# If you died together with Christ to the elements of the world

With this metaphor, Paul speaks of a believer as a person who is spiritually united with Christ: as Christ died, so the believer has spiritually died; as Christ has come back to life, so the believer has come back to spiritual life, that is, to responsiveness to God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# live as obligated to the world

"think you must obey the desires of the world"

# the world

the thoughts, desires, and assumptions of the sinful majority of the world's people (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])