Galatians 2:20 - Dead Yet Alive.
Galatians 2:20 - Dead Yet Alive.
Galatians 2:20 (KJV) 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.
Salvation is a life and death event. When you trusted in
Christ, you died. And yet you live--in fact you are more alive now than
you ever were before. How so? Your old self, your old nature, was
crucified with Christ when you believed. God looks at you as if you died
with Christ. Because your sins died with him, you are no longer
condemned. Now Christ is living in and through you. You have become one
with Christ. You share the relationship he has with the Father.
These are wonderful truths. But what about ongoing sin? How
is that possible? Your old nature is dead in the sense that you are
no longer a slave to it. It will at times pull itself out of the
grave and try to regain control. You may occasionally fold under the
pressure. But that doesn't change the reality of who you are in Christ. It
doesn't change the truth of your new life that is a result of him living
in you. Each day we must put to death the desires of the old self
and rely on Christ's life to transform us. [The One Year Bible for
New Believers]
A child and a new puppy are virtually inseparable. They can
spend so much time together that you would think they were a young
couple in love or a mother and her newborn. Every time you turn around
they are playing together, napping together, or getting in trouble
together. They can become best friends.
In a sense, fellowship with Christ is like a marriage or like
that relationship between a child and a puppy. It is a relationship
so intimate that Christ and the Christian are - or at least should
be - inseparable.
In this passage, Paul describes his close relationship with
Jesus. Paul reviews his life story to remind readers of the miracles
God can perform. Paul even goes so far as to say that he has been
crucified with Christ and that Christ now lives in him. How close are you
to Christ?
Paul was not one of the people crucified with Christ outside
Jerusalem. So what did he mean by claiming to have been "crucified with
Christ" (Galatians 2:20)? Paul meant that his sinful nature had been put
to death when he accepted Christ as his Savior. In essence, he had
exchanged one life for another. He had given up control of his life, as
well as his desire to sin, in exchange for Christ's redemption from
sin and new life in the Spirit.
This spiritual reality holds true for all Christians. When we
trust in Christ as Savior, God looks at us as though we had died on
the cross with Jesus. Because we have been crucified with Christ, we
will also be raised with him (see Romans 6:5). Now Christ lives in
us, and we are spiritually alive by his power. By Christ's power we
are also no longer bound by the chains of sin.
The next time you face temptation, remember that you have
been crucified with Christ and that he lives in you. Then resist the
temptation, confident that Christ will strengthen you and provide a way of
escape as well. [The One Year Through the Bible Devotional by Dave
Veerman re vv. 2:17-21]
Hudson Taylor, the pioneer missionary to China's interior,
wrote of the sweetness of the rest he felt in being fully identified
with Jesus. He said he was no longer anxious about anything - that no
matter where God put him, no matter how hard the constraints or
pressures, God's Presence within him would be equal to the task. Somehow he
had learned how to rest and let the Spirit flow through him.
That's one of the benefits of the Presence, if we can learn
to rest and let the Spirit live in us fully. In order to do that,
we have to be able to trust in the goodness of His purposes, even
when our path takes unexpected turns. We have to be able to believe
that He is living and working within us. And we have to be able to
let go of all competing props that would hold us up or tempt us to
rely on our own resources. In some respects, it can be hard work to
rest in Him.
The "hard work" ends when we get the right perspective and
establish new habits and thought patterns. Resting in Him gets easier with
practice. At first it goes against our normal tendencies, but over time it
becomes less of a conscious choice and more of a default posture. We're
so used to striving and straining that the idea of resting in Him
seems irresponsible and unnatural. But when we see the fruit of it, we
realize it was irresponsible and unnatural to do anything else.
Choose rest. Let Jesus live in you. Insist that the vine bear
fruit through the branch. Not only is that your true desire, it's His,
too.
Jesus, do You really live Your life in me? Can I really
depend completely on Your strength? have Your desires? display Your
purity and character? walk in Your power? Show me how. Become all You
want to be in me. [The One Year Experiencing God's Presence
Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit lives in us (John
14:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16). And that we can be filled with the fullness
of God (Ephesians 3:19). And that Jesus is in us (john 14:20;
Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27). In other words, every member of the
Trinity is present in our being. That drives people who love precise
doctrine crazy, but it's a truth that flows from the experience of the
earliest Christians. Something had fundamentally changed within them, and
they experienced divine life. This is how they - and even Jesus -
expressed it.
In our quest to experience more of God's Presence, we aren't
just after the God who lives with us. We're seeking the God who lives
in us. And not just as a matter of doctrinal belief but as a
practical and palpable Presence. When we think of the inner life, we are
right to envision any member of the Trinity at any time: the Father on
His throne, the Son in His earthly and heavenly ministry, and the
Spirit blowing through us or flowing out of us. All the attributes of
the Godhead are there: the majesty and mystery of the Father, the
compassion and visible touch of Jesus, the comfort and counsel of the
Spirit, and many more characteristics than one can list. We can never
say we are lacking in resources. Even the faith and patience and
wisdom of Jesus are ours for the asking. We are filled with immense
power.
So why don't we experience such spiritual riches? Perhaps
because we don't believe we can, or maybe because we don't understand
the implications, or possibly even because we don't see results at
first and give up the pursuit. Regardless, God puts within us a life
we have not yet fully realized. But it becomes more real the more
we seek, believe, and persist.
Jesus, I don't want to fall short of the potential You've put
in me. Express Yourself fully through me and in me. [The One Year
Experiencing God's Presence Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Take hold of the hope that I offer to you - and be greatly
encouraged. The hope of heaven is your birthright as a Christian. Many, many
blessings flow out of that glorious promise into your present life in this
world. Notice, however, that take hold is an active verb - requiring
effort on your part. As the apostle Paul taught, you need to press on
toward the goal and live up to what you have already attained. This
requires you to exert yourself - grasping onto the heavenly hope from
which so many blessings flow.
One of those blessings is encouragement. Be encouraged is a
passive form of the verb. You receive encouragement as a free gift from
Me when you make the effort to hold on to your hope - focusing on
what I've already done (died for your sins), what I am doing (living
in you), and what I will do (take you home to heaven). I love to
give good gifts in generous proportions. So cling to hope, beloved,
and you will be greatly encouraged. (Heb. 6:18; Phi. 3:14-16; Gal.
2:20) [Jesus Today by Sarah Young]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Most Christians never allow themselves to come too close to
the deep thirst for God that exists at the core of their being, for
if they did, they would be compelled to get in touch with their
basic helplessness.
Why would we want to deny this? Because to recognize our
helplessness puts us in a position where we have to repent of it--and that is
something our fallen human nature pulls back from doing. Believe me, the
one word that grates and irritates our carnal nature is the word
"repent." It is much easier to be given advice like: "Read more of the
Bible every day," "Add extra minutes to your prayer time," or "Seize
more opportunities to share your faith," than to be told to repent.
All these things I have just mentioned may be excellent in
themselves, but more is required if we are to get in touch with our deep
thirst for God.
We must repent!
But repent of what? Our stubborn commitment to independence,
as well as the awful desire and practice of choosing to dig our own
wells.
A passionate pursuit of God demands this. Believe me, no
matter what we say with our lips, we will never begin to pant after God
until we repent of the self-sufficiency that has made its home deep
within our hearts. This, in my opinion, is the biggest single step we
can take in our pursuit of God and the experience of having feet
like "hinds' feet."
Gracious and loving heavenly Father, help me to repent
deeply. May I know at this moment a turning from self-dependence to
God-dependence. I give You my willingness--now give me Your power. In Jesus' name
I ask it. Amen. [Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn Hughes
devotional re 2Ch. 7:14]
Although our divine Shepherd seeks to lead us in the paths
that are right, often we are so stubborn and self-centered that we
decline to follow. We prefer our own way even though it may lead us
straight into trouble.
When challenged about this issue, many of us, of course,
strongly deny it. Yet in actual fact, comparatively few of God's people
follow continually in His path. We say: "I want to do God's will and be
led by Him in all that I do" - and then promptly proceed to follow
our own self-determined desires. We sing beautiful hymns and
choruses that contain such words as: "The Lord knows the way through the
wilderness, all I have to do is follow" - then take the path that we think
is best.
This is an issue that we must come to grips with right now,
for unless we learn how to give up our self-centeredness, we will
fall into serious trouble - no matter how loving and concerned is our
Shepherd. I recognize that this is a difficult issue for many Christians,
for our civilization teaches us self-interest as the primary
motivating force in life-- "every man for himself and the Devil take the
hindmost." Actually if self-interest is primary, then the result is
self-destruction, for the self-centered soon become the self-disrupted. They are
making themselves God, and they are not God, so the universe won't back
their way of life.
Blessed Lord Jesus, You show me how to truly live--help me to
live Your way. I want to abound, not drag leaden feet to dead tasks.
Purge me of self and make me a committed follower of Your Way. For
Your own name's sake. Amen. [Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn
Hughes devotional re Psa. 85:8]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2007/20071105-0441.html
UPCOMING LIVE BIBLE STUDY SERIES BY PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR
Heroes of Faith - Stories of Salvation:
http://www.theheroesoffaith.com/
UPCOMING LIVE BIBLE STUDY SERIES BY PASTOR JOHN BRADSHAW
Revelation Today - The Mysteries Revealed:
https://www.revelationtoday.com/
