Crucified with Jesus

"I  have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me"                                            Galatians 2:20   NKJV

Today, let's look at this incredible verse written by Paul. Martin Luther, was so taken about it that, when he answered his door and someone asked to see Martin Luther, Luther replied 'He no longer lives here; Jesus Christ lives here now.' Luther, as our text says, had adopted this and changed his identity - died to the old - risen to life in the new. It's an extreme way of saying this but, true all the same. Identity is what matters, Luther had taken on the identity of Jesus Christ.

Basically it is the act of, taking off the old self and putting on the new with Jesus. You and I, no doubt, would have said it differently by explaining that we have a new identity and the old self is dead. We are now Christians and therefore, belong to the name of Jesus. Identity is what matter most. Who do we identify with?  In the case of a Christian, we identify with Jesus.

Check out this quote from bibleref.com

'Christ was crucified for our sin. By faith, we trust that His death paid for our own personal sin. In that way, we are crucified with Him, our sin with him on the cross. That sinful "us" dies, replaced by the resurrected Christ "in us." We continue to live in the flesh, of course, but our lives are now directed not by our sinful selves but by our faith in Christ. Paul expands on this great truth powerfully in Romans 6:1–6'.

For the first time, Paul mentions Jesus' motive for giving Himself for us: love. Christ died for us because He loves us. Unlike the unyielding system of the law, Christ is a person motivated by His love and concern for us.

Faith must come into play here because, our body is still flesh and susceptible to the temptations of sin. Therefore we need to exercise, by prayer, faith that Jesus will help us to do this. Jesus Christ must be first and, everything else is secondary. When we become too involved with worldly matters, we forget the Son of God gave Himself for us. We have a new identity. This means that we are so closely attached to Him, that we die with Him and, He lives in us

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

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If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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