Bible Verse of the Day Monday May 1st, 2023

 Galatians 2:20 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

Paul was saying here that he died to the Law at the Cross of Calvary; he details that his co-crucifixion with Christ Jesus on the Cross destroyed the Law's insistence in his life. When the Romans Crucified Christ Jesus on the Cross, God also crucified Paul. What happened to Christ Jesus in a physical status occurred to Paul, and, extension, all that follow Christ, in a legal status. It is not only that Christ Jesus died for us on the Cross but that we died spiritually on the Cross. In doing so, the old person is dead, and we have become a new person in Christ Jesus. Therefore, our spiritual death and rebirth are the only way we escape the penalty of the Law.

We are not charged or directed by God to crucify ourselves in our process of sanctification, our daily spiritual growth. We are held up in God's eyes only because and through the sacrifice made by Christ Jesus at Calvary. When we allow ourselves to be spiritually crucified on the Cross with Christ Jesus, we are totally and completely set free from our obligation to the Law. The Crucifixion of Jesus did not destroy the Law; it fulfilled the Law. God knew none of us would ever be able to keep the Law, so He became flesh, dwelt among us, and took the punishment for our not keeping the Law on Himself.

There is a lot of misunderstanding centered around Galatians 2:20. We cannot crucify ourselves; our spiritual death to the Law happened when Christ Jesus was crucified. The Law cannot save us from eternal death, nor can the Law do anything to aid our sanctification process. In our new life in Christ Jesus, we live through Faith in Him and what He did for us on the Cross; we live and have our being in and through faith, not any good works or deeds we see ourselves as doing.

If we attempt to come near God in and through our fruitless and ineffectual endeavors, we will fail miserably in our relationship with Christ Jesus. We do not have one single thing that God needs or desires. God is not impressed in the least with any good deeds, works, or self-righteousness we might think would bring us credit in His eyes. The Righteousness of Christ Jesus and the Work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary is the only thing that impresses God.

We become children of God, followers, and believers in Christ Jesus because Jesus suffered and died on the Cross on our behalf. We do not have to appeal for our sins; we claim forgiveness because our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, suffered and died on the Cross to pay our sin debt. Christ Jesus has given us the victory over sin and death. Satan will attempt to fool us into believing there are other ways to salvation and eternal life. If we fall for that lie and deception from Satan, we will miss out on a life filled with love, joy, and peace and miss the total experience of the authentic Christian life that Christ Jesus desires us to have.