The concept of a “new life in Christ” is a cornerstone of Christian theology, representing a profound and radical transformation that extends beyond mere behavioral modification into the very core of a person’s identity. This new existence is not something achieved through human effort but is a divine gift received through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, in his letters to the Romans and the Colossians, provides a comprehensive framework for understanding this transformation. Romans 6 establishes the foundational, objective reality of this new life, while Colossians 3 offers a practical, step-by-step guide to living it out. By examining these passages in sequence, we can construct a clear guide to the architecture of this transformed existence.
Step 1: Understanding the Foundational Shift – Death to Sin, Life in Christ (Romans 6:1-4, 12-14)
Before one can live a new life, one must first comprehend the event that makes it possible. In Romans 6, Paul addresses a critical theological question arising from his doctrine of grace: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” (Romans 6:1, NIV). His response is an emphatic “By no means!” and he proceeds to explain why continued, willful sin is utterly incompatible with the Christian identity. This explanation serves as the foundational step in understanding the new life.
The core of Paul’s argument is built upon the believer’s union with Christ, symbolized powerfully in the act of baptism. He writes, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4).
Here, Paul reveals a profound spiritual reality. Baptism is not merely a public ritual but a visual representation of an ontological shift. To be “in Christ” is to be mystically united with Him in His pivotal acts of salvation. This means:
- Death to Sin’s Dominion: The believer has participated in Christ’s death. This is not a metaphorical death but a definitive break with the power and authority of sin. The “old self,” the person defined by rebellion and enslaved to sin, was crucified with Christ. Therefore, sin is no longer the believer’s master. Theologian Douglas J. Moo refers to this as a change in “spheres of influence.” The believer has been transferred from the realm where sin reigns to the realm where grace reigns.
- Resurrection to a New Life: Just as participation in Christ’s death is a reality, so is participation in His resurrection. This is the positive side of the transformation. Having died to sin, the believer is raised to “walk in newness of life.” This is not merely a future hope but a present reality, empowered by the very same divine power that brought Jesus forth from the grave.
This foundational reality leads to a crucial imperative, detailed in verses 12-14: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body… Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life.” Because our identity has fundamentally changed, our allegiance must also change. We are no longer conscripts in sin’s army but willing servants of God. The promise that grounds this command is powerful: “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). This is the indicative (what is true of you) that empowers the imperative (what you must do).
In summary, Step 1 is the intellectual and spiritual grasping of one’s new identity. It is the realization that, through union with Christ, the old life has ended and a new one has begun.
Step 2: The Cognitive Reorientation – Setting Your Mind on Things Above (Colossians 3:1-4)
Having established the foundational reality in Romans 6, Paul, in Colossians 3, provides the practical next step. If we have truly been “raised with Christ,” this new status must lead to a new mindset. This is the crucial bridge between identity and action.
Paul writes, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-2). This is a command for a radical cognitive reorientation.
- Shifting Perspective: “Things above” refers to the spiritual realities and values of God’s kingdom—righteousness, truth, love, and redemption—personified in the exalted Christ. “Earthly things,” in this context, are not the good things of creation, but a worldview limited to the transient, sinful, and ultimately empty pursuits of this age. To set one’s mind above is to adopt heaven’s value system and to view all of life through the lens of Christ’s sovereignty and purpose.
- Securing Identity: Paul reinforces the basis for this mental shift: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). This echoes the theme of Romans 6. Our true, essential life is no longer vulnerable to the whims of the world; it is secure, protected, and defined by its connection to Christ. This security frees the believer from the desperate need for earthly validation and empowers a focus on eternal matters. This reorientation is fueled by the hope of future glory: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).
Step 2, therefore, is the conscious and continuous act of redirecting one’s thoughts, ambitions, and values from an earthly, self-centered framework to a heavenly, Christ-centered one.
Step 3: The Process of Mortification – Putting Off the Old Self (Colossians 3:5-11)
With a new identity established and a new mindset being cultivated, the practical work of transformation begins. This involves a decisive and ongoing process of elimination that theologians call “mortification.” Paul commands, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (Colossians 3:5). This is the active, deliberate work of rooting out the behaviors that characterized the old life.
Paul lists specific examples of these “earthly” vices, which can be categorized:
- Sins of Desire (v. 5): “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” These are sins rooted in disordered affections, where a created thing or experience is desired more than God, making it an idol.
- Sins of Temper and Speech (v. 8): “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.” These are destructive relational sins that tear at the fabric of community.
- Sins of Deceit (v. 9): “Do not lie to each other.” Lying is a fundamental violation of the character of God, who is truth.
The reason for this “putting to death” is that these practices are incompatible with the new self: “since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:9-10). This renewal dismantles the social and ethnic barriers that define the old world, creating a new humanity where “there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (Colossians 3:11).
Step 3 is the practical, daily discipline of saying “no” to the remnants of the old self, actively starving sinful patterns of thought and behavior.
Step 4: The Practice of Adornment – Putting On the New Self (Colossians 3:12-17)
The new life is not merely a void created by the absence of sin; it is a vibrant existence filled with the positive virtues of Christ. This is the constructive part of the transformation, the “putting on” or “adorning” of the new self. Paul instructs, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with…” (Colossians 3:12).
The “clothes” of this new life are the virtues that reflect the character of Christ:
- Core Relational Virtues (v. 12-13): “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another… Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” These are not abstract qualities but are expressed actively within the Christian community, particularly through forbearance and forgiveness.
- The Unifying Virtue (v. 14): “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Love is the supreme virtue that animates and perfects all the others, ensuring they are not practiced out of mere duty but from a genuine, Christ-like affection for others.
- The Governing Principles of the New Community (v. 15-17): The outworking of these virtues results in a transformed community governed by the “peace of Christ,” saturated with the “message of Christ” through worship and teaching, and motivated by a desire to do everything “in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Step 4 is the positive, constructive practice of cultivating Christ-like character, replacing old vices with new virtues and allowing love to be the guiding principle of all actions.
In conclusion, the new life in Christ is a comprehensive transformation, beginning with a foundational shift in identity through union with Christ (Romans 6) and lived out through a continuous process of mental reorientation, active mortification of sin, and the deliberate cultivation of Christian virtue (Colossians 3). It is a journey from death to life, from slavery to freedom, and from a self-centered existence to a God-glorifying life lived in the power of the resurrected Christ.
References
- Bruce, F. F. (1984). The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Eerdmans.
- Moo, D. J. (2018). The Letter to the Romans. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (2nd ed.). Eerdmans.
- Wright, N. T. (2002). The Letter to the Romans. The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. X. Abingdon Press.
- Wright, N. T. (1986). Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Inter-Varsity Press.
- Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Zondervan Academic.
