Are You Trying to Get Out of Your Coffin?
De Overhaaste Begrafenis by Antoine Wiertz
"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a Resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin."
Romans 6:3-6
Are you trying to get out of your coffin? All of us, whether we realize it, or believe it, have been put into Christ and are buried with Him.
The sin nature we inherited keeps us independent and separated from God. But, God's solution for reuniting us with himself was to put us into his Son Jesus when he died on the cross. This is symbolized by the cross upon each coffin. By putting us into his Son, our Father recreates us to be men and women filled with his Spirit and grace. We are changed from a natural man, without God's life, to a spiritual man, with the life of Jesus in us.
Death is the atmosphere of this picture, shown not only by all the coffins but by the skull and bones in the lower left corner. Our coffin is the box of circumstances that we are in. They are killing us and we want out! Just look at his face. It shows sheer terror and he is using all his strength to get himself out. Our circumstances are arranged by God so that the old self stays dead. By being willing to "stay in our coffin" we become willing to stay "in Christ".
You protest -- "I'll stay in my coffin but I don't want just a pine box! I want a coffin with class -- a shiny, black outside and white satin finished interior. I want a coffin of more noble circumstances!" God knows His business and He arranges the right coffin for each of us.