this passage. The apostle denied that he Hved for himself. He asserts that he lived for God and his people. For, he adds, I died in Christ. This is precisely the argument which he uses in Rom. 6. Shall we continue m sin that grace may abound ? Far from it, he says. How shall they who have died on account of sin live any longer therein ? If united to Christ in his death, we must be united to him in his life. Another consideration in favour of this interpretation is that it comprehends the others. They are objectionable, not be- cause they are erroneous, but because they are defective. Death on account of sin, is death to sin. Dying with Christ, involves death to self and sin ; and of course includes the ob- ligation so to die. The death of Christ reconciles us to God ; and reconciliation to God secures a life of devotion to his ser- vice. This is the doctrine set forth in the Epistle to the Romans, ch. 7.
15. And (that) he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
This is a continuation of the preceding sentence, and is designed to express more fully the judgment or conviction (KptVavras) which the apostle had formed of his relation to Christ. He judged that the death of Christ was the death of his people, and that the design with which he died for them was that they might live for him. This idea is expressed in various forms in the word of God. Sometimes our Lord is said to have died, the just for the unjust, to bring us near to God, 1 Pet. 3, 18 ; or, that w^e, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, 1 Pet. 2, 26 ; or, to purify to himself a pe- culiar people, zealous of good works, Titus 2, 14. In Rom. 14, 9, the mode of statement is exactly parallel to the passage before us. " To this end Christ both died and rose that he might be the Lord both of the dead and living." To say that Christ died that he might be the Lord of his people, is to say that he died that they might be his servants, i. e. belong to him and be devoted to him. The proximate design and effect of the death of Christ is the expiation of sm and recon- ciliation with God, and the design and effect of reconciliation with God are devotion to his service. Hence the death of Christ is sometimes presented in reference to its proximate,