Romans 6:4

‘We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.'

Thus Spiritually as those who are ‘in Christ' they were ‘buried with Him through baptism unto death', dying and being buried with Him in Spiritual union with Him that they might also rise with Him. They have been united with Him in His burial so that they might experience His true death. That Christ ‘died and was buried' was fundamental to the early church (1 Corinthians 15:3) so that His burial is the final seal on His death. Being buried with Him was proof that they had died with Him. Burial is death intensified. Thus they have ‘put on Christ' (Galatians 3:27) in His death.

In the same way our recognition of our burial ‘with Him' is the final seal on the fact that we recognise that we have died with Him. And this so that ‘like as Christ was raised from the dead for the glory of the Father, we also might walk in newness of life'. This newness of life can only signify life in the Spirit ‘in Christ' (compare Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16; Galatians 5:24). It is the new life by which we were ‘made alive' when all our trespasses were forgiven (Colossians 2:13), when we were ‘raised with Him through faith in the working of God Who raised Him from the dead ' (Colossians 2:12). It is indicative of the new man who has been created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24; contrast the ‘old man' in Romans 6:6 below), of the fact that in Christ we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

‘Through the glory of the Father' indicates the glory of the Father as revealed in what He accomplished. We might paraphrase as ‘through the Father's glorious act whereby He revealed His glory'. It indicates the Father's glorious power as revealed in resurrection (see Ephesians 1:17 onwards where it is the Father of glory Who raises Christ from the dead and exalts Him above all), something which brings glory to Him in His omnipotence. It indicates the demonstration of His life-giving power and righteousness (righteousness because Christ's resurrection demonstrated both the Father's righteousness and His own righteousness. It was because He was wholly righteous that He could be righteously raised). Compare John 17:5 where Jesus was to be raised again in order to be restored to His former glory, the glory which He had with the Father before the world was. And even to see Lazarus raised from the dead would to some extent be to see the glory of the Father (John 11:40; John 11:23). The raising of Lazarus was possible because Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). It thus revealed the glory of the Father. Note here also the implied connection of sinlessness with the glory of the Father. Compare Romans 3:23. To sin is to come short of the glory of the Father. So to be involved in the glory of the Father is to be sinless, and to repudiate sin.