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To arrive at the meaning of these words, we must consider that law regards all punishment in the light of satisfaction. By a crime, the law has been aggrieved; and by the punishment, the law is satisfied. When, therefore, the guilty person has undergone sentence, the law has no further claim upon that man.

I. CHRIST DIED AND UNDERWENT THE EXTREME PUNISHMENT OF THE LAW.

1. He was the One, only, sinless being that ever walked the earth. But He "was made sin." The sins of the world gathered upon that spotless One, and He was treated as if He was one concentrated essence of sin.

2. When He died, it was death indeed. No other death was like that.

(1) Is death the rending of the fine tissue by which spirit and body are mysteriously one? His was the most sensitive and delicate frame that ever was seen — and the soul of Jesus broke through its tabernacle — the body went its way to the sepulchre — the soul winged its flight to Paradise — and Jesus died.

(2) Is death the parting from those whose love makes life? The tender farewell to Mary, and the beloved disciple, showed the dying of the heart of Jesus.

(3) Is death separation from God? Then there was a passage in that dark valley which Jesus walked without a ray of His Father's presence.

3. But the death passed, and it could never be repeated. It was not compatible with the justice of God that Jesus should die again.

II. SEE HOW THIS BEARS UPON OURSELVES.

1. It is God's plan always to deal with man as seen in some federal head. The whole of our race fell in the first Adam, and became involved in his condemnation. Is it arbitrary? See the balance. Christ came to be a federal Head. As the natural members of our body gather up into the natural head, so spiritual believers gather up into Christ.

2. Observe the consequence of this representative system. As soon as ever you are really united to the Lord Jesus Christ, you have died in your covenant Head. There was a sentence of death against you which must be executed — but in Christ you have undergone it. What is the result? You can never be required to pay the forfeit which has been paid, or to die the death which has been died — it is done in Christ, and you are dead — and "he that is dead is freed from sin." And as impossible as it would be that God should take His risen Son, and nail Him to that Cross again, so impossible is it that God should ever demand satisfaction at your hand for any of those sins, which being once laid on Christ, have already received satisfaction in the death of your Redeemer.

3. This was the only conceivable way in which it was possible that any man should be "freed from sin." God's government of this world is a moral government, and it is essential to moral government that every sin should have its retribution. Therefore, God laid it down at the first, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." But He vindicated His truth, and upheld the law, when, gathering the sins of all, and laying them upon one great Substitute, He crucified all in One, saw all dead that He might acknowledge all alive — and simply carried out the one grand principle, "He that is dead is freed from sin."

4. Look at the condition of a man who is "freed from sin." Had sin never entered into our world — or, having entered, had it been simply forgiven by a word — we should have been, I suppose, just as Adam was. We should have lived in a beautiful garden, where we should have eaten sweet fruit, and done gentle labour, and at times we should have enjoyed the presence of God, and had some measure of communion with Him. Conclusion: It is a certain fact that no other process, except the grace of Christ — no fear of punishment, no hope of reward, no self-respect, no consideration for human affection, have ever proved sufficient in this world to make men really good. But let a man be once brought under a real feeling that through the grace of Christ he is free from condemnation — let him begin to look at that Saviour as his own Friend, and live, day by day, in converse with that love, and contemplation of that example, and we know what is the consequence. We know how the mind of Christ enters into that man's spirit, and how the pattern of Christ becomes reflected upon his conduct.

(J. Vaughan, M. A.)

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KJV: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

WEB: For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;