Living A Crucified Life?

First of all, do you want to know what is scary? There's someone out there in the world that looks like me but with a different name. And I wonder if I will ever meet this guy? Also, I just found out there's a "wireless industry consultant and radio jockey" Mark Lowenstein from New York. I saw his picture on the web so check it out: http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=big_talk_discussion&talkid=371 Handsome, am I? ;)

I am studying Galatians, chapter 2, for tomorrow's PowerSource (bible study) and by the time I got to my favorite verse of Galatians (2:20), I stumbled with a thought, "Living A Crucified Life". Let me ask you a question, "Are you living a crucified life?" If you were to ask me the same question, then my answer would be a simple, "No." You may wonder why? That's fine.

Are you living the crucified life?"

There was a man who asked a minister the question and the discussion goes on. The man replied to the minister whether if he is living a crucified life or not, "I am trying to." The minister said to him, "You are either living it, or you are not living it. The fact of the matter is you cannot live it." "Oh," the man said, "why can't I?" So the minister pointed out to him that there is something interesting to note about crucifixion.

You can commit suicide in many different ways. You can hang yourself, shoot yourself, take poison, jump off a high building, or jump in front of a truck. There are many ways to end your life, but you cannot crucify yourself.

When you nail one hand to the cross, who is going to nail your other hand to the cross? You cannot do it yourself. You must understand what Paul is talking about when he says,
"I am crucified with Christ."

Paul was crucified with Christ when Christ died. Christ died a substitutionary death. He died for Paul. He died for you. He died for me.

In Romans 6, we are told that we have been buried with Christ by baptism, by identification. We have been raised with Him in newness of life, and now we are joined to the living Christ. Paul says that we do not know Him any more after the flesh. He is not the Man of Galilee walking around the Sea of Galilee. I walked about in that area some time ago and did not see Him; He is not there today. He is at God's right hand. He is the glorified Christ.

Paul is saying, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live." You see, the Law (Ten Commandments) executed us because we didn't follow them. The Law could not give us life.

Who gave us life? "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live."

How do you live? "Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."

Friends, that is the important thing. He died for me down here that I might live in Him up in Heaven and that He might live in me down here. "And the life," Paul says, "which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God."

What kind of life is this? It is a life of faith (Romans 10:17) -- saved by faith, live by faith, walk by faith. This is what it means to "Living A Crucified Life", living by faith!