I Am Crucified With Christ

Galatians 2:20

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.

The Christian life will only be successful if you choose to live a crucified life. Many look at the Christian life through the eyes of all they had to give up, but there is no true sacrifice for those who choose to live the Christian life because they gain far more than they lose. Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. This phrase defines what it takes to successfully live the Christian life.

First, it is a choice. Paul starts this phrase out with the word: I. You must choose to live for Christ. Nobody can make you live the Christian life, and you will not live it by accident. Anyone who has lived the Christian life did so because they chose to do it. You choose to accept Christ as your personal Saviour, and that settles your eternity in Heaven, but you must also choose to live for Christ just as you chose to accept Him. Just because you are saved does not mean you live for Christ. Certainly, you should live for Christ because you are saved, but you must choose to live for Christ.

Second, it is a way of life. The Christian walk must be your way of living if you will be successful at serving God. The Christian life is a daily choice to crucify your flesh. If you allow the flesh to dictate what you do, you will live a fleshly life. You must choose to crucify your flesh so you can live your life for Christ. To make the Christian life your way of living means every decision for what you will do in life must be based on whether that decision will allow you to live for Christ in the manner He wants you to live. You will never successfully serve Christ if you don't make His way of live your way of living.

Third, it is an identification. You must never be afraid of being identified as a Christian. The way you talk, dress, live, and think must be different from the world if you are to live the Christian life. You will never succeed at living the Christian life if you are afraid of being criticized. Those who choose to die to their flesh and live the crucified life will be identified often as the problem of this world, weird, and different. However, God commands the believer to come out from the world, and when you come out from the world you are identifying with Christ. Separation and Scriptural standards ARE necessary if you want the identification of being a Christian.

Fourth, you are not alone when you live the crucified life. You will notice Paul says, I am crucified WITH Christ. You never have to live the crucified life alone, because you live that life with Christ. One of the greatest bonuses of living the crucified life is the fellowship you get to have with Christ. I must die to self, but the result of dying to self is having the presence of Christ in my life and being able to fellowship closely with Him. This crucified life is far better than enjoying the pleasures of the flesh for a season.

Fifth, it is a crowd you find when you live the crucified life. You are not alone because Christ is with you when you live the crucified life, but you will also find your crowd because there are many others who have chosen this life as well. You will discover your crowd when you live the crucified life because of those who have chosen to live that life as well. My friend, you will always be in the right crowd when you choose to live the crucified life with Christ.