Strong’s Greek 4891 expresses the act of God “raising together” believers with Jesus Christ. The verb occurs only three times in the Greek New Testament, each time underscoring spiritual union with the risen Lord. Rather than describing the future resurrection of the body, the word highlights a present, spiritual participation in Christ’s resurrection life.

Occurrences in Scripture

• Ephesians 2:6 – “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”
• Colossians 2:12 – “having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
• Colossians 3:1 – “Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”

Union with Christ

Synegeiro portrays the decisive, once-for-all action in which God incorporates believers into Christ’s resurrection. This union is judicial (a new legal standing), vital (new life shared with Christ), and positional (seated “in the heavenly realms”). The same power that brought Christ from the grave now operates in those who trust Him, effecting a fundamental transfer from death to life (cf. Romans 6:4-11).

Present Spiritual Resurrection

Though bodily resurrection awaits Christ’s return, Paul speaks of a resurrection already experienced inwardly. Believers possess a new orientation, mindset, and sphere of existence. “You have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Synegeiro thus undergirds New Testament exhortations to live according to heavenly realities rather than earthly passions.

Baptismal Imagery

Colossians 2:12 links the verb with baptism. Immersion symbolizes burial with Christ; emergence from the water symbolizes being “raised together” with Him. Faith, not the rite itself, unites the believer to Christ, yet baptism publicly displays this union. Historically the Church has viewed the ordinance as the sign and seal of participation in Christ’s death and resurrection life.

Ethical Implications

Because believers share Christ’s resurrection life, they are called to:

1. Seek things above (Colossians 3:1-2).
2. Put to death earthly desires (Colossians 3:5-10).
3. Walk in good works prepared by God (Ephesians 2:10).

Synegeiro grounds every moral exhortation in what God has already done, making obedience a response of gratitude rather than a means of earning favor.

Corporate Dimension

Ephesians 2:6 stresses that God “raised us up” together. The Church, Jew and Gentile alike, shares one resurrection identity. This corporate aspect counters individualistic notions of salvation and underscores the unity of the body of Christ (Ephesians 2:14-22).

Pastoral and Ministry Significance

1. Assurance: Union with Christ provides unshakeable confidence; believers are as secure as the risen Lord Himself.
2. Identity Formation: Counseling and discipleship begin with “who you are in Christ,” anchored in synegeiro.
3. Worship: Resurrection life fuels praise, shifting focus from self-effort to divine accomplishment.
4. Mission: Raised-with-Christ people are empowered to proclaim the gospel, embodying the new creation they announce.

Historical Reception

Early Church Fathers (e.g., Athanasius) appealed to the believer’s participation in Christ’s resurrection to argue for moral transformation. Reformers emphasized the same truth to underline justification by faith: believers are counted righteous because they are “in Christ.” Baptist confessions linked synegeiro to believer’s baptism, maintaining that only those already raised spiritually should receive the sign.

Eschatological Horizon

The spiritual resurrection guaranteed by synegeiro anticipates the bodily resurrection yet to come (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). What God has begun internally He will consummate externally, uniting inner renewal with outer glorification.

Summary

Strong’s 4891 encapsulates the heart of Pauline soteriology: God has already acted to raise believers with Christ, granting new life, status, and hope. This accomplished reality motivates holy living, fosters corporate unity, and assures the Church of ultimate victory, anchoring Christian faith and practice in the once-for-all resurrection event of Jesus Christ.