Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
This is one of the key verses in all of Paul’s letters that reveals the heart of his gospel. It also shows the key response required to find freedom in Christ. Paul begins with the essential step necessary to find freedom. One must put to death the old life. He uses the figure of co-crucifixion with Christ. The Greek perfect tense tense here is significant. The meaning is that put himself upon the cross and stays there. He made a choice at one time and continues to make that choice. The crisis moment continues on with a continual process. It is only as we die to the life of sin, self, pride, following the deceit of the flesh, and striving to be righteous before God that we experience the life God created us to have. This is the answer for the problems in Galatia.
Paul made a decision at some point to submit to Jesus Christ. This required placing all of his effort to be righteous on the altar of sacrifice and receiving the new life empowered by the grace of God in Christ. The “I” controlled by sin no longer lives but a new self controlled by Christ begins a new life (Romans 6:4). When the “I” gets out of the way, then Christ can live within a person. As long as we are trying to be lord and master of our own lives, we are not living by faith in Jesus. Our faith is in ourselves, our abilities, or tagging along by the efforts of others.
We cannot escape living in this world. Paul calls that living in the flesh. The flesh is weakened by the struggle against death, which will eventually win the battle over everyone’s flesh. Everything we do battles against this last enemy. The flesh is deceived into thinking that by fulfilling distorted instincts, we will find happiness and peace. Once we are new creations in Christ, we still live in the flesh. The only way to find victory in the flesh is living by faith and dependence upon Christ who will give us his Spirit to be in us and with us.
Paul’s designation of Christ as the Son of God is significant here because as Son, Jesus submitted himself fully to the Father’s will and showed God’s love in the ultimate way by doing for us. The phrase gave himself for me refers to Jesus’ sacrificial atonement in our behalf. He died so that we might live. He died so that the penalty of our sins may be paid. He died so that we can become righteous before God. Human effort cannot resolve the sin problem. This verse speaks both to the need to be justified and the need to be sanctified. Dying to self and living by faith bring justification and begin the sanctifying process.
The key motive of all of this is Christ’s love for us. Paul personalizes this with “me.” Christ did this for each person, no matter who we are or what we have done. Paul called himself the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:12-16). There is nothing beyond the love of Christ. Christ’s motive for going to the cross was love. It is this love which brings new life to us and fills us with love. Paul will take up this topic of love later in ch. 5.
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