Galatians 2: 20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
To the world this short passage is a huge mystery but to the one living in this wonderful relationship it is intimately and spiritually discerned and thoroughly enjoyed! I will try to explain it further…
The Apostle Paul wrote, “I am crucified with Christ.” And here in his own person he gives an excellent description of the mysterious life of a believer. A believer is crucified (has become dead to the sinfulness of the world) and yet lives; the old man is crucified (Rom. vi. 6), but the new man is living; he is dead to the world, and dead to the law, and yet alive to God and Christ; sin is put to death, and grace quickened. He lives, and yet not him but Christ! This is strange: I live, and yet not I; he lives in the exercise of grace; he has the comforts and the triumphs of grace; and yet that grace is not from himself, but from another.
Believers see themselves living in a state of dependence to the One that is ever faithful. A believer has been quickened to the reality of Christ and entered an exchange… their life for His life. They have surrendered their sin drenched life for grace and abundant life in Jesus our Lord. The sin debt is forever paid, and eternal life has become sealed by the blood of the Lamb of God.
He lives in the flesh and yet he lives by faith; according to the promises of the living Son of God…Jesus! Christ lives in the believer; this results from this union with Christ. We die daily to ourselves by learning daily to walk with Christ through His word and applying it to our life so as by virtue of that to live unto God.
The outward appearance he lives as other people do, his natural life is supported as others are; yet he has a higher principle that supports him, that of faith in Christ, and especially as eyeing the wonders of his love in giving himself for him.
Hence, it is that, though he lives in the flesh, yet he does not live after the flesh. Those who have true faith live by that faith; and the great thing which faith fastens upon is Christ’s loving us and giving himself for us. The evidence of Christ’s loving us is his giving himself for us; and this is that which we are concerned to mix faith with, to our living to him.
Live your life in and for Christ.