Post by tomdurst on Dec 28, 2009 17:07:56 GMT -5
CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
#1 in Galatians 2:20 Series
By Thomas E Durst
#1 in Galatians 2:20 Series
By Thomas E Durst
Galatians 2:20 (New International Version)
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Very early in my Christian walk, I think it was around the summer of 1953, I attended a camp meeting of my church and was privileged to hear this verse preached on everyday for the whole week. I was a teenager and could have been in the more entertaining youth meetings but I sat in the front row, soaking in every word of these Spirit-filled expositions with rapt attention. I don't remember exactly what the good preacher said but I can tell you for sure this verse impacted me in a way that I can still feel today in my spirit. I've pondered it many times over the years and find a freshness in it that fills my heart with great joy.
"I have been crucified with Christ." There is a central gospel truth in this one phrase of the verse alone. When Jesus came to this earth and took upon Himself a human form all of the human race was embraced in that event (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:22). He reversed the mistake that the First Adam made and in Him, the second Adam, we have a new history, not one of failure but a history of perfect righteousness in Jesus Christ. Human history was totally rewritten in the Second Adam, Jesus Christ. We lived a sinless life, died in Him, and were resurrected to a new life altogether (2 Corinthians 5:14-21). Isn't that wonderful news?
I believe that many times the best commentary on Bible passages is the Bible itself, especially when we are using the writings of the same author as I'm doing in this case with the Apostle Paul. I believe that the verses that I quote below from a wonderful contemporary paraphrase that has probably blessed millions of people contains the best commentary on the practical outworking of being "crucified with Christ" that we could find anywhere. My concern is always in the impact upon our lives, the strength and the courage we find, and how we can put into practice any gospel truth. I believe these precious words "say it all," much better than I ever could so I urge you to prayerfully ponder every part of this passage. If you have this version of the Bible go to it often and just rejoice in the strength and hope that we have in our wonderful Savior.
Romans 6:1-14 (The Message)
When Death Becomes Life
1-3 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
3-5 That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country.
6-11 Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.
12-14 That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.
"When you are your Father’s child by faith, he gives you the perfect righteousness of his Son, Jesus, and the Father is well pleased with you. You are loved and safe in him.”—Eliezer Gonzalez, Good News Unlimited
I pray that your heart will just rejoice in an ever growing understanding of the unsearchable riches that we have in Christ.
I invite you to read NO LONGER I which is Number 2 in this series. Click on the link below:
NO LONGER I
