How can we die in the person of Christ?
We die in Christ on the cross by identification, by faith, by trust—believing that when He died, I died, and when He died, you died. Paul states that if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.
Les explains that just as a seed must die before it germinates and produces new life, the spiritual realm works the same way: death, burial, and resurrection. Because we are born in sin, God's law says we must surely die, but there is a loophole—we can die in the person of Christ on the cross by identification, by faith, by trust, believing that when He died, I died. Les connects this to Paul's statement that if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. This is the believer's blessed hope; death for the saint is glorious, while for those who have not experienced this identification, death is to be feared.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
More Questions
What does it mean to be planted together in the likeness of Christ's death?
Being planted together in the likeness of Christ's death means our old Adam has died and must be crucified, identifying us with His death.
How can we be sure we will be resurrected in Christ's likeness?
Just as two kernels of wheat planted side by side both come up the same and are wheat, so those planted in the likeness of His resurrection will be resurrected in His likeness — the outcome is as certain as the seed producing its own kind.