THE CENTER OF OUR REDEMPTION

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. Galatians 2:20

It is so important for the believer to know who they are in Christ! In this verse, Paul was revealing our identification with Christ. The very center of our redemption is what God did for us in Christ.

For what purpose would our old man be crucified? So we could be free from the dominion and control of sin!

Many think that Galatians 2:20 is a spiritual state that will be attained after serving God for many years. Or it’s something they are working to attain. But this verse is not a spiritual state that you will one day grow into. Paul is actually talking about what happens to every person the moment they say yes to Jesus! When you accept Jesus into your life, you have a whole new identity that is tied up into what happened in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus!

You’re not trying to attain a spiritual state; it is something God did for you in Christ! If you’ve said, “yes” to Jesus, you can say Galatians 2:20 is talking about me!

Another verse I love that forms the foundation of who we are in Christ is Romans 6:6. “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.”

The King James Version actually says, “My old man IS crucified with him.” All other translations use past tense. If our old man IS crucified with Jesus then it wouldn’t be a case of trying to attain spiritual maturity.

Our “Old man” is simply the person we were before we became a Christian. Other translations say, “The person I used to be,” or “My old sinful self” or my favorite, “My old inherited self.” In other words, you can say, “What runs in my family does not run in me anymore; I’m a new creature in Christ!” In Christ we share His inheritance, His condition and His future!



Declaration to Life: “When I said yes to Jesus, my old self was crucified with Him! I am a new person!  I’m not just a forgiven sinner. I’m not just a changed person. I am a different person with a new identity. Old things have passed away and all things have become new!”