20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”?
Colossians 2:20-21
“You Have Died With Christ” ~ The Apostle Paul wrote this and other statements like it throughout his writings. He felt a great need to convey this to those he sought to help grow in their faith and understanding of Christ and His Gospsel message. His determined effort pushes us to search to understand not only what it means but why it is so important.
Here in Colossians Paul phrases the statement refers to the believers in Colossae, saying: “You have died with Christ.” However, in his letter to the Galatian believers, he wrote: “I have been crucified with Christ; therefore I no longer live.” He also refers to it in at least three other places, including Galatians 5:24 and 6:14, as well as Romans 6:6. This servant of God and cheerleader of the faith, makes it abundantly clear that ‘dying with Christ’, ‘dying to self’, ‘living in Him’, living by faith, and being crucified with Him … is vitally important to a life of faith ~ a life that cannot be lived apart from Him or in our old self. Remember, if we are in Christ we are new creations, the old has gone the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Or, as he wrote to the believers in Galatia:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 NKJV
Crucified living or living crucified is described by Paul in his letter to the Galatians, where he writes: I have been crucified with Christ; therefore I no longer live. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20). Basically, Paul is teaching over and over again that when we choose to follow Christ it is a decision of the heart based on faith in Jesus Christ, believing that He is the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. In other words, “If a person really believes that Christ, not the Law, is the focus of their lives, why would they continue to obsess over human rules and regulations?”1 Rightfully so, “Paul questioned why the Colossian believers still acted like unbelievers in some areas. Instead of living by faith in their own ability, they were to walk by faith in Christ… The ascetic teachings or rules of false teachers were not binding upon them and offered no advantage.”2
Jesus Himself told one of the many crowds He spoke to, that if anyone wanted to be His follower, they would need to deny themselves, turn from their selfish (self-centered) ways, and take up their cross daily. He went on to explain that to truly follow Him meant giving up their life, saying: “Whoever tries to save his/her life will lose it, but whoever gives up his/her life for the sake of following Him will save it.” (Luke 9:23-25). In other words, following Christ is not easy, it is not to be taken lightly, or squeezed into your life as it is… it is laying down your life for His Way, loving others “just as He has loved us”, obeying His commands … It is a way of life – a new life that is worth more than we could ever expect or imagine.
As the writer of today’s LGG Journal entry explains:
Paul wants his readers to understand that living a God-pleasing life is only possible if we have died to this world. Our spiritual condition apart from Jesus is so bad that we are enslaved to sin. No amount of asceticism or self-discipline will be able to break sin’s mastery over our lives.
That’s why, once again, Paul reminds us that we have “died with Christ” to these external things. Our old sinful nature has died, and sin no longer has mastery over us. We have been “raised with Christ.” We have a new identity. We have been freed to serve a new master.
Christ Is All I Need, study journal, p.126
Responce of Prayer3
Lord Jesus, by faith I am united to your death and resurrection. I have been buried with You in baptism and raised with You to new life. Thank you for giving me a new life ~ I am forever grateful. Amen~
Response of Worship
Reflection and Application –
- Why is it important that we die to self?
- What does it look like for us to be crucified with Christ?
- Why can outward adherence to rules or physical self-denial not change anyone’s heart?
Please take a minute to reflect on these questions and respond in the comment section below.
The More We Know
“In Galatians 2:20, the Apostle Paul means that his old, self-reliant, and sin-governed self died spiritually when Jesus died on the cross. He is not talking about a physical death, but a deep spiritual union with Christ where his former identity is replaced by Christ living and directing his life through faith.” Paul David Tripp
“Living by Faith: The physical life Paul continues to live is sustained by trusting in the Son of God rather than relying on his own human strength.” – Friends, this is a must read or listen to quote – exponded on by clicking here: Desiring God (by John Piper)
End of Self-Justification: “Paul stops trying to earn God’s favor or righteousness through strict obedience to religious laws. That legalistic striving was nailed to the cross.” Visit gotquestions.org to read/learn more about what it means to be crucified with Christ.
Me From the Inside Out 