WALKING IN NEWNESS OF LIFE
The whole of Romans 6:4 says, "We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into death that as Christ was raised from among the dead through the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." The Greek word translated "that" here can be rendered "in order that," pointing to a result, an issue. If we are not buried into Christ’s death, we cannot have the result spoken of in this verse. We have been buried into death in order that we may walk in newness of life. The reference to Christ’s being raised from among the dead through the glory of the Father indicates a glorious resurrection. As Christ was raised from among the dead in a glorious resurrection, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
However, many do not experience the death of Christ; yet they endeavor to walk in newness of life. You were the one buried into death. The one who has been resurrected to walk in newness of life is not the original you, the one who was buried; it is Christ with you. We Christians are too natural. Our thinking and our understanding are so natural. We even understand the Bible according to our natural mentality. Because we are still governed by our natural concepts, we may say, "The Bible tells us that we should walk in newness of life. Therefore, let us walk in newness of life." But this is not possible if we have not been buried and if we do not remain in death. If we come out of death, how can we walk in newness of life? It is impossible.
DEATH AND RESURRECTION RELATED TO CHRIST
These verses in Romans 6 also indicate that death and resurrection are related to Christ. Verse 3 says that we have been baptized into Christ and that we have been baptized into His death. This indicates that we cannot be baptized into death apart from Christ. We must be baptized into Christ that we may be baptized into His death. Moreover, verse 4 says that we have been buried with Him. Concerning the matter of death, we cannot be apart from Him. This is also true of resurrection.
This may be difficult to understand, but it is easy to experience. For example, we all breathe constantly. Although I would find it hard to write an article about what breathing is, I nonetheless know how to breathe. When I was an infant, I could breathe without having any knowledge of what breathing was. Likewise, it is easy to experience Christ, but very difficult to explain what we are experiencing. According to my experience, I have been baptized into Christ and into His death. As long as I remain in Him, I remain in death. When I am in Christ, I am in death. The issue, the effect, of this is that I walk in newness of life. Actually, however, it is not I who walk in newness of life; it is Christ. This is proved by Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." In the light of this verse, we can say that it is Christ and not we who walk in newness of life. We know this by our experience.
(The Experience of Christ, Chapter 21, by Witness Lee)
