With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ. Now that which I am now living in the flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me.
Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament
Without a doubt, one of the biggest truths for many Christians to come to terms with is the truth of Jesus which the apostle Paul speaks to in Galatians. It is here that Paul describes his life in terms which many people have difficulty accepting. He, the man Paul, no longer exists. Yet, alive and living in him is Christ Jesus. As humans, we are hard wired to think of ourselves as individuals. We think, experience and feel as our own independent self. However, there are a few things which might just upset that apple cart. The first being how we were created. It is common Christian belief that we are created in the image of our heavenly Father {Genesis 1:27}. The scriptures also tell us that the Father blew into this creation the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}. It was only after this that we're told that "Man became a living being." My point is, the breath of the Father remains in us. He...has always been a part of us. What Paul spoke to in Galatians was simply something which we have always had within us. The problem arose when another idea was introduced into our minds. When the deceiver enticed Eve with the idea that she and Adam could "Be like God, knowing good and evil," Eve fell for it hook, line and sinker {Genesis 3:4-5}. For his part, Adam took of the apple offered up by Eve and ate it {Genesis 3:6}. So was born the myth that man was his own separate individual, independent from the Father. Fortunately for us all, the lie of the deceiver was just that, a lie. The unfortunate part is that we have accepted that lie for quite some time. As a result of accepting the lie of the deceiver, Adam and Eve took of the fruit which the Father warned them not to in direct disobedience of Him. The consequences of their sin in believing the lie of the deceiver was for the Lord to expel His creation from the garden which He had created for them {Genesis 3:22-24}. This was the beginning. I'm sure you have heard many a self righteous Christians quote from Paul's words in Romans 5:12 that ALL have sinned as a result of actions of Adam and Eve. Indeed, all have sinned. However, as by one mans disobedience (Adam) that many were made sinners. It is also by one Mans obedience (Christ Jesu) that many will be made righteous.
Consequently, then, as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus also it is through one just award for all mankind for life's justifying. For even as, through the disobedience of one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just.
Romans 5: 18-19, Concordant New Testament
So, then, through one man sin entered the world. Yet, through One Who became sin on our behalf, many will be deemed just {2 Corinthians 5:21}. So it is that when we read the words of Paul that it is no longer he who lives, it is because of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus at the cross. For it is Jesus who took our sin upon Himself unto death. It is our old man who was put to death with Christ. What remains, is Christ Jesus. This is why Paul could speak with confidence that the man Paul no longer existed. "No longer I, but living in me is Christ" {Galatians 2:20}. Paul realized that, as an individual, he did not exist. His life came from the Father who remained in him. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, the sin which Paul had been born into was now cleansed {Romans 6:10}. However, what had NOT changed was that Paul continued to carry the spirit of the Father which we have carried from creation. That moment that the Father breathed into us the breath of life and we became living beings. THAT has never changed. What did change was our belief of who we are. By believing the lie of the deceiver, we began to believe that we were our own self, separated from God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our heavenly Father has always been a part of who we are. It was we who changed, not Him. As the apostle claims, "Yet I am living, no longer I."
~Scott~
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