I have been crucified with Christ …
Summary: When Paul says he has been “crucified with Christ,” he is speaking metaphorically.
Paul’s claim that he has been “crucified with Christ,” is another “deep water” topic. What does he mean?
We know that Paul wasn’t literally “crucified with Christ” because he is still alive when he wrote the letter to the Galatian churches.
When Paul uses a phrase like “works of the law” (Galatians 2:16), it is tempting to jump to a conclusion about the word “law.” As we have already discussed, the word “law” can refer to many kinds of law, but more to the point is the fallacy that the law, any law, can save a person’s eternal soul.
When Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ …”, the “I” does not refer to his physical body. The body is temporal. The part of our bodies that survives eternally is invisible to the physical eye. Our hearts, minds, and wills are bound up with our souls. Somewhere in this mix of spiritual components is our sense of self, our “I.” When Paul says “I have been crucified,” he is telling us that his sense of “self” has been crucified.
How can that be?
The reason the first four Commandments are about honoring God first is because human nature, being what it is, wants to put our “self” before God.
Before Paul’s conversion, he had devoted his life to serving God as a Pharisee. After meeting Jesus, he devoted his life to serving God as Jesus instructed him. The difference was that in his first life, he was motivated by self-pride. In the second part of his life, he was motivated by his love for Jesus.
When Paul chooses to serve Jesus, he is choosing not to serve himself. This is what he means by being “crucified.” The “self” doesn’t like not getting its way. When the self is told “no,” it feels like it is being crucified.
To be “crucified with Christ” is to unite our souls with Jesus.
Jesus wasn’t just crucified on the cross. He crucified his “self” every day. When he woke up each morning, his self, like yours or mind, craved attention. His sense of self wanted to indulge the passions of the flesh. His sense of pride wanted to show others he was different and unique. Instead, he submitted to his Father.
When we, like Paul, are “crucified with Christ,” we deny our selves and submit to Jesus as Lord, Savior, and Redeemer. At some level, we know that we belong to him because in him, we find light and life. The cool thing is that in submitting to Christ, we submit to the Father, too.
Application: Seek Jesus.
Food for Thought: What was the purpose of crucifixion?
I think that the Roman’s purpose was to kill criminals in the most publicly humiliating and painful manner as an example and deterrent.
God’s purpose was to show the extent of His love in saving people through faith in Christ. Romans 5: 8; John 3: 16.
Jesus (our representative as God in human flesh) went to the cross because He loves us, to pay our debt due to sin, and to triumph for us in a spiritual battle. Our debt is now cancelled through the cross. Colossians 2: 13 – 15: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you d alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Jesus also showed His obedience to the Father’s will – ultimately expressed through going to the cross.
Philippians 2: 5 – 8: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature a God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature b of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Rich,
Excellent comments and passages! Thank you.
Your comments about the “Roman’s intent” make me wonder if public confession is modeled after the same principles as the public humiliation of the cross. Instead of being a deterrent, public confession, both of sins and of faith, is an encouragement to others.
What was the purpose of crucifixion?
To show the world that Jesus loves us so much that he can take something that is negative and means wrong and then He can turn it to good leaving another sign of His love.
Awesome answer, Tim!
Romans 8:28
I really liked todays devotion and the comments and follow up comments.
When I thought about the original question “What was the purpose of crucifixion?” I had a few thoughts that came to my mind. One of them is that it serves as a witness to those that would try to counter the “power” of some greater earthly authority (in the time of Christ, Rome). It was that “greater authority’s” means to control the population in fear. That if people didn’t obey, this is what would happen to them. Unmerciful, slow, agonizing, humiliating, death. A culmination of selfish power and evil, the ultimate expression of lovelessness. The complete opposite of who God is.
Another thought that came to mind is that he Pharisee’s and Rome really exposed the condition of their hearts when they had Christ crucified. The Pharisee’s deferred to the power of Rome to “deal” with Jesus instead of calling upon the name of God. Rome demonstrated an absence of justice and value of life, because even though Pilate said he found no fault, he delivered Jesus up. Crucifixion is the worst you can do to a person on so many levels, and represents total, loveless evil. The thing is, Jesus took it all, He took the worst that the world had to offer, He took it all the way to death. When He arose from the grave, He became a witness that God and God’s love is greater than the greatest evil. He defeated evil and He defeated death.
2 Timothy 1:10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
Chris,
Your point that the cross is “the ultimate expression of lovelessness” makes a lot of sense. Human “authority” wants others to submit no matter how much pain it has to inflict to make that happen. Jesus took that narrative and flipped it. The ultimate authority wants his creation to submit, no matter how much pain Jesus has to endure.
02-22-2024, What was the purpose of crucifixion?
Man’s purpose of crucifixion was to provide a gruesome public way to remove the physical life from those they determined to be criminals and dissenters. It was a lengthly process, and served as an example to those who witnessed this process and the results.
The crucifixion of Jesus was a part of God’s plan long before He was physically born, Psalms 22 verses 16 – 18. The sins of all mankind would require a sacrifice, beyond the abilities of mankind to provide. The sinless life of Jesus was lived and given so that man could receive salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven.
In Genesis 50:20, we see Joseph is a brief glimpse of the crucifixion of Jesus from His view. “As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this–to preserve the lives of many people.”
Today, by the power of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit of God, every believer at some point looks forward to their crucifying the power of our flesh and the birth of our spirit. The freedom in the power of Jesus Christ, to experience the joy of life in service to God is our gift from God as we die to self and live for Jesus.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Ron,
Thank you for reminding us that God had the cross in mind before humans had conceived of using it for torture and death. It is humbling to know that our Creator chose this path with complete foreknowledge of what was to come.