ALREADY DEAD
We have seen that God wants us to die, that He wants us to live Him out, and that the most pleasing thing to Him is that we not only live for Him, but live by Him. Now we come to the fourth point concerning how to die. This point is that there is no need for us to die because we have died already. Romans 6:3 says, "Or are you ignorant that as many as have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?" According to this verse, we should not be ignorant of the fact that we have already been baptized into Christ’s death. This indicates that we are already dead. Since we are dead, why should we try to die? How foolish! Are you ignorant of the fact that you have already been baptized into Christ’s death? No, we are not ignorant. We know that we have been baptized into Christ’s death.
Furthermore, Romans 6:4 says, "We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into death." This verse does not say that we shall be buried; it says that we have been buried. Have you been buried? Then why are you still trying to die? How can a buried person die? How ridiculous! The Bible says that we have been buried, and we must believe it.
Notice that Romans 6:4 says that we have been buried with Him through baptism into death. Ordinarily, death comes first and then burial. But here the sequence is burial first and death second, for we are buried into Christ’s death. This indicates that before we were buried, we were living. Thus, the way to die is by being buried into Christ’s death. This is the biblical way. Hallelujah, we have been buried! There is no need for us to be buried because we have been buried into death already.
CHRIST AND HIS DEATH
According to Romans 6:3, to be baptized into Christ is equal to being baptized into His death. Furthermore, verse 4 says that we have been buried with Christ through baptism into death. Thus, in this portion of the Word, death equals Christ and Christ, death. Whenever I experience the death of Christ to a rich degree, I realize that the Lord Himself is death to me.
If we all remain in the death of Christ, there will be no problems. The reason a husband has difficulties with his wife is that he comes out of the death of Christ. Whenever we come out of the death of Christ, we cause trouble. If everyone in the church life remains in the death of Christ, all the problems will disappear.
Consider both Romans 6 and your experience. The Bible reveals the wonderful all-inclusive and all-accomplishing death of Christ. We all have been baptized into such a death. This is a fact. As many as have been baptized into Christ have been baptized, buried, into His death. In a very real sense, we Christians need to remain in the death of Christ.
(The Experience of Christ, Chapter 21, by Witness Lee)
