The life I now live in the body …
Summary: Paul is acutely aware of how his life has changed after encountering Jesus. In today’s passage he begins to describe the difference.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:20d – Hand and Glove”Galatians 2:20c – Christ in Me (Part 2)
… but Christ lives in me.
Summary: Understanding that we have an invisible spiritual self is one thing. Understanding that Jesus wants to be with us is another.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:20c – Christ in Me (Part 2)”Galatians 2:20c – Christ in Me (Part 1)
… but Christ lives in me.
Summary: As we look at this passage, the first question that confronts us is existential. Are we purely physical beings, or is there something more, some invisible part of us that only God can see?
Continue reading “Galatians 2:20c – Christ in Me (Part 1)”Galatians 2:20b – The Definition of Evil
… and I no longer live,
Summary: Understanding Paul’s meaning requires what the psychologists call “active listening.” We must expand our thinking to engage Paul’s mind and vision for what he means.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:20b – The Definition of Evil”Galatians 2:20a – Crucified with Christ
I have been crucified with Christ …
Summary: When Paul says he has been “crucified with Christ,” he is speaking metaphorically.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:20a – Crucified with Christ”Galatians 2:19b – Living for God
… so that I might live for God.
Summary: It turns out that dying to the law and living for God are related. We also discover an interesting relationship between self-interest and the law.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:19b – Living for God”Galatians 2:19a – Walking Away
“For through the law I died to the law …”
Summary: The complexities of Paul’s logic can be difficult to follow. Here, we explore the meanings of life and death and how they relate to the laws of the old covenant.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:19a – Walking Away”Galatians 2:19 – Old Laws and New
If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
Summary: Keep up with Paul can be a challenge. In this passage he reflects on his personal journey with God’s law. The old covenant law is obsolete, and the “new law” is to trust in Jesus. If we try to mix the old with the new, we end up breaking the new law.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:19 – Old Laws and New”Galatians 2:17 – Crime and Punishment
But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!
Summary: Paul tackles a legalistic conundrum as only Paul can. He lassos it, hogties it, and then throws it in our faces demanding that we confront his argument head-on.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:17 – Crime and Punishment”Galatians 2:16b – Innocent Before God
So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
Summary: In this passage Paul outlines the basic challenge that confronts all humanity. Who do we trust? Ourselves or our Lord?
Continue reading “Galatians 2:16b – Innocent Before God”