“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 (kjv)
What does “living by the faith of the Son of God” mean according to the Bible?
1. “I am crucified with Christ…”
First, Apostle Paul mentioned the fact that believers are crucified with Christ. This is spiritual truth and the foundation of Christianity. We are saved because Jesus took our place on the cross. We were supposed to hang on that cross, not Christ. But God chose to deal with our sins in Christ. When Jesus hung on the cross, God put all the iniquities of humanity on Him (Isaiah 53: 6; 2 Corinthians 5:19). Our sinful nature already qualifies us for separation from God for all eternity. Jesus bore the punishment for us so that God doesn’t cast us away anymore. His sacrifice on our behalf gave us a new nature, a fresh start and a better relationship (2 Corinthians 5:21).
2. “Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but liveth in me…”
The power in the covenant blood of Jesus gave us a new life. We are now alive to God and to His will. We were dead before but now the sacrificing of Christ’s life gave us eternal life (Ephesians 2:1). However, the life we have right now is not ours. It is not ours because we know that we deserve to die but Christ saved us. Christ didn’t just die to give His life for our salvation. Christ died to live on the inside of us. Therefore, the life we live in this world is the exchanged life of Christ who now lives in us.
3. “…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.”
The life we have now belongs to Christ because it is Christ who now lives in us. If we believe that the spiritual realm rules the physical world, then we understand the overwhelming power and presence of the life we received when we put our faith in Christ. We must see it the way it is and not the way it isn’t. The world may see you walking, working and waking every morning, but it is no longer you. People may hear you speak, know your name and interact with you, but it is no longer you.
You are alive but it is Christ that lives. You exchanged your life with that of Christ. That’s the transaction that took your sins away. If that transaction happened, then you no longer have your former life but the life of Christ who gave Himself for you. So when you wake, wake with the consciousness of Christ in you. When you work, work with the consciousness of Christ in you. When you walk, walk with the consciousness of Christ in you. It is no longer you but Christ that lives in your flesh because He gave you His life already.
Jesus Christ truly died for you on the cross of Calvary. He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. He did that so He could live in you. Right now as you read this line, Jesus is in you. He is the life you now have. Your old life is gone; you have the life of Jesus. Your past doesn’t matter anymore. Jesus gave you all of Himself. His glorious past is yours now. His blessed present is your present now. His great future is your future as well.
Many believers don’t understand what happened on the day Jesus died. They don’t seem to get what took place at resurrection. They see these things as merely about mercy, forgiveness or pardon. They don’t realize that Jesus took our lives from us and gave us His own supernatural and eternal life. The sacrifice of the Son of God was more than what we know. It is deeper than what we can imagine. God did a perfect work through Jesus. He saved us from everything evil, worldly and fleshly.
Jesus had no sin, so now we have no sin recorded against us (Colossians 2:14). Jesus lived in the consciousness of God, so we can live in the consciousness of Christ. Jesus had power over his desires and needs, so we can have power over all our moral and spiritual weaknesses. Jesus had no record of sickness or disease, so we too can overcome these things. God truly gave us all of Himself through Jesus Christ.
So what are we going to do with this perfect and complete gift of God? Here’s what we will do: We will choose to live by the faith of the Son of God (Galatians 2:20); we will stand strong in God’s perfect provisions through Christ (Galatians 5:1); and we will live as though Christ is the One alive, not us (1 John 4:17).
How do we live by the faith of the Son of God? We do that by understanding how Christ lived while He was on earth and imagining how He might be now that He’s glorified. We must find time to study both the gospels and the epistles. The gospels show us how Christ lived before His glorification. The epistles tell us who we are now that Christ has been glorified. We need these two perspectives to be able to live fully in the power of the life of Christ in us. Christ was sinless, bold and kind. He was prayerful, merciful and dutiful. He had faith that God in Him could do all things. He never doubted that sinners could be saved, the sick would be healed or Satan would be defeated.
When we live by the same faith of the Son of God (his boldness, faith and view of all things) we will experience the same grace and power that was in the life and ministry of Jesus. Living by the faith of the Son of God is possible because Jesus has given us His life. Remember we have the life of Jesus in us. This Jesus is the same One that died and rose from the grave. He is the same One who is in heaven. He is God and He is in us. Everyday you live, know that it is Jesus Christ living and working through you. Face life, family, business, ministry and everything with the same faith, confidence, trust and power as Jesus did. He is in you.