Walking in Newness of Life Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just...

Walking in Newness of Life

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:4


“the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”

In verse 12 the apostle writes,

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”


How do we do this?When we are baptized into Christ we must take on the mindset of God.Rom. 12:1-2 – not conformed to the world but transformed by the word of God


How can we accomplish this transformation?• Resolutions – How often do resolutions

work? – Matt. 6:27• Dealing with one sin at a time – Which sin

will you start with? How long will you spend on that sin? Will you continue to sin in other ways while you work on that one?

– Luke 18:22


• Focus on the negative does not leave room for the positive. – Matt. 23:23

• Copying one characteristic at a time – this leads to lopsided and irregular growth. While we may concentrate our efforts in particular areas we should realize that other characteristics are growing too. – 2 Peter 1:5-8


How do we walk in newness of life?It is similar to Newton’s First Law of Motion:An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.


We do not change ourselves but God’s word changes us.Acts 9:1-22 – we see the effect of God’s word on the life of Saul has he changed directionActs 17:32-34 – some of the Athenians changed the direction of their worshipRom. 6:17-18 – obedience to God’s word comes from the heart and we become slaves of righteousness no longer slaves of sin


The idea of assimilationThe term "assimilation" describes a change in individual or group identity that results from continuous social interaction between members of two groups such that members of one group (often a minority culture group) enter into and become a part of a second group (often a majority culture group). In this process of assimilation, the minority group or culture may disappear by losing its members to the larger and more dominant cultural group.


The majority group here is the represented by the word of God and the minority is mankind. As we read and study God’s word it cause us to change to its majority.


John 3:5 – we must be born again1 Peter 1:22-23 – we are born again by obedience from a pure heartEph. 4:13 – to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ


The assimilation points toward the likeness of Christ2 Cor. 3:18 – we are transformed into the image of the LordRom. 8:29-30 – we are conformed to His image


The process reaches completion as we abide in Christ.John 15:4-5; 7-8 – as we abide in Christ we bear fruit according to His kind1 John 2:5-6 – we walk as we ought to walk, as He walkedGal. 4:19 – Christ must be formed in us


To walk in newness of life means we must be affected and influenced by the word of God to be moved to obedience. Then, we are assimilated in Christ, again by His word, and conformed in this assimilation to Christ and His image.

Does this describe your walk with Christ?

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