Faith
Galatians 2:20-21 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.[Therefore, I do not treat God's gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose]; I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (unmerited favor, divine influence on the heart) of God. For if justification (righteousness, equity of character or act, acquittal from guilt) comes through [observing the ritual of] the Law, then Christ (the Messiah) died groundlessly and to no purpose and in vain. [His death was then wholly superfluous.] (Quick Amplified Bible)
The Apostle Paul wrote these piercing words around 49 A.D. He had been walking with the Lord Jesus Christ for about 10 years. The epistle to the Galatians confronted the gospel of works. The Churches were attempting to leave the true gospel of faith in Christ by adding outward ritualistic works. What truly is this new life in Christ? Well it can be answered in one word and that's faith. Faith in Christ is complete trust and surrender to Him.
God the Holy Spirit comes to live in the true follower of Christ. Christ is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty, Freedom, and Deliverance. The Apostle Paul wanted the Galatians to know and understand completely and without any ambiguity that there is nothing to be added to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to only go deeper in our knowledge and intimacy with Christ, but nothing beyond Him.
The Apostle Paul tells us in the above scriptures that such an intimacy with Christ will render a man dead to this world, his flesh, and to sin. Why do you think Christ was able to write so much Biblical truth through this man? It is simply because he had become an empty vessel prepared for the Masters use.
Albert Barnes (1798-1890) stated it this way “So Paul says that he became insensible to the Law as a means of justification; to the world; to ambition and the love of money; to the pride and pomp of life, and to the dominion of evil and hateful passions. They lost their power over him; they ceased to influence him.”
Is this not what the new life is all about? The things of this world growing dimmer and dimmer in importance to each of us as we experience that intimate bond and union with Christ through the Holy Spirit. The word crucified means to be put to death. The Apostle Paul and you and I are dead. Why do we allow the devil to resurrect the old us that has been crucified?
John 15:5-6 I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.
Christ suffered many things while in the flesh. We tend to only recognize His physical suffering on the cross and taking upon Himself the sins of the world. However, I believe we should not miss this great truth, Christ suffered primarily by being in the presence of sin for 33 ½ years and seeing His people struggle and suffer with sin and its consequences in this fallen world.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.
This is the most telling part of the new life in my estimation. The identification in the body with Christ. Christ suffers still when He sees the sin cursed world we live in day by day. He requires us to share that suffering by trying to pull as many people from the fire as possible. All the lost still think sin is some sort of fun they get to do or practice every day with no eternal consequences. Being spiritually blind they can't see the destruction sin causes in their lives and in the lives of others around them. Christ knows that all of us who truly follow Him will be persecuted and hated by those who are blind spiritually.
2 Timothy 3:12-13 Indeed all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted and godly life in Christ Jesus will meet with persecution [will be made to suffer because of their religious stand]. But wicked men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived and led astray themselves.
1 Peter 4:13-16 But insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly]. If you are censured and suffer abuse [because you bear] the name of Christ, blessed [are you--happy, fortunate, to be envied, with life-joy, and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of your outward condition], because the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, is resting upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or any sort of criminal, or as a mischief-maker (a meddler) in the affairs of others [infringing on their rights]. But if [one is ill-treated and suffers] as a Christian [which he is contemptuously called], let him not be ashamed, but give glory to God that he is [deemed worthy to suffer] in this name.
The Lord Jesus Christ was a man of sorrows as He walked upon the earth and we are to be men and women of sorrow. We are to sorrow as He did when seeing people so in love with sinful living. Evil men and women do not understand judgment and they glorify their sinful lifestyles.
However, we who are crucified with Christ must exhibit His life in us at all times. The world can only know that Christ lives by seeing His life manifested in His true children. This does not only mean being nice to people. It definitely means that, but it goes far deeper than just being nice. Many worldly sinners are nice people.
The new life in Christ is much more. It is a self-denying, cross-bearing, flesh crucifying, mortifying and putting to death of all that is evil in this fallen world and in our fallen natures. We should be far more zealous for the things of God than the things of the world, the flesh, and the devil as we were before we received Christ. Our confidence should be solely in Christ strength in us trusting and standing on all of His promises and relying on His grace. This is the New Life and it cannot be stopped by the gates or depths of Hell!!
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author, Silent Assassins of the Soul (not yet published; coming soon)
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