There is a reason to think of ourselves as dead and reflect that in the obedience of baptism. Faith is not only mental ascent, faith comes from a real death transaction Christ's death for and in us. A real transformation from thinking this life is everything, to knowing the life to come  is everything. The power of the old life was an enslavement. By the love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit in applying the sacrifice of the Son we are set free from the enslavement of sin. He is Absolute Love.

Rom 6:6,7  "We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin." 

That Jesus had to die to sin is a mystery. He was made to be sin for us. He willingly and gladly threw off that sin. It forced separation from the Father. He is alive forevermore now living to the Father and reigning with the Father. 

Rom 6:8-10  "Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God." 

Grace now has overtaken us, we live under grace, grace guides and keeps us.How are going to present yourself to God and others now? Is grace a reality in your life?

Rom 6:11-14  "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." 

The path to purity, wholeness and fulfillment is now clear, be set apart for God. Only one master now, only obedient to becoming like Him. He is Absolute Love.

Rom 6:15-19 "What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?  But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,  and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification." 

There is only reaping life or death. Death a wage paid, it involves a lot of hard work and the repayment is worthless. Life a free gift, take it, receive it, by grace, through faith. 

Rom 6:20-23  "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."