What does it mean to be planted in the likeness of Christ's death in Romans 6?
Being planted in the likeness of His death means being buried with Christ, experiencing death before new life can come. Just as a seed must be planted and buried to germinate, a person must be planted in His death and burial in order to have new life.
Les explains that Paul uses the seed analogy in Romans 6: a kernel of wheat must be planted and buried, not left on top of the ground, before new life can emerge. In the same way, the believer must be planted in the likeness of Christ's death and buried with Him; there must be an experience of death before new life. Les emphasizes that unless we have been buried with Him, we cannot have new life. He also notes that until Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, He could not be the true object of faith to a Gentile, because He was on covenant ground and dealt only with the Jew.
More Questions
What does Romans 6 teach that we must do with Christ's death?
In Romans 6 Paul makes plain that we have to identify with what Christ accomplished on our behalf on the cross, and that this identification happens through what Christ did.