I wanted to know more about what it meant to be crucified with Christ, and so stumbled across this article. Do I know anything about this author? No, I’m not recommending him or anything like that, but I am recommending his article.
“How Can We Be “Crucified with Christ”?
Contributing Writer
UPDATED April 14, 2022
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
These are simply verses that are well-known and often quoted. I would make the case that if you have been in church for a while, you have heard this verse quoted before at some point in your life.
Whether you have heard it before or if this is your first time reading it, how do we interpret this verse? What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? Clearly, we can’t be nailed to the cross with Jesus, so this obviously means something else. Let’s figure it out.
What Is the Context of Galatians 2?
To fully understand what it means to be crucified with Christ, it is important to look at the full context of Galatians, and especially what Paul is addressing in this chapter.
The Galatian church had been infiltrated by a group known as the Judaizers. These people were teaching a mixture of law and grace as the basis for salvation. The Judaizers taught that a Gentile had to convert to Judaism – especially when it comes to circumcision and honoring the Sabbath – before they could become a Christian. Conversion and adherence to Mosaic law was necessary before conversion to Christ could happen.
This word Judaizer is found in Galatians 2:14 and it means one who lives as a Jew or who follows the manners and customs of a Jew. The reason why this is a problem is because it takes away the emphasis of salvation by grace alone. In chapter two, Peter spent time fellowshipping with his uncircumcised Gentile believers until this group of Judaizers came around. When they were showed up, he distanced himself from his Gentile brothers and sisters, causing Paul to address Peter’s hypocrisy. In calling out this hypocrisy, Paul then proceeds to let them know that no one is justified by works of the law but only by faith in Christ. This background and context lead into what it means to be crucified with Christ.
What Does it Mean to Be Crucified with Christ?
The first thing we know about this verse is that it does not mean you have to physically die with Christ. That is not necessary for your salvation.
If we are not physically dying, then what are we being crucified to or for? Allow me to address this in two ways to help potentially clarify what it means to be crucified with Christ. When I look at this verse, you can connect it to what he said before this verse and what he said after.
1. Crucified to the Requirements of the Law
Being crucified to the requirements of the law connects this verse to what Paul said before it. Prior to these verses Paul makes an argument against justification by the law. Here are some of the things he said to give you some context.
“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:15-16).
“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God” (Galatians 2:19).
2. Crucified to Self
Being crucified to self leads you into what comes after. To be crucified with Christ also means you have crucified your desires, your will, your purpose, your life with Christ. This is in alignment with Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 16:24, to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.
Being crucified with Christ is not just dying to the requirements of the law, it is also dying to your self and your desires. Which leads me to ask – why is this important? The answer points us to the second phrase in this verse.
What Does Paul Mean That “Christ Now Lives in Me”?
Let’s put these two phrases together so we can look a little closer at it.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
This second part of the statement is only possible because of the first part. If a person does not crucify their own will and desires, then Christ cannot fully live in them. You could consider this a battle for who will sit in the control room of your life. There is only one throne in your heart and life, and only one person can sit on it.
When you die to yourself or are crucified with Christ, then you give Christ permission to fully live through you. If you choose not to do this, then God cannot live out the full expression of Christ in your life. For him to do that you must first step out of the way, which is another example of what it means to be crucified with Christ.
What Would This Look Like in Our Everyday Lives?
How then do you take this understanding of what it means to be crucified with Christ and make it practical to your everyday life? For this to really take root and shape in your life, it is important to note this requires surrender.
Here is what is also necessary: While Christ died once for all to be the eternal sacrifice for sin, we must die daily to the whims of our own will and desire. This requires not just surrender once, but every day. This surrender requires a commitment to do what God says in his word, even when everything in the fabric of your nature wants to go in a different direction. Let me give you some examples to make the picture clearer.
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19).
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” (Galatians 5:16-17)
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)
Honestly it is simple to understand, sometimes harder to do. If Christ is living in you, then your life will reflect him. That means his character takes shape in your life because you have crucified yourself and are allowing him to live in you and through you. I think Galatians 5:24 sums up what this looks like.
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
When you think about what it means to be crucified with Christ, let me sum it up for you in this manner. Our salvation is because of Christ, and we live everyday in Christ. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, the question of salvation is settled once and for all in your life. From that point forward we must still be crucified with Christ so that his life will be seen in us. As John the Baptist said, “he must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30). When that truth settles into your heart, then you understand what it means to be crucified with Christ.”
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/how-can-we-be-crucified-with-christ.html
The Christian Thinker 