Freedom Through Union With Christ
How Jesus Not Only Forgives Sin, But Breaks Its Dominion
Summer Liberty in Christ – Week 1
One of the most beautiful truths of the gospel is that salvation is far more than forgiveness. In Jesus Christ, the believer is not only pardoned from sin’s penalty—he is united to Christ Himself. This union is the foundation of true spiritual liberty.
When Christ saves a sinner, He does not merely improve the old life. He brings that sinner into a living relationship with Himself so that what is true of Christ becomes the basis of the believer’s new life. That means Christ did not only die for us—according to Scripture, those who are in Him also died with Him, were buried with Him, and are raised to walk in newness of life.
That truth changes everything.
What Does It Mean to Be United With Christ?
Romans 6 gives us one of the clearest pictures of this glorious truth.
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
— Romans 6:6 KJV
To be united with Christ means that by faith, the believer is joined to Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. We are no longer merely people trying to do better or fight sin from the outside. We have been joined to the risen Savior, and that union changes our identity, our standing, and our relationship to sin.
Before salvation, we were in Adam—under condemnation, under sin’s dominion, and spiritually dead. But in Christ, everything changes. The believer now belongs to a new Head, a new life, and a new kingdom.
Our Old Man Was Crucified With Him
Paul says in Romans 6:6:
“Our old man is crucified with him…”
The old man refers to who we were in Adam—our former identity under sin’s rule, guilt, and corruption. It is the old life of bondage and slavery to sin. When Christ died, God counted the believer’s old man as crucified with Him.
That means the believer is no longer defined by the old life.
The old self that lived under sin’s tyranny has been brought under the judgment of the cross. This does not mean the flesh disappears or that temptation ends, but it does mean that the old master no longer has rightful dominion over the believer.
This is why Paul could also say:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…”
— Galatians 2:20 KJV
The cross is not only where Christ paid for our sins. It is also where the old life of bondage was judged.
Freedom From Sin’s Dominion
Romans 6:6 continues:
“…that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
The word destroyed here does not mean that the sinful nature is completely annihilated. It means that sin’s ruling power has been broken. The body of sin has been rendered powerless as a reigning master.
That is one of the great themes of Romans 6: the believer is no longer a slave to sin.
Sin may still tempt.
The flesh may still fight.
The battle may still be real.
But through union with Christ, the believer is no longer under sin’s dominion as he once was.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
— Romans 6:14 KJV
This is the difference between merely wanting freedom and actually possessing it in Christ. Freedom from sin is not rooted in self-discipline alone. It is rooted in what Jesus has already accomplished and in the believer’s union with Him.
Buried With Christ, Raised to Walk in Newness of Life
Union with Christ is not only about death to the old life. It is also about resurrection into a new life.
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
— Romans 6:4 KJV
The believer is not left empty after the old man is crucified. God does not merely strip away the old life—He gives a new one.
To be raised with Christ means we now live in resurrection life. We are no longer trying to reform the flesh or polish the old man. We are called to walk in a new life empowered by the risen Christ.
This means the Christian life is not merely about avoiding sin. It is about living in fellowship with God, walking in holiness, and enjoying the liberty Christ purchased.
Because we are united to Christ, we now have:
- a new identity
- a new standing before God
- a new relationship to sin
- a new power for obedience
- a new direction for life
Union With Christ Is the Foundation of Liberty
This is why true freedom is not found in trying harder to defeat sin in our own strength. If all God had given us were commands, we would still be powerless. But He has done more than command us to live differently—He has joined us to Christ.
That means the believer can say:
🌿 Christ died, and I died with Him.
🌿 Christ was buried, and my old life was buried with Him.
🌿 Christ rose again, and I have been raised to walk in newness of life.
This is not positive thinking. This is gospel reality.
The believer’s liberty begins with this union. We do not fight sin hoping one day to become free. We fight sin from freedom because Christ has already broken its dominion.
Reckon Yourself Dead Indeed Unto Sin
Because this is true, Romans 6 gives believers a practical command:
“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
— Romans 6:11 KJV
To reckon means to count something as true because God says it is true. It means we stop viewing ourselves merely through the lens of past bondage and begin seeing ourselves as those who are united to Christ.
This is where liberty begins to shape daily living.
When temptation comes, the believer is no longer responding as one still enslaved. He is to remember:
- I am no longer who I once was.
- Sin is no longer my rightful master.
- I belong to Christ.
- I have been raised to live for God.
Reckoning is not pretending the battle is easy. It is choosing to stand in the truth of what Christ has already accomplished.
Freedom Through Union Leads to Yielding
Romans 6 does not stop at doctrine. It moves directly into daily application.
“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God…”
— Romans 6:13 KJV
Because we are united to Christ, we are now called to yield ourselves unto God.
Union with Christ is the root.
Yielding to God is the fruit.
We no longer offer our bodies, minds, words, and desires to sin. We now present them to God as instruments of righteousness.
This is what liberty looks like in daily life:
- hands once used for sin now serve God
- a mouth once used carelessly now speaks truth
- a mind once ruled by the flesh is now renewed by Scripture
- a life once dominated by self is now yielded to Christ
The freedom Christ gives is not freedom to live however we want. It is freedom to belong wholly to Him.
Why This Matters for the Christian Life
If you are a child of God, your battle with sin must be fought from the right foundation. You are not trying to earn victory. You are not trying to create a new identity for yourself. You are not trying to crucify the old man by your own efforts.
If you are in Christ, the old man has been crucified with Him.
You are not fighting for freedom.
You are fighting from freedom.
That does not make the battle light or easy, but it does make it hopeful. The believer is no longer under sin’s tyranny. He belongs to the risen Christ.
And because Christ lives, the believer’s liberty is real.
Final Encouragement
Freedom through union with Christ means the believer is no longer defined by the old life of sin, but by the new life of the risen Savior.
This is one of the sweetest truths of the gospel: Jesus does not merely rescue sinners from judgment. He joins them to Himself and gives them a whole new life.
So when you feel the pull of the flesh…
when you are discouraged by the battle…
when you are tempted to believe sin still owns you…
remember what the Word of God says:
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him…”
— Romans 6:6 KJV
Because of Christ, the chains of the old life have been broken.
Because of Christ, sin is no longer your rightful master.
Because of Christ, you have been raised to walk in newness of life.
And because of Christ, liberty is not just a promise for the future—it is a present reality for every believer united to Him.
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
— John 8:36 KJV
🌿 Freedom through union with Christ means the believer does not stand before sin alone, but in the victory of the crucified and risen Savior.
Goodies and the Gospel 
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