Crucified with Christ

[B-A-C]

This is a well known verse, but it seems not everyone knows what it means.

Gal 2:20; "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.

(KJV) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

We Christians are supposed to "crucified with" Jesus. What does that mean? I have to get up on a cross and die just like He did?

No, we don't have to physically die. (not yet at least). Your heart still beats, you still breathe air into your lungs, you are still a "live in the flesh" as both versions above put it.
We aren't supposed to live "by" the flesh, but yet we still have to live "in" the flesh.

Rom 8:12; So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—
Rom 8:13; for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

What does "live according to the flesh mean"? Paul just said "now live in the flesh". Aren't those two verses contradicting each other? Not at all.

Living in the flesh, simply means you have a flesh and blood body.

Php 1:21; For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Php 1:22; But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
Php 1:23; But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
Php 1:24; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

Paul seems to be saying here, I would rather die and be with Jesus than to simply go on living here, and not yet be with Jesus.
Peter also talks about living "in" the flesh.

1 Pet 4:1; Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
1 Pet 4:2; so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
1 Pet 4:3; For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.
1 Pet 4:4; In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you;
1 Pet 4:5; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

But even though we are still alive in our fleshly bodies, we are to "no longer" live "for the lusts of men" ... but for the will of God.

This is the great conflict of the Christian life. A constant struggle between what we want, and "the will of God". Who wins? Whoever you choose to obey today wins.

This is the great conflict of the Christian life. A constant struggle between what we want, and "the will of God". Who wins? Whoever you choose to obey today wins.

It seems here God gives some grace, He give us a little time to adjust, but eventually "the time already past is sufficient" to give up living in "sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries"

This is exactly what living "according" to the flesh means. Sex, drugs, parties, alcohol, and idolatry.

1 Pet 4:6; For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.
1 Pet 4:7; The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
1 Pet 4:8; Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Pet 4:9; Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

Peter says even though we "in the flesh as men" we need to "live in the spirit" ... according to the will of God. Living in the spirit means putting God's will before you own.

Paul says...

Gal 5:24; Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If you truly belong to Jesus, you have "crucified the flesh"... with it's passions and desires. It's not your body that is crucified, it's your will, passions and desires that have to be crucified.

Paul calls the fleshly body a "tent" that is temporary.

2 Cor 5:1; For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 Cor 5:2; For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,
2 Cor 5:3; inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.
2 Cor 5:4; For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.

This current tent that we live in, is temporary, it is mortal, but some day we will get a "dwelling from heaven". A new spiritual body.

Now Jesus was crucified once "for all". However it isn't the same for us. We have to make the choice to live according to the flesh, or in the spirit everyday.

Luke 9:23; And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

We have to take up our cross daily.
Paul said he died "daily". It wasn't a one time deal.

1 Cor 15:31; I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Rom 8:13; for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Every day we have to put the deeds and fleshly desires of the flesh "to death". We have to die to self daily. We have to give up what we want, this is what crucifying the flesh means.

The "old self" has to die, and you have to put on the new man (which is Christ)

Eph 4:22; that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
Eph 4:24; and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

You can't put on the new man, until the old man is crucified and dead.

Col 3:9; Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
Col 3:10; and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—

Have you really laid aside the old man? Have you really crucified your wants, lusts and desires? Are you still doing it daily?

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

The Bible has a few verses about us "dying" but not dying. (Physically vs spiritually)

John 11:25; Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,

Jesus said this to Martha when Lazarus her brother was physically dead.

John 12:24; "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

A seed that is still attached to the branch doesn't do anything for anyone. Eventually the seed separates from the tree and "dies".
In fact it can't cause anything to grow and bear fruit unless it does die.

It is the same with us. While we are still led by "self" (the old man) and our desires, we haven't really crucified our old self yet.
It is not until we die to ourselves, and Christ lives within us that we can begin to bear fruit. But doing God's will instead of our own will
we can "bear much fruit".

Rom 14:7; For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;
Rom 14:8; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

Whether we live, or whether we die.. it should be for the Lord. We should not be living for "ourselves".

1 Cor 15:36; You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies;
1 Cor 15:37; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else.

We have to die to self. We have to crucify the old self.

Rom 6:8; Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

2 Tim 2:11; It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

Now of course none of us literally "died with Him". You weren't even born when He died. But we have to die with Him now, today... daily even.