20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Crucifixion connotes judgement, condemnation and public shame. Crucifixion is the way to death; it never points to life. Our opening Scripture reveals that Paul as much and as well as every believer in Christ has been crucified with Christ. What this means is that Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross was our crucifixion, that is, He was our Substitute, and so when He was crucified, we were crucified. Again, He identified with us in His substitutionary work; so, when He was crucified, we were crucified with Him. Why crucifixion? Crucifixion is God’s judgement of sin and sin nature. The man that Adam became after the fall is known as the old man (Romans 6:6). So, when Jesus was crucified, it was God’s death blow dealt to the old man. When Jesus identified with us and took our place, He was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). The old man was crucified with Christ that he might die, because crucifixion is the way to death. Therefore, Paul said in Galatians 2:20: “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 body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me”. The old “I” was crucified with Christ unto death that the new “I” might be resurrected with Him.
Evidently, without getting rid of the old man, the new man would not have come alive. When Jesus was crucified, the old man was crucified with Him; and when He died, the old man died with Him. When Christ was buried, the old man was buried with Him; and when He was raised from the dead, the new man was raised together with Him. So, if any man be in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old life, nature or being is passed away; a new life or man or being is born. That’s what happens when one gets born again. The old life or nature of sin was crucified with Christ and the new man has come into life or existence in Christ. The era of sin’s dominion over the child of God is over! Righteousness now reigns supreme! Faith in God, therefore, requires that we reckon our old selves crucified and dead with Christ and our new selves alive with Christ (Romans 6:11-12). That’s how the life of victory is lived in Christ. Faith is the way to appropriate the fact that we have been crucified with Christ.
MY SOLID FRONT (YOUR CONFESSION):
In the Name of Jesus Christ, I declare that I have been crucified with Christ; therefore, the old life has been crucified with Christ. Now, I walk in victory over all negative habits in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further Meditation:
Galatians 5:22-25; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.