Galatians
2:20 (NASB)
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer
I who live, but Christ lives in me; and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
This verse
speaks of your body being crucified with Christ. What does this mean? Crucifixion, as horrible as it was, was the
act of God through Christ to destroy completely, totally and finally the
influence of Satan and sin in the lives of people who accept this act of
sacrifice. Crucifixion is not something that you have to do, it is something
that Christ did for you. You just have
to believe that this is truly what He did for you. You do not need to rely on your own ability
to overcome your old self with all its sinful, selfish, and prideful ways and
habits. You cannot do this on your own
anyway. Christ can do it through
you. He won the battle over sin, you did
not and cannot, but through faith you can relinquish your will and life to Him. The statement above, ”who loved me and gave
Himself up for me” summarizes the love of God through His Son and His
sacrificial death by crucifixion in order that you can be saved from your sins
and sin nature. This not only gives you
the assurance of eternal life (I John 5:11-12), but also gives you an abundant
life (John 10:10) that you could never enjoy apart from the influence of the
Lord in your life
True/sincere Christianity is the voluntary
willingness of an individual to abandon his/her desires of the flesh, eyes, and
boastful pride of life (I John 2:15) and replace them with the character and
Spirit of Christ.
That is why Paul further states that “it is
no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me”. He is stating that he has removed his old
habits and preferences in his former life and has replaced these with complete filling
and control by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. The second sentence further describes what
this means. He still lives in the same
body, but no longer trusts his own decisions and limited thinking, but now
trusts in the guidance of Jesus. Where
does the guidance of Jesus come from?
Through His Holy Word and through the remembrance and application of His
Word by the Holy Spirit filling your life (John 14:26). Your faith comes from hearing and you
hear/learn from the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
Pastor Rob Morgan preached a sermon[1]
that proclaimed that out of the 31,102 verses of the Bible, the best choice you
could come up with for a life verse, for a verse to be engraved on your
tombstone, or a verse that someone else would use to describe your aspirations
and experiences as a Christian is this verse—Galatians 2:20? Do you agree with him? Do you see his logic? Think about this and whether or not this
verse can very well describe you?
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