“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.” Galatians 2:20
From the onset of the early Church, different people have sort to describe the crucified life. My understanding of the crucified life is one that is wholly given over to God in absolute humility and obedience. It is a life of sacrifice that is pleasing to the Lord, and has its roots in Christ’s atoning work on the cross of Calvary, focusing on the death of the flesh to worldliness and sin.
Living a crucified life implies being dead to sin and being alive in God in holiness and righteousness. Children of God living this way are transformed in character into the image of God that they possess within them through Christ.
“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.” Romans 6:6
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24
These two passages confirm that the subjection of the flesh to the cross of Jesus Christ is not negotiable for us as Christians. To be born again means to put our old way of life in the flesh to death on the cross, and to thereafter receive a new kind of life which is yielded to God in righteousness, made available through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
After you become born again, you need to enforce the power of the crucified life that you possess inside of you continually by not yielding your natural body as an instrument of sin.
The crucified life destroys the power of sin over God’s children. Galatians 5:24 says clearly that those who belong to Jesus Christ by being born again have crucified the flesh with its affection and lusts. You need to believe this and walk in its reality.
Moreover, the crucified life is absolutely committed to following the footsteps of Jesus Christ. It wants to love like Him and be more like Him in thoughts, speech and action.
The whole essence of spiritual perfection has everything to do with mirroring the image of Jesus Christ the Author and Finisher of our faith. We attain this level of grace by daily walking in the Holy Spirit, who lives inside us. He continually ministers the mind of Christ to us on what to do at every point in time. When you consistently follow His guidance, the life of the resurrected Christ will show forth in you and sin will no longer be an issue in your life.
by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
