At the heart of the believer’s genuine spiritual growth and maturity is faith resting on the objective truth of our identification in and with the Lord Jesus Christ.

“he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Prior to our faith unto salvation our “spirit of man” (Zech. 12:1) was separate from “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2a), but after faith has come… we are “One spirit” with Him.

The Scripture speaks of these four key events in our Savior’s redemption work which constitute what has been called ‘Banners of Blessing’ in the life of every child of God. Let’s mark them closely:

1. ‘Believers are United to Christ in His Death’ and thus are free from Sin’s dominion.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...” (Gal. 2:20).
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?”
“Knowing that our old man IS crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed (Gk. kartargeo, made of no effect) , that henceforth we should not serve sin.
“For he that is dead is freed from sin (from Sin’s dominion)” (Rom. 6:3,6,7).

It is by this “baptism into death (not water)” (Rom. 6:4) that God deals with our sin nature. Christ dying for us paid the debt of our failures, our sins. This is more. Here is Christ dying as us and us dying with Him. It is the latter that deals with the root of our sin problem, just as the former deals with its fruit. For the ‘Sin-nature’ automatically produces ‘sins.’

As wonderful as it is to have our sins forgiven and the burden of guilt removed, we must have more--else we continue in bondage to sin’s slavery. We need freedom--liberation--from “sin’s galling fetters.” And that too is ours by “baptism into death...for he that is dead is freed from sin.”

Because we are “crucified with Christ,” our “Old Man is crucified with Him.” (Rom. 6:6). Sin’s authority has been broken and we no longer are under its “dominion” – we had been sinning because we were sinners.

“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
“For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Rom. 6:17,18,20-22).

The only answer for sin is death, “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Thus, our identification with Christ in His death “breaks the power of cancelled sin and sets the prisoner free.”

“Sin in the flesh” is not out of ‘calling distance,’ but believers are free from its authority and dominance -- free to not answer ‘the call.’ Living in this freedom, of course, is a matter of faith, which reminds us that our co-crucifixion with Christ also separates us from the realm of the Law:

“For he that is dead is freed from sin (from Sin’s dominion).” Romans 6:7 (KJV)

 “For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14).

Religion’s performance-based-acceptance program of law no longer holds sway in our lives. We are now under the authority of the free-gift program of grace, resting and rejoicing in all that God is free to do for us because of the merits and accomplishments of His Son at the Cross (Rom. 7:4-6).

Sin has been successfully and completely dealt with by the cross-work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our co-crucifixion with Him sets us free from sin’s dominion and authority, as well as the Law system, for “the strength of sin is the law” (I Cor. 15:56). Thus, our death--our ruin--has been made the very means of our triumph through Jesus Christ our Lord!!

2. ‘Believers are United with Christ in His Burial’ thus “putting away” our old identity in Adam and all that it stands for. “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death...” (Rom. 6:4).

“Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12).

Burial has to do with a “putting away,” as in Genesis 23:4, where we read of Abraham’s desire to “bury my dead out of my sight.” As Miles Stanford put it, “There, in Christ’s Tomb, we see ourselves as dead unto Adam and all that he represents.”

Notice that this “baptism into death” is the “operation of God,” not a pastor or priest. It is defined in I Cor. 12:13: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” In other words, this is a spiritual transaction, a spiritual identification of the believer with Jesus Christ and is the basis of all positional truth “in Christ.”

3. ‘Believers are United with Christ in His Resurrection’ and filled with His life, His resurrection life!

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1; see also Rom. 6:4, Eph. 2:4, Gal. 2:20, Col. 3:4, etc.).

It is this “newness of life” that now animates, energizes and empowers us as we simply reckon ourselves to

“dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 6:11).

In our co-resurrection with Christ we have been given a new life with a new nature. The old life is not changed but rather exchanged for that which is altogether new (2 Cor. 5:17-18). Forever freed from our former relationship to the first Adam, our Father wants us now to see ourselves from His point of view
--new creatures in Christ Jesus. This is our current, real, actual identity. We are safely and forever on resurrection ground in Him who is our life! Galatians 2:20 should be read here!!

4. ‘Believers are United with Christ in His Ascension’ thus sharing His position at the Father’s right hand.

“And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6)

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. ² Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. ³ For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Col. 3:1-4)

Having identified us with His Son on the cross and in the tomb, the Father not only raised us up from the dead to walk in newness of life but He has also positioned us in Christ Jesus at His own right hand--the right hand of fellowship and authority!

We are “joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17) and participants with Him in His authority in “the heavenly places” (cf. Col. 1:16-18). Sin is dethroned, Satan is a defeated foe and now Christ “is our life” (Col 3:4)!

It is now ours to occupy by faith the position in which our Father has already placed us. My friend, honor Him and His rightly divided “Word of truth” by standing in your totally adequate and exclusive position in our glorified Head at the right hand of the Father.