Living the Crucified Life

What is the crucified life? The crucified life is freedom from the tyranny and hard control of you. It is the freedom from your old nature, with the liberation of the power of Christ reigning in you. Paul teaches, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). These are the key aspects of this passage. The phrase, “I have been crucified with Christ” signifies a spiritual union with Christ's death, where the believer's old self, including sinful desires dies with Him. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” means that though physically alive, the believer's true identity is no longer their own but Christ's. This means Christ's Spirit dwells within the believer, guiding and empowering them. Christ lives in believers through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, enabling a transformed life and a new identity is formed in Him. This isn't about mimicking Christ but about yielding one's will and emotions to the Holy Spirit so that Christ's life, power, and desires are expressed through the believer! “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” teaches us the new life is not sustained by the believer's own power or works but by their ongoing trust and reliance on Jesus. The words, “Who loved me and gave Himself up for me” highlights the foundation of this new, crucified life – Christ's sacrificial love and atoning death for the believer.

Dr. Robert L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible teacher & expositor