What is the mystery of dying and being buried with Christ?

By His shameful death, which the Lord desired, He conferred great honor upon us. “Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). When we accept His death within us, we can say of our body: “It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Cor. 15:43–44). His death transformed the darkness of the grave into light and bestowed upon us victory over the powers of darkness.

“… not despising or evading any condition of humanity, nor setting aside in Himself that law which He had appointed for the human race … becoming an infant for infants, thus sanctifying infants … a youth for youths, becoming an example to youths, and thus sanctifying them for the Lord … Then, at last, He came on to death itself, that He might be ‘the first-born from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence’ (Col. 1:18).”³²¹