“I Have Been Crucified With Christ” – Jim Fowler

Writing to the Galatian Christ-ones in Galatians 2:19-21, Paul explained that he had “died to the Law,” the old Mosaic performance standard of righteousness by law-keeping. The Law was terminated as defunct and obsolete in the “finished work” of Jesus’ death on the cross (Jn. 19:30), and all attempts to be righteous by self-effort were thereafter of no effect, mere ‘dead works” (Heb. 9:14). The Righteous One (Acts 3:14; 7:52; 22:14) by “one righteous act” (Rom. 5:18) of dying on the cross to vicariously take all unrighteousness upon Himself had implemented by God’s grace the sole basis of righteousness before God in Himself by the receptivity of His Being by faith.

In that termination of the Law, Paul continues to explain, “I have been (once and for all in the past) crucified with Christ. When Christ died, I was in Him, and the old Law-keeping self that I used to be was crucified with Jesus on the cross. That “old man” (Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9) with the nature of “the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience’ (Eph. 2:2) and the spiritual identity of “sinner” (Rom. 5:19) was exterminated. That old man with his old nature and old identity will never live again, because subjectively Paul had received the Spirit of Christ into his spirit to become a “new man” (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10), “made righteous” (Rom. 5:xx; II Cor. 5:21) as a Christ-one.

Therefore, he could “live to God” (19) because the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9) lived in Paul’s spirit (Rom. 8:16) as the resource of all righteous character expression of the Christ-life in Paul. The physical life that he now lived was the Life of Jesus derived from His indwelling presence by Paul’s faith-receptivity of Christ’s grace-activity. Paul knew that this was all predicated-on Christ’s loving him and giving Himself up for him in death on the cross by divine grace activity. If there could be any righteousness by Law-keeping, Paul concludes, then the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross was unnecessary, a sham, a mockery, a mere psychodrama.

Jim Fowler

Jim Fowler is a cherished and respected friend of Plain Truth Ministries, a wonderful brother in Christ, having served in a variety of capacities, on our Board of Directors, as a theological consultant and as an author and editor.  He continues to write, with his latest being “Manifesting the Life of Jesus” available on Amazon.  Jim is a treasure to the body of Christ, a Christ follower who faithfully reflects God’s grace in Jesus, as our risen Lord lives his life within him.