The Crucified Life

Galatians 2:20

For I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God…..

Sometimes I wonder why so few really seem to get into the Christian life. I am not talking about going to church. I know many who attend church every time the doors are open. They are there for Sunday School and even Wednesday night, yet there is no real power and no real difference in their lives than those of just good old moral people. It seems that they have a hard time living the Christian life anywhere but in church. If you see these on a Monday through Saturday, you would find that they act like, think like, talk like and even become like the rest of the world. You know what I mean, sometimes it is hard to find a Christian out in the work places and play places.

I believe the reason for this is the fact that most people know very little about the “crucified life”, and care less about finding out about it. There is not much of a market out there today for self sacrifice and denial, yet I have found that in my own life, the more I know and practice this life, the more power and victory I have.

What is the crucified life? That is a good question. You see, the Christian life is an impossible life to live in your own strength. No one has ever lived the Christian life but Jesus and He lived it to perfection. So, for you and me to try to imitate Jesus is very frustrating, seems the harder we try and the more we want to, the more we see that we can’t. (See Paul’s struggle in Rom. 7:15-25)

We find that the verse today gives us the key to this dilemma. I am crucified with Christ. I die to my self and self life, to be raised with Him in His power and authority. It is not I who live, but Christ who lives His life through me.