) This is exact reason why Jesus was crucified (Hebrews 2:14-15) and resurrected (Luke 24:1-7), so He is able to be within us as the Spirit (John 16:7-15) to make us the righteousness of God (Romans 8:1-17). This is because the Spirit of God would normally prompt us to do God’s will with the everlasting peace (John 14:15-27). Thus for this reason, we have to abide in the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:3-11), instead of abiding to our sinful nature (Galatians 5:24-25).

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)

Therefore, we have to overcome the world (John 5:1-5). This is because without overcoming the world, we are not able to fully devoted to God (Matthew 6:24), due to the fact that the desires of the Spirit is contrary to the desires of our own nature (Galatians 5:17). In addition to this, the word of God states, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?” (James 4:4-5) This is the reason why water baptism is so important because it would enable us to live as a new creation in Christ Jesus for the kingdom of God.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (Romans 6:3-8)

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:5-7)