“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me; and the life which I now live in the body I live through faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up to death on my behalf.” (Galatians 2:20 WNT)
Being a Christian is allowing Christ to live within you and express Himself through your actions, rather than merely striving to live for Him. There is a significant distinction between attempting to live for Christ and surrendering oneself to Christ so He can work and demonstrate His presence through your life.
Sadly, some believers today are primarily concerned about living for Christ rather than letting Christ live in them and manifest His life through them. They focus on working for God rather than walking with God and on doing something for God rather than being who God has called them to be in Christ.
They constantly seek to do work for Christ to earn His love, acceptance, favor, or blessing. That is the primary cause of the frustration that some believers today experience in their lives and ministries.
It is indisputable that Apostle Paul labored more for spreading the gospel of Christ than all his contemporaries. God inspired Paul to write 13 books out of the 27 books of the New Testament. Besides, Paul traveled extensively as a missionary, planting and establishing churches more than any other apostle of Christ (1 Cor. 15:10).
Despite the diverse and fierce trials, tribulations, oppositions, and persecutions Paul faced before he passed to glory, he boldly stated that he had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:6-8).
Paul lived a triumphant and fulfilled life!
Like Paul, every believer is called to live a triumphant and fulfilled life.
How did Paul live a victorious, triumphant, and fulfilled life in this hostile world?
His secret is found in Galatians 2:20!
Galatians 2:20 – NKJV
20 I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me.
Let us carefully examine this scripture to discover and imbibe the spiritual truths that Paul knew, which enabled him always to triumph and fulfill his ministry while he lived in this fallen and evil world.
First, Paul saw his old, sinful, and corrupt self crucified with Christ:
Paul confidently states, “I am crucified with Christ…” (Gal. 2:20 NKJV).
Paul was fully convinced that his old self, who had a sinful and selfish nature, was put to death on the cross with Christ so that he might no longer be enslaved to sin (Rom. 6:6). Being crucified with Christ, Paul saw himself as being dead to sin and thus free from the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:7, 11).
You cannot live a triumphant and fulfilled life like Paul if you don’t know, acknowledge, believe, internalize, and walk in the spiritual truth that your sinful life and selfish nature have been crucified, terminated, or put to death with Christ on the cross.
You must know and believe you are no longer a slave of sin. Your sinful nature was destroyed or put off through the cross of Christ. You are a new creation and no longer have the corrupt, sinful nature you inherited from Adam. What you have now is the divine and holy nature of God. Therefore, sin is no longer your master.
Paul knew this truth and wants you to see this truth, too.
Romans 6:6 – NKJV
6 Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Second, Paul also saw his new self resurrected with Christ:
Paul boldly states, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live…” (Gal. 2:20 NKJV).
Paul saw himself united with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5).
Paul did not just know, believe, and walk in the spiritual truth that his old, sinful, and selfish man had been put to death; he also knew, accepted, and walked in the spiritual reality that he had become a new man or creation in Christ, thereby possessing God’s kind of life and nature.
Like Paul, you must see yourself as a new creation with God’s kind of life and nature, enabling you to live a triumphant and fulfilled life in this hostile world. It is not enough to reckon yourself dead to sin; you must also be alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11).
God wants you to be a living sacrifice, not a dead sacrifice, on His altar. God can do nothing with you as a dead sacrifice on His altar. If you present yourself as a living sacrifice to Christ, just as Paul did, Christ will work mightily in and through you (Rom. 12:1).
Third, Paul allowed Christ to live in him and through him:
Paul states with certainty, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…” (Gal. 2:20 KJV).
Paul didn’t strive to live for Christ; he yielded or surrendered himself to Christ as a living sacrifice or vessel for Christ to manifest His life through him.
All the exploits that Paul did were simply the manifestations of Christ in Paul. Paul didn’t struggle to do anything for Christ; he only made himself available to Christ to do His work and manifest His life through him.
Paul’s earnest desire or primary goal was not “doing but being.” He did not pursue doing many works for Christ, but he only pursued knowing Christ and growing in intimacy with Christ.
Paul clearly stated that he counted all things as a loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, his Lord (Philip. 3:8).
Paul revealed that his greatest pursuit or desire was “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Philip. 3:10 NKJV).
Nevertheless, Paul accomplished more for Christ than his contemporaries. How?
Because his labor was according to the working of Christ in him!
He testifies to this truth.
Colossians 1:29 – NKJV
29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
Like Paul, if you also set being a living sacrifice or a vessel for Christ above doing any work for Christ, you will eventually accomplish more because Christ will work in and through you mightily.
If you pursue intimacy with Christ rather than activities for Christ, Christ will manifest His life in and through you mightily.
Lastly, the secret of Paul’s victorious, triumphant, and fulfilled life was that “he lived by faith, not in himself or his righteous works, but in Christ and His finished redemptive work.”
Paul states, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God…” (Gal. 2:20 NKJV).
All through his life, Paul never depended on himself for anything. He never approached God on the basis of his merit, self-righteousness, good works, or performance.
Paul’s exploits were done only by faith in the Son of God, not in his intellect, education, natural wisdom, strength, skills, or resources.
Why did Paul surrender unreservedly to Christ to live in and through him?
Because of his profound revelation of Christ’s love and sacrifice for his sins!
Paul was convinced that the Lord Jesus Christ loved him unconditionally, unreservedly, completely, constantly, and infinitely.
If you ask Paul why he gave himself to Christ as a living sacrifice without reservation, he will respond that Christ “loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20 NKJV).
Paul’s unreserved surrender to Christ resulted from his profound and personal revelation of Christ’s love and sacrifice for him.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – NKJV
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
The revelation of Christ’s love and sacrifice for your sins will deliver you from a self-conscious, self-centered, and self-dependent life.
Beloved, as you increase in the personal revelation knowledge of Christ’s love and sacrifice for you, you will become a living sacrifice or vessel unreservedly yielded to Christ, letting Christ live in you and manifest His life through you.
That is the primary key to a victorious, triumphant, and fulfilled life in this evil world.
Go for it!
Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me daily to respond rightly to the love of Christ by letting the Lord Jesus Christ live in me, manifest, and work through me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.