| I Paul wanted his hearers and his readers to understand how I close they were to Christ because of their faith in him. He often used the words 'in Christ' to try and help them understand. In fact it is said that he used that simple phrase about 164 times in his various letters. The opening verses of the chapter plainly teach one of the results of our being in Christ-that we can no longer go on sinning as if we had never been saved. No-one can ever say I that behaviour as a Christian doesn't matter. It is very important that our lives show forth Christ. We all have an 'old nature' which wants to be sinful and I selfish. We were born with it and it will be with us until we die. Only then will we be finally completely released from it. But that does not mean we cannot have victory over that old nature and over the sinful desires that come from it. In God's sight, that old nature died when Christ died on the cross and the Holy Spirit is living within us to help us break the power of our old nature. At the same time, when we came to Christ we were given a new nature, which comes to us frol1l God himself. The Spirit of God wants to help us live in the area of that new nature. Put these thoughts alongside what Paul has said here and I this is what we have: We died (our old nature) when Christ died. In God's sight, that old nature is no longer reigning over us. We rose again with Christ and our new nature is like a resurrection life for us. We are to accept these truths by faith. The Holy Spirit is within us to help us both understand and experience these things. Baptism by immersion is a picture of these truths. A VERSE FOR TODAY: 'Sin shall not have dominion over you.' | 
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