“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”.
– Galatians 2: 20 KJV
In several places in Apostle Paul’s epistles to the churches and individual saints, he presents the Christian Pilgrim with the spiritual pathways to gaining victory over one of his most impeding adversaries: the flesh. He tells us, in this scripture of focus, that The Believer, united by faith to Christ in His death, has died to the old life and has risen to a new life.
Agreeably hereunto, the apostle acquaints us, that, as he was dead to the law, once upon a time, so he now, is alive unto God through Jesus Christ, “I am crucified with Christ…”. And here in his person, he gives us an excellent description of the mysterious life of a believer
The Life of a Believer summarized in Galatians 2:20
I) He is crucified, and yet he lives. The old man is crucified (Romans 6:6), 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 mortified, and Grace quickened.
2) He lives, and yet not he. 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 are not from himself, but another. The Believer should see himself living in a state of complete dependence.
3) He is crucified with Christ, and yet Christ lives in him. This results from his mystical union with Christ, who is dead to sin, but alive in Christ by the virtue of the initial death.
4) He lives in the flesh, and yet lives by faith to outward appearance. He lives as other people do, his natural life is supported as others are, yet, he has a higher and nobler principle that supports and actuates him; which is 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 our hearts, is Christ’s loving us and giving himself for us. The great evidence of Christ’s love is in giving himself for us and this is what we are chiefly concerned, to mix faith with, to live wholly for him.
This process of shedding off the flesh takes time, and this is why the believer must daily and wholly hold on to the Grace of Jesus.
In this very scripture of focus, the apostle exhorts, that apart from the believer’s first encounter at the cross for the forgiveness of sin and regeneration, he/she must also be weaned of self– the flesh, and come to that place where experientially, he lives by the infused strength of Jesus and the power revealed in His cross. And this can only happen by the believer’s daily dying to the flesh through acknowledging his inadequacies and surrendering completely to Christ’s lordship.
For many Christians, victory over the world, Satan, and the flesh is not realized resulting in unending circles of frustrations and failed attempts. They struggle with their old man, that the Bible made clear should have been crucified; they struggle with Satan, that the Bible explicitly tells us has been conquered. They struggle with the world that should be subdued beneath them in victory.
The Galatians 2:20 man has relinquished every form of dependence on self and has his gaze fixed on Jesus. He rests in the assurance of God’s love.
This can be your experience too, my friend. You can be that Galatians 2:20 man/woman that has overcome, like Jesus, and still overcomes daily. Do you wonder how you can be that man/woman? Begin by letting the Lord Jesus into your heart; receiving His Life and peace. Pray this prayer:
“Jesus, I understand that I cannot help myself in the battle against my flesh and Satan the Devil. I invite you into my life, come and live in me. I confess that Jesus is Lord over my life and I receive His Life. I live in victory henceforth”. Amen.
Now, go and live in that Victory which Christ has provided for you. If you have just said the prayer above, read this article
