Sermon: New Life, New Loyalty, & New Goal
Bible Passage: Galatians 2:19-20
2:19 For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God—I have been crucified with Christ. 2:20 And it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I. Background: Paul’s three important statements in verse 19
1. “I died to the Law”
i. Paul’s salvation experience brought a major change in his life
ii. Paul’s loyalty to the Law has come to an end
iii. In the same way, the Law has ceased to have any claim on him
2. “I might live to God”:
i. A new loyalty or allegiance and new purpose
ii. That is, to live as God’s sons and daughters
iii. That Paul is now enabled to live unto God without legalism
3. “I have been crucified with Christ”—A metaphor refers to an end of his old way of living
i. The verb is a divine passive, i.e., “I have been crucified with Christ by God”
ii. The preposition “with” underlines Paul’s inclusion in the crucifixion of Jesus
iii. The verb “to crucify” here is in perfect tense, i.e., the action happened in the past but the state of being crucified continues, i.e., to remain crucified
iv. He ceased to pursue relationship with God through the Law but “in Christ”
v. Jesus’ crucifixion provided to Paul what he was seeking through the Law
a. Justification, a right standing before God
b. God declared Paul righteous; acquitted him of all his transgressions; and gave him a right standing before Him
c. This right standing (“being crucified”) is that of “children”
d. In this right standing, he does not need to pursue any legalistic techniques to reach God
e. But he is invited to relate with God just as Jesus is relating to His Father, as sons and daughters
Observation on verse 19
1. Paul’s relationship to self, sin, world, and legalistic route to reach God has been decisively altered
2. None of the past controls, dominates, or defines his present any longer (verse 19b)
3. The life and work of Jesus Christ was continuously bringing transformation in Paul’s life
4. For Paul, the altered present existence is “to live for God” (verse 19)—(goal in life)
Verse 20
1. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”
i. Though Paul continued to live in the same body, the operating principle is not the same
ii. In the place of the Law, Jesus and His teachings operate him
iii. It does not mean that he did not have struggles with sin; Jesus gave him a new way to look at the world and his relationship with God
iv. Christ lives in him through the Holy Spirit of God
2. “The life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God”
i. It is not a mysticism or a supernatural transformation into sinlessness, but it refers to a change of loyalty
ii. At the cross of Jesus, Paul surrendered his past life
a. For Paul, “surrender” is not “defeat” or “giving up”
b. It is a response to the truth of the Gospel
c. It’s a change of lordship
d. It’s his willingness to reform his life based on the merit of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
iii. “I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God” points to the continued ministry of Jesus to enable believers to have the right standing before God
Observations on verse 20
1. For Paul, there was a clear difference between his past before Christ and present after meeting with Christ (who and what directs your life?)
2. He had a clear goal with regard to his present life (what is it for us?)
3. He knew who guides his life
4. There was a clear change of loyalty in his life—from the Law to Jesus
Take Away:
Develop clarity about your life, loyalty, and goal—salvation and life in Christ (justification and sanctification)