Galatians 2:20 (CSB)
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
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There are some deep mysteries in the Bible that are difficult to comprehend. But it’s in these mysteries, these deep, sometimes confusing truths, where we find the most life-changing revelations. These mysteries are where some of our biggest breakthroughs are waiting to be discovered.
Today, I want to unpack one of these mysteries with you – what it really means to be crucified with Christ. This idea, being dead to sin but alive to Christ, it's not just some theological concept. It's a mystery, but within it lies a profound truth that can completely transform your life.
Understanding and applying this principle – it's like unlocking a door to a whole new way of living. It's about realizing that your old self, your sin, your past mistakes—they're nailed to the cross with Jesus. But it doesn't stop there. It's also about grasping that you’re not just left in this place of death; you’re raised to a new life in Christ.
This isn’t just about knowing something in your head. It's about letting this truth seep into your heart, change your spirit, and transform your entire life. Being crucified with Christ means your old ways, your sinful nature, doesn't have control over you anymore. You’re alive in a way you’ve never been before—alive in Christ. This is a powerful truth, and once you really get it, once you start living it out, it changes everything – how you see yourself, how you face challenges, how you relate to others, and how you live each day.
So, let's dig into this mystery together, pull out the eternal truths hiding in it, and let them change your life from the inside out.
Romans 6:5–6 (CSB)
For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection.
6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,
I want to invite you to explore with me an incredible concept known as the 'Double Truth.' As we delve into our text today, you'll discover two powerful ideas that can profoundly impact your spiritual life.
First, consider this: you have become one with Jesus in His death. This truth is more than just a symbolic connection; it's a deep, spiritual union. It's not about striving to be close to Jesus or merely trying to imitate His ways. It's about a transformation so profound that, in the eyes of God, you and Jesus are united as one.
And there's more. The second truth is equally powerful: you are also one with Jesus in His resurrection. This unity isn’t just about sharing in His sufferings or His death, but also in His triumphant resurrection. This means that in your spiritual walk, you're not just linked to Jesus; you're part of Him.
As you reflect on this today, let this truth sink into your heart. You're not just following Jesus from a distance; you're united with Him in the most intimate way possible. This union impacts every aspect of your life, shaping your identity, your purpose, and your destiny. Embrace this truth, and let it transform you from the inside out. Remember, in Christ, you are a new creation, alive and vibrant, sharing in His death and His resurrection.
To understand this, let's think about the redwoods on the California coast. These majestic trees, grow in a unique way. Imagine two trees growing separately but close to each other. Over decades, maybe a century, they touch, and their bark merges. Eventually, they become one tree. Sometimes, a circle of trees can grow from the roots of a fallen one, and over centuries, they merge into what looks like a single, giant tree. There’s this spot near Santa Cruz where two trees have grown at an angle and joined a hundred feet up, forming a single top from two trunks.
This is such a vivid picture of our union with Christ. Just like those redwoods, we grow and gradually become one with Christ, in His death and resurrection. It’s not a sudden change, but a process, a growth, where our life increasingly intertwines with His. We start as separate entities, but over time, as we grow in faith and understanding, our 'bark' overlaps with Jesus’. We become so united with Him that, in God's eyes, it's as though we are one single being with Christ.
This is a profound truth about our identity as believers. In Christ’s death, our old self dies. In His resurrection, we rise to a new life. It's not about us trying to imitate Christ from a distance. It's about becoming so interwoven with Him that His life becomes our life, His death our death, His resurrection our resurrection. This isn’t just a theological concept; it’s a living reality. It changes how we view ourselves, our sins, our struggles, and our purpose. In Christ, we are a new creation, growing into this incredible unity with Him, becoming part of something much bigger, much more eternal than our individual selves.
Two Roots
Let's unpack this idea of 'Two Roots.' We initially grew from the root of Adam, which made us by nature children of wrath and disobedience. But God had this incredible plan. He didn’t want to be alone in Heaven. He wanted to save many of us, so we could forever praise Him. In His perfect timing, He sent Jesus to die on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, ‘For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’ But here’s the key point: God, from His eternal perspective, saw us in Christ. We came from Adam’s root, but Christ, by taking on our sin, grew into us. Our death became His death, but more importantly His life became our life.
When we really grasp this, it changes everything about our position. We can confidently say, 'When Jesus died, I died. His death paid for all my sins forever.' And when Jesus was resurrected to new life I was resurrected to new life.
Dear friend, let's consider another profound aspect of Kingdom living. You, as a believer, are certainly familiar with the intense battle between your fallen nature and your new life in Christ. It's like experiencing a constant tug-of-war inside you, isn't it?
This battle is a reality for all of us. Even though the Bible clearly promises deliverance from sin, at times, doesn't it feel more theoretical than real? Like it's more a distant concept than a noticeable reality in your daily walk? We have all struggled with this from time to time.
Think about this for a moment: when you contemplate being completely free from sin, don't you find that all those old, Adam-like tendencies seem to surge up, almost as if they're trying to block that very freedom? It's a common experience, one that you and I share. We're so acutely aware of our sinful nature that the prospect of being truly free from the power of sin can almost seem unreal, like a dream too good to be true.
Yet, this is the journey we are on, together in Christ. The awareness of this internal struggle is a testament to the ongoing work of transformation that Christ is accomplishing in us. Hold onto this truth as we continue to explore the depths of what it means to live a life in Christ.
Here's what happens for a lot of us, and it’s a journey I’ve seen so many travel. You start by acknowledging you're a sinner and that Christ is your Savior. You embrace this new, eternal life. But then, right after this realization, right after you start experiencing this Kingdom life, you suddenly see sin still lurking within you. And it’s shocking. New Christians especially get hit hard by this. They've just begun a new life in Christ, and then they see all this junk inside them, and they wonder, 'Am I really saved? Did it really work?' Some even get so discouraged that they slide back into sin, losing precious time because they don't fully understand their true position as believers and the real source of their deliverance from sin.
The truth we need to grasp, though, is this: yes, the penalty of sin was eradicated by Christ, and yes, we are declared righteous. But more than that, the power of sin within us has been replaced by the power of the resurrection. This isn't just a nice thought; it's a reality we can live by faith. We have been delivered from the grip and authority of sin. It’s not about denying that sin is present within us. It’s about understanding and living in the reality that its authority and power over us has been broken.
This realization is crucial. It’s not about being perfect or never struggling. It’s about knowing our identity in Christ. We’re living in a new reality, one where sin doesn’t have the final say, and where the resurrection power of Christ is actively at work within us. This is the true source of our deliverance – not just a change in behavior, but a fundamental transformation of our very nature.