“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him” (2 Timothy 2:11).
This passage brings us to the fourth of five “faithful” sayings that are given to us in the Pastoral Epistles of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. (1) This short, introductory phrase likely comprised a formula that helped the members of the first-century church remember and apply some important spiritual truths.
Perhaps the best explanation of what it means to “die with Christ” is found in the New Testament letter to the Galatians…
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
One commentary explains what this death entails in its various forms…
“Legally, God looks at us as if we had died with Christ. Because our sins died with him, we are no longer condemned (Col_2:13-15). Relationally, we have become one with Christ, and his experiences are ours. Our Christian life began when, in unity with him, we died to our old life (see Rom_6:5-11). In our daily life, we must regularly crucify sinful desires that keep us from following Christ. This, too, is a kind of dying with him (Luk_9:23-25).” (2)
This reference to “dying with Christ” in our daily lives may be easier to understand than it seems. In fact, most people are probably familiar with this general concept. For instance…
- A student may not enjoy studying now but does so in anticipation of the satisfaction and approval that he or she will receive from securing a good grade on a test.
- A musician may not enjoy hours of rehearsal or the repetitive nature of playing scales. Yet the musician willingly rehearses to ensure that he or she will perform a difficult piece flawlessly before an audience.
- An athlete may not enjoy practicing the fundamentals associated with his or her sport. But that same athlete will undoubtedly enjoy getting a hit, scoring a goal, throwing a touchdown, or hitting the game-winning shot because he or she did so.
In a similar manner, the “death” we experience today in turning from sinful behaviors helps prepare us for eternity. In the words of 2 Corinthians 4:17, “…our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
(1) See 1 Timothy 1:15, 1 Timothy 3:1, 1 Timothy 4:9, and Titus 3:8
(2) Life Application Study Bible KJV (p. 1221) Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc., all rights reserved.