“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”— Galatians 2:20 (NLT)
When we give our hearts to God through Jesus Christ, the Bible says that we become a new person. It’s not a physical change but a spiritual one. We possess a new spiritual life. When we repent of our sins and give our hearts to Jesus Christ, He then must become the Center of our lives from that day forward. Jesus was crucified on a cross and died for our sins. In like manner, the apostle Paul tells us that in a spiritual sense, we are to crucify our sinful life by faith in the one who saved us.
At one point early in Julius Caesar’s political career, feelings ran so high against him that he thought it best to leave Rome. He sailed for the Aegean island of Rhodes, but en route the ship was attacked by pirates and Caesar was captured. The pirates demanded a ransom of 12,000 gold pieces, and Caesar’s staff was sent away to arrange the payment. Caesar spent almost 40 days with his captors, jokingly telling the pirates on several occasions that he would someday capture and crucify them to a man. The kidnappers were greatly amused, but when the ransom was paid and Caesar was freed, the first thing he did was gather a fleet and pursue the pirates. They were captured and crucified … to a man! Such was the Romans’ attitude toward crucifixion. It was to be reserved for the worst of criminals, a means of showing extreme contempt for the condemned. The suffering and humiliation of a Roman crucifixion were unequaled.1
Since we’re not physically crucified like Jesus was, then how can we identify with Him and His death on the cross? Jesus was physically hung on a cross until He died, even though He had committed no sin. God has not asked us to do that since Jesus died to sin once and for all but He has asked us to die to our sinful life. In other words, we must begin to consistently do the right things and forego the wrong things. The practical application of this instruction is best expressed in Ephesians 5:1-2: “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” (NLT)
Let us walk then in love by first loving Jesus for what He has done for us—then loving one another as He has commanded us to do (John 15:12, 17). It is impossible to commit sin when we are loving God and loving our neighbor, which are the two greatest commandments in all of Scripture (Matthew 22:36-40). Maranatha!
Pastor Don
1 Today in the Word, November 23, 1992.
