“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.”
— Galatians 2:20
It is no exaggeration to say that Galatians 2:20 captures the very heartbeat of the Christian life. In one verse, the Apostle Paul brings together profound truths of substitutionary atonement, justification by faith, and the mysterious reality of union with Christ. It is a verse that at once humbles and exalts, crucifies and resurrects, calls to die yet promises life.
To understand this verse is to stand on holy ground. It compels us to ask: What does it mean to be “crucified with Christ”? How can I live while dead? And how does this union with Christ empower me to live a holy life in this world?
Let us walk carefully through these words and uncover what it means for us—Reformed believers seeking to live faithfully in a world at odds with God.
“I Am Crucified with Christ” – Death That Brings Life
At the outset, Paul declares, “I am crucified with Christ.” This is no poetic flourish; it is the reality of every true believer. When Christ was nailed to the cross, He bore not only the penalty for our sin but also took us with Him in a profound, spiritual union.
This truth speaks to our old self, our unregenerate nature, our sinful man inherited from Adam. Paul elsewhere calls it “the old man” that is “corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Ephesians 4:22). This self was nailed to the cross. Its reign of sin is broken.
As Reformed Baptists, we hold fast to the doctrine of total depravity. We know that apart from God’s sovereign grace, we were utterly enslaved to sin. But in Christ, our bondage has been decisively ended. As Paul writes to the Romans, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:6).
This is not merely symbolic. It is the spiritual reality wrought by the Spirit’s work of regeneration. The crucifixion of our old self means we no longer live under the dominion of sin. Sin still tempts and fights, but it is a dethroned tyrant.
Here is the first step of holy living: recognizing that in Christ, we are dead to sin’s authority. We do not have to sin.
“Nevertheless I Live; Yet Not I” – A New Identity
The paradox deepens: “nevertheless I live; yet not I.” Having died with Christ, Paul declares he yet lives—but it is no longer Paul as he once was.
This is the radical truth of union with Christ. It is not a mere external association, as if Christ simply helps us from a distance. No, we are vitally connected to Him. As the branch is in the vine (John 15), so the believer is in Christ.
Our new life is Christ’s life. His resurrection life flows into us. As Calvin wrote in his Institutes, “As long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us.” But now, united to Him by faith, His death is our death, and His life is our life.
This is not merely positional. It is transformational. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
For the believer, identity is no longer found in sin, in worldly pursuits, or in self. It is Christ. We are hidden in Him (Colossians 3:3). His righteousness clothes us; His Spirit indwells us.
This should free us from the crippling weight of self-identity. In a culture obsessed with defining self, the Christian testifies: “It is no longer I.” My identity is in Christ alone.
“But Christ Liveth in Me” – The Power for Holy Living
Paul continues, “but Christ liveth in me.” Here lies the hope for sanctification. We are not left to struggle in our own strength. Christ Himself lives in us by His Spirit.
The Reformed understanding of sanctification is that it is both definitive and progressive. We are definitively set apart in Christ, but we also grow in holiness as we walk by the Spirit.
The indwelling Christ empowers this growth. As John Owen reminded us, we must be “killing sin or it will be killing us.” But we do not kill sin in our own strength. Christ, by His Spirit, works in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
Consider the implications:
- When temptation strikes, Christ is present.
- When despair lingers, Christ’s resurrection power sustains.
- When obedience feels impossible, Christ enables us.
This is not a mystical experience but the ordinary work of the Spirit in the believer’s life through the means of grace—Word, prayer, sacraments, fellowship.
As we yield ourselves daily, Christ’s life is manifest in us. We echo Paul’s words: “For to me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21).
“The Life Which I Now Live” – Faith Working Through Love
Paul now grounds this in practice: “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.”
Here “flesh” does not mean sinful nature but our embodied existence in this present age. We live in a fallen world with all its struggles. But we live by faith.
Faith here is not passive. It is a continual trust in Christ, an active dependence. As Reformed believers, we reject the notion that faith is a work that earns salvation. It is the empty hand that receives Christ. But faith is also the instrument by which we live out our union with Him daily.
This faith works through love (Galatians 5:6). It manifests in obedience, in dying to self, in serving others. It sustains us in trial, emboldens us in witness, and humbles us in success.
“Who Loved Me, and Gave Himself for Me” – The Heart of the Gospel
Paul concludes with the most personal declaration: “who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Here is the motive for all holy living: Christ’s love. Not abstract love for a faceless mass of humanity, but a particular, effectual love for His own.
This is the doctrine of definite atonement in its warmest expression. Christ gave Himself for His bride, the church. And each member of that bride can say, “for me.”
This love fuels obedience. We do not live holy lives to earn Christ’s love but because we already have it. As John says, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Living Out Our Union with Christ
How, then, shall we live? If we are crucified and raised with Christ, what does this look like?
1. Live Repentantly
Each day, reckon yourself dead to sin. Refuse to let sin reign (Romans 6:12). Confess and forsake sin quickly, knowing Christ has broken its power.
2. Live Dependently
Draw strength from Christ through prayer and the Word. Remember, you cannot live the Christian life in your own power.
3. Live Obediently
Union with Christ means His will becomes ours. Yield to the Spirit’s leading in every area of life.
4. Live Missionally
We live not for ourselves but for Him who loved us and gave Himself for us (2 Corinthians 5:15). Let your life be a witness to His transforming grace.
A Word of Comfort and Challenge
Dear Christian, do you struggle to live holy in this present age? Remember, it is not ultimately about you. It is Christ in you. Your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). You are united to Him who triumphed over sin and death.
Do you doubt your ability to persevere? Hear Paul’s words afresh: “nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
This is the paradox of the Christian life: death that brings life, weakness that yields strength, surrender that leads to victory.
In Christ, we have all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
Galatians 2:20 is not mere doctrine to be admired from afar. It is life to be lived. It is the declaration of every believer who has died to sin and now walks in newness of life.
Let us take up our cross daily, not as those who earn favor but as those who have been crucified and raised with Christ. Let us walk by faith, knowing the One who loved us and gave Himself for us now lives in us and empowers us to live for Him.
So we say with Paul:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
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