Post by tomdurst on Jun 11, 2019 12:23:06 GMT -5
LIVING BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD
#4 of Galatians 2:20 series
By Thomas E Durst
#4 of Galatians 2:20 series
By Thomas E Durst
"I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”—Galatians 2:20 NET Bible
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me.”—Galatians 2:20 CEB
Most modern translations render this verse as living by faith “in” the Son of God. I believe the translations cited above render the real meaning much clearer. The Greek word “en” is a preposition and could be translated “in”, “by” as well as other ways. Living by our faith IN Christ leaves the door open for such thoughts as: “Is my faith in Christ strong enough to make that vital connection with Him? Is my faith good enough to be acceptable to Him?” When we see the wonder of living by the faith OF the Son of God it makes all the difference. His faith is always 100% perfect, lacking nothing. That perfect faith is imputed (credited) to us and so we lack nothing in our faith journey. We live in the sunshine of His perfect faith rather than wondering if our faith is good enough or strong enough. HIS faith is what frees us, not the strength of our personal faith. Also the faith OF the Son of God means that He has faith IN us, His beloved children. When we are tempted not to have faith in ourselves He always has faith in us. The NET Bible and Common English Bible as quoted above translate it: I live "because of (or by)" the faithfulness of the Son of God. He is faithful to us at all times and in all circumstances (see Psalm 57:10; Joel 2:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:24). He ever lives to make intercession for us and His power is just as much available today as when He walked the face of this earth (see Hebrews 7:25; 13:8).
This is #4 in an ongoing series of posts on Galatians 2:20. To read the others click on the link below for #1 and follow the links to the additional articles:
CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST (GALATIANS 2:20 #1)
