by Father Gerard Beigel, S.T.D.

Chapter six of Paul's letter to the Romans occupies a privileged place in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. This text is cited in every celebration of baptism in the Church. Romans 6 is also quoted at every funeral liturgy, in the opening rite of the reception into the Church of the body of the deceased. Most importantly, Romans 6 is one of the required Scripture readings that are proclaimed during the solemn Easter Vigil liturgy as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This section of Paul's letter to the Romans represents the very heart of the great Apostle's spirituality, which involves knowledge and experience of the saving power of Christ's cross for us. The Church recognizes the universal importance of this spirituality of the cross by its use of Romans 6 in the liturgies of baptisms, funerals, and the Easter Vigil. Yet despite the emphasis given to Roman 6 in these varied liturgical settings, the fact remains that few Catholics really know and experience the power of Christ's cross in the manner described by St. Paul. Why is this?

The problem is twofold. Paul's teaching in Romans 6 has two aspects: first, the doctrinal teaching about what happened for us when Jesus Christ died upon the cross; and second, how we apply this doctrinal truth in our daily experience. To grasp Paul's spirituality of the cross, we must grasp both the doctrine he teaches and be able to apply experientially this teaching in our daily life. That is, we must be able to call upon the power of the cross to combat temptations, root out strongholds of sin within us, and put on the new life in Christ.

But the doctrine of the cross and the experiential application of the power of the cross in our life cannot be separated. Here is an area of Christian truth where knowledge and experience necessarily stand or fall together. If we claim to know Paul's teaching about the cross, but do not apply it in our lives, in fact the knowledge we claim to have is an illusion. Of course, it goes without saying that we cannot apply the teaching about the cross unless we first know what it is. So the problem that few Christians are able to grasp the teaching of St. Paul in Romans 6 can only be remedied by a twofold approach. First, we must examine Paul's profound explanation of what happened when Christ died upon the cross. And second, we must then learn how to apply this power of the cross in our daily struggle to overcome sin and live in Christ.

Romans 6:1–14

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be rendered powerless, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace. In the rest of this essay, we will examine first the doctrinal teaching on the cross in Romans 6 and then consider how this teaching must be applied in our daily experience. The doctrinal teaching is concentrated in Paul's statement in Romans 6:6: "We know that our old self was crucified with him [Christ] so that the sinful body might be rendered powerless, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin." In a similar way, the experiential application of this power of the cross is summarized in Romans 6:11: "Therefore, you also must reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." As we grasp this two-fold focus of Paul's spirituality of the cross, we will grow in our love for what Christ did for us when he died on the cross, and we will also experience new power through the cross to overcome habit patterns of sin in our life.

The Doctrinal Teaching Concerning the Cross of Jesus Christ:

The first ten verses of Romans 6 present Paul's teaching about what happened for us when Christ died upon the cross. The previous part of the letter proclaims that all human beings are powerless to overcome sin and that this fact explains why Christ had to die for our sin. However, the above truth that Paul defends so vigorously can quickly be misinterpreted. Since we can't do anything to overcome sin and since the only solution for sin is Christ's death, wouldn't it be right to conclude that everyone can go on sinning, because Christ's death will wash us clean? This is the question Paul poses in the first verse of Romans 6: "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" Of course, this is a gross interpretation to put forth, but many Catholics do something similar when they willingly commit sins, thinking that they can just go to the Sacrament of Confession later. These attempted rationalizations of sin only indicate how ungrateful human beings can be in response to the forgiveness of sins that is accomplished by Christ through his death on the cross.

Although it may seem that we ourselves would not take the power of Christ's death for granted, the question that Paul poses in Romans 6:1 is meant as a warning to us. The fact that so many Christians do not understand or apply the power of the cross in their lives indicates that our acceptance of the saving power of Christ's death for us is marred by hidden roots of ingratitude and presumption in our hearts. Deep down, we, too, do not think that we need such a radical solution for our sin. We prefer to think that we can do something ourselves. We still imagine that we are "basically okay," and that overcoming our sin doesn't require a total interior transformation, but just a few exterior adjustments in our personality. It is against such vanity that Paul explains plainly and powerfully what happened for us when Christ died.

The central truth is that the solution for human sin requires that our entire "old life" be put to death. The corrosive effects of sin reach so deeply into us, that our hearts themselves are corrupted. A band-aid placed here and there upon our exterior personality will not heal the inner ravages we inflict upon ourselves through sin. Thus, the solution is plain: the sinner must die. But this death takes place mystically by participation in Christ's death upon the cross: "How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or don't you know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" (Romans 6:2–3) The truth is stated even more plainly in Romans 6:6:

"We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be rendered powerless, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin."

St. Paul's Teaching on the Cross

Gal 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live. Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me.

2 Cor 4:10–11: We are always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

2 Cor 5:14–15: We are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

2 Cor 5:21: For our sake God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Col 2:11–12: In Christ you also were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ. And you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. So, Paul's teaching about what happened for us when Christ died upon the cross is plain. Because he had authority over all human life, Jesus Christ took all humanity to himself on the cross. He gathered into himself the entire sinful nature of mankind. Thus, in Christ's crucifixion and death, the "old self" of every man, woman and child—that is, the old life within us dominated by sin—was crucified with him so that "just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). The Christian life is quite literally a dying and rising in Christ. Our old life under the power of sin is crucified in and with Christ upon the cross, and we are then given new life in Christ—a participation in the resurrection life of Christ through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is the good news! Christ has truly set us free from sin by the most radical transformation possible. As Paul proclaims in another key text on the power of the cross: "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live. Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me" (Gal 2:20).

This is the doctrinal teaching about the power of Christ's cross that Paul lays out in the first part of Romans 6. Beginning with verse 11, the great Apostle then proceeds to teach us how to apply this power of the cross in our own lives. The principles of the application are relatively simple. But the daily practice of applying the power of Christ's cross in our lives requires a daily crucifixion of self, in which we "reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ" (Rom 6:11).

The Experiential Application of the Power of the Cross in Our Lives:

It is clear from St. Paul's words in Romans 6:11–14 that he considers it possible for Christians to have authority over the sinful passions and drives that arise within us:

"So you also must reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

This text proclaims a basic optimism with regard to the Christian struggle against sin. We can illuminate this confidence even more by contrasting this attitude with a common experience of Catholics in the Sacrament of Confession. We are all familiar with the situation in which we return again and again to confess sins that seem so deeply ingrained in us that it appears impossible for any positive change or transformation to occur. In reality, however, this experience reflects a failure on our part to appropriate and apply the power of the cross in our lives. Against this, Paul proclaims quite plainly that the truth of the cross should become a liberating grace in our own lives as we learn to apply its power over the drives of sin within us.

How can we begin to apply the power of Christ's cross in our lives? The above passage states the basic requirement. We must first understand what happened when Christ died for us—that our old nature under sin was crucified with him, so that what is crucified and dead should no longer have any power within us. This means that a Christian must grow ever more deeply in love with the work that Christ accomplished for us on his cross. Our spiritual life has to involve a regular, even daily, rootedness in the cross. We must frequently read and ponder Scripture passages like Romans 6 and Hebrews 9–10, which present prophetic teaching on the power of the cross. As we love this work of Jesus Christ, we will also commit to memory certain key passages like Romans 6:6 and Romans 6:11, both of which summarize powerfully the Scriptural teaching on Christ's cross. These passages, understood and held with love in our hearts, will be spiritual power for us when we face struggles against temptation and sin.

The most vital part of loving the work of the cross is to begin and end each of our days securely on the foundation of Christ's death for us. For example, when we rise from bed each day we can make a short profession of faith in the power of Christ's cross and ask the Lord to position us on the ground of his cross and for him to plant his cross in our life that day. In a similar way, at the end of the day, we can make an examination of conscience by first reviewing how much or how little we stayed upon the foundation of Christ's cross. For example, when faced with a temptation to anger or fear during the day, did we immediately remember that we are dead in Christ to these things, did we immediately call upon the Lord to apply his cross and cut off the temptation from our hearts? Or did we forget the cross, indulge temptation and then attempt later to deal with the sin and guilt on our own power? These are the spiritual practices that manifest whether or not one loves the cross of Jesus Christ.

If one does not love Christ's cross in the above manner, then moments of temptation during the day will expose our spiritual nakedness and we will be plundered again and again by falling into habit patterns of sin. Although we can surely receive forgiveness for these repeated falls through recourse to the Sacrament of Confession, it is clear that confession and forgiveness only communicate part of the power of the cross. The confession of sins without the daily reckoning of ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God can only place us in a situation of spiritual futility. We will end up like the person who confesses a sin, is forgiven, and then goes out to commit the same sin again, because we are only dealing with the sins we commit and not with the sinner who commits the sin. Where is the power of Christ's cross being manifested in this type of pattern? We must always remember and treasure that Jesus' death deals not only with sin through forgiveness, but that his death also deals with the sinner. Not only does he forgive our sin, but he also crucifies the sinner, so that we might truly rise to new life in and with him. However, we only experience this latter grace by choosing daily to love and apply the power of the cross in our lives.

If we love the work that Christ accomplished for us on the cross and if we daily build our life upon this foundation, we will be in a strong spiritual position to counteract moments of temptation and ingrained habit patterns of sin as they inevitably arise during our daily struggles. For example, let us consider someone who struggles with impatience and anger or with the sin of gossip and judging others. Such a person does not have to lie helpless in the face of these ingrained tendencies towards sin. As the person loves the cross and builds his or her life on this foundation every day, the grace to combat sin is surely at hand. At first, as the person begins to apply the spiritual principle of reckoning himself dead to sin and alive to God, it may not immediately result in overcoming sinful patterns. What will happen, however, is that the person will immediately become more aware of when he has given in to these temptations and sins. The moment of recognition and repentance will come much more quickly after the sin is committed. This is already the first step towards victory. It is important not to become discouraged by failure, but to thank God that one is recognizing the problem and quickly repenting. At the same time, one must continue the daily practice of reckoning oneself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.

As we persevere in applying the cross of Christ to our life, eventually what will happen is that we will notice the movements of temptation as they arise in us and before we fall into sin. It is at this point that recourse to Christ's cross is most important. If I am struggling with a temptation to impatience, anger, judgment or gossip, victory can only be secured by proclaiming that I have been crucified with Christ, that I no longer live, but that Christ now lives in me. I must specifically reckon myself dead to the temptations that are assailing me, but alive to God in Christ. As I call on Jesus to plant his cross and allow me to share in his death and resurrection in the specific moment of temptation, I will be ready to receive the grace of Christ and his cross. It is not God's will that we fall to temptation and sin. Rather, the Lord specifically promises that with every temptation, grace is offered to resist. This grace is precisely remembering, treasuring and calling upon the power of Christ's cross. To the extent that the cross is truly the foundation of our life, we will see habit patterns of sin rendered powerless as we call upon Christ in our moments of temptation.

Tips for Putting the Teaching on the Cross into Practice

• Remember the truth: our old self was crucified with Christ so that we might no longer be slaves to sin.
• Daily reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
• Love the cross of Christ. Make it a regular part of your spiritual life to read and ponder the teaching in the New Testament on the cross (Rom 6; Hebrews 9–10).
• What are the habit patterns of sin that God wants you to confront and render powerless through Christ's cross?
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• Daily reckon yourself dead to these drives, especially when moments of temptation arise.
• What are the character wounds in you that are at the root of the above habit patterns of sin?
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• For these character wounds, repent of your sinful responses, forgive those who have wounded you, then reckon the whole "old life" under the character wound as crucified and dead in Christ.
• Pray for God's blessing over each of the areas of temptation, sin, and character wounds.

The good news is that the cross of Christ can heal and undo even these early wounds to our character. Every moment of our life is present to God. This means that God can heal the wounds in our past. Part of this healing involves repenting of sinful ways that we have responded to the wounds. Inner healing is never a matter of blaming those who hurt us, but rather of us taking responsibility for the harmful and sinful ways that we have responded to the wounds. Forgiveness, too, is vital to such healing. If we do not forgive those who have wounded us we are actually holding on to bitterness and hurt in our hearts and this will completely block healing and transformation. Beyond the need for repentance and forgiveness, we must also call upon the power of Christ's cross to set us free from the "old life" that is represented by the wounding. We must specifically reckon the attitudes and expectations of the old life that spring from the wound as dead, crucified on the cross with Christ. And we must likewise pray blessings and new life over the area of our life where we were wounded. Thus, through the cross of Christ, inner healing is accomplished in accord with the pattern of dying and rising with Christ.¹

Conclusion:

The redemption of all people is only accomplished by the death of Jesus upon the cross. This truth is the foundation of all transformation and holiness in us. Because Christ's cross is the price of our redemption, we must treasure this gift unceasingly throughout life. Joy and gratitude to God for the work of the cross must be the bedrock of any Christian spirituality. At the same time, Christ calls us to apply the power of the cross in our lives so that we may truly "take up our cross and follow him." As St. Paul teaches so clearly in Romans 6, taking up the cross in our lives can only happen if we daily reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. The Good News is that Jesus has saved us through his cross and gives us the means to be fixed with him in death to sin and life to God.

Father Gerard Beigel teaches at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, Colorado, and writes regularly for The California Mission.