For if we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, so also will we be in the likeness of His resurrection,
Truth to Learn
Christian actions should bear a resemblance to Jesus Christ.
Behind the Words
“We have been” is translated from ginomai, which means “to begin to be” or “to come into existence.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense. The perfect tense in Greek expresses a past completed action with a resultant state of being, but the emphasis is on the resultant state of being. So the emphasis here is on the fact that, because we began to be together with Him in the past we are now joined together with Jesus Christ in form and action.
The word translated “united together” is an interesting word. It is the Greek word sumfutos, which is a compound word made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of phuō, meaning “to germinate, to sprout, or to spring up,” as a plant springs up from the ground. It implies not only a unity of form but a unity of action as well. This expression is representative of a field of grain in which the seeds have all been sown at the same time and have sprung up together, but it is also used of other common experiences. Here it means that we are intimately connected or joined together in form and action with Christ.
Meaning Explained
In this verse Paul declares that if we were joined with Christ in death (by identifying with his death) then we shall also be joined with him in His resurrection. It may seem strange that Paul would use an expression that means “spring up together” as a likeness to death. However, Jesus said this regarding his own death:
Truly, truly, I say to you, If the grain of wheat that falls into the earth does not die, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24)
So Paul is saying that we have been intimately joined together with Christ in our planting (Christ’s death and our identification with that death) and, therefore, it is perfectly natural to assume that we will grow up together with a strong resemblance of each other. That’s why Paul says that “so also will we be in the likeness of His resurrection.”
The Apostle John said this about our resurrection body:
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it was not yet been revealed what we will be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1John 3:2)
Some day we will have a resurrected body just like Jesus has now! But Paul is not referring to the body here as John is in his letter. Paul is telling us that because we have been planted together with Christ, portrayed by baptism, we should resemble Him even now, not physically but behaviorally. In fact, the very name “Christian” that we carry with such pride and joy means “one who is like Christ.”
Application
If we are going to bear His name, then we need to bear His resemblance, acting like Him as well! Lord, help me to so resemble Jesus Christ that people around me will see Him in all that I do.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved