Until now the glory of the Lord only incidentally descended down to earth (e.g. on the tabernacle, the temple, the shepherds in the fields). Yet now a man is taken up into the glory of the Almighty! In terms of his human nature this amounts to a wholly new life for Jesus: his appearance is changed, and he is radiant with the lustre of God. But this new life of his has radical implications for those who belong to him as well. We will also share in his divine glory. We transcend both law and sin to become citizens of heaven. This is a third way—our new identity.
Exegetes often interpret the conclusion of Romans 6:4 (walk in newness of life
) in a very restricted way, i.e. as referring to an ethical renewal of life on earth. That is ultimately part of it, but here in Romans 6:4 the apostle is highlighting something else: in order that…we too might walk in newness of life.
Our walking in the newness of life is compared to the resurrection of Christ. Yet the resurrection of Christ is not about Jesus exhibiting the fruits of conversion, but about his glorification. His newness of life
is not ethical but pertains to his glorification. He now walks among the seven lampstands. He has been taken up into the Shechinah. As a man he is now released from death and lives in the world of the high heavens, where he radiates in the presence of the Exalted One. We will also share with him in that newness of life.
This is not a demand, but a promise. What is at issue here is therefore not our lifestyle, but having certainty about our identity in life. We belong to the people who will be in the presence of God by being taken up with Jesus into the glory of the Exalted One!
One of the main reasons why many exegetes apply Romans 6:4 to an ethically responsible lifestyle in the present and not to our glorification in the future is the use of the verb peripatein (walk
). This verb is also often used in the New Testament as referring to a walk of life. Large portions of the New Testament are, after all, concerned with a lifestyle characterized by walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The context here determines the correct meaning of the verb. Taken by itself, peripatein is a general verb that is not restricted to a life governed by specific ethical norms. For example, in Revelation 3:4, a passage that is comparable to Romans 6:4, we read: they will walk with me in white.
Here too, the verb peripatein is used. The meaning of peripatein in Romans 6:4 (conduct oneself, find oneself) is determined by the context and the meaning of the words in newness of life.
The explanation of Romans 6:4 in Romans 6:5 further clarifies that the text here is not (yet) addressing ethics but rather has our future in Christ in view: we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
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4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.