The Burial of Christ: Why Is It Important?
- Joe Venturo
- Sep 14
- 3 min read
In my last series, we took a long, glorious look at the sacrificial death of Christ and all it means for believers. Yet as you may recall, the Gospel consists of three key components as outlined in I Corinthians 15:3-4—the death, burial, and Resurrection of Christ. In this series, we’ll continue meditating on each of those aspects of the Good News.
At this point, it’s easy to focus on the first and last components of the Gospel, and well we should, because the Bible speaks mainly of the death and Resurrection of Christ. But obviously there is significance to the middle aspect as well. So today, we’ll take a quick peek at the burial of Christ. I think you’ll find that it carries more weight than you might expect.
Unlike the death and Resurrection of Christ, Jesus’ burial plays no role in saving us from sin. Christ’s death satisfies God’s wrath against us, turning us into redeemed children instead of guilty criminals. Christ’s Resurrection is a crucial part of salvation that we will study in more detail later. Jesus’ burial has no part in saving us. But it does have symbolic significance as a picture of what happens when a person turns to Christ in faith and repentance.
The key verse on understanding this powerful symbol is Colossians 2:12: “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” In the context, Paul is exalting Christ and speaking of all the wonderful things that Christ has accomplished for us on the Cross. In this verse, he describes what Christians commonly call “regeneration”—the idea that Christians have died to themselves and now live to Christ. Just as Christ died and was buried, so also do those who choose to follow Him die with respect to their former lives and live as new people in Christ.
Other passages speak of this remarkable transformation. Romans 6:4 says almost exactly the same thing as Colossians 2:12: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Similarly, in Galatians 2:20, Paul says he has been "crucified with Christ," and the life he now lives is totally by faith in the Son of God. According to II Corinthians 5:17, we are a "new creation" in Christ.
What a powerful image! What a life-transforming reality! Paul says "you have died"! (Col. 3:3). Your old identity is powerless, lying slain in the dark, sealed tomb. Your new self is "raised with Christ" (Col. 3:1). Your new identity is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). The things of this world have no more power to control or attract you (Rom. 6:6). No sin can destroy you. And no material thing, no matter how good it is, can distract your attention from Christ, who is seated at God’s right hand preparing a home in Heaven for those who love Him (Jn. 14:2; Col. 3:1).
God accomplishes this regenerating work (Tit. 3:5), but it requires constant effort on our part to put off the old self and put on the new self. Ephesians 4:22-32 and Colossians 3:1-17 provide practical guidelines on how to do this. Our new selves speak the truth, putting away all forms of deception (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9). Our new selves put away anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy speech, replacing wrong words with edifying words that build up the body of Christ and bring glory to His name (Ephesians 4:29). Our new selves are not distracted by earthly, fleshly cravings that turn our attention away from Christ (Col. 3:5). Our new selves are humble, kind, and compassionate toward other believers, forbearing, forgiving, loving, and promoting peace (Ephesians 4:31-32; Colossians 3:12-15). Our new selves are thankful and full of God’s Word (Colossians 3:16-17). Do these passages describe you?
Each day, ask yourself the questions: Is my old self dead? Are there any ambitions or material goods that are turning my attention away from the lasting glory of Christ? Are my actions and words promoting unity in Christ’s body and therefore glorifying Him, or am I focused only on myself?
What parts of your life are you refusing to place in the tomb with Christ?
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Photo by Joe Venturo
