Rethinking Who You Are
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life 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
It’s easy to think salvation means God rescues the "real you" from hell, leaving you basically unchanged but forgiven.
Paul's words in Galatians 2:20 shatter this shallow understanding. He doesn't say Jesus died so Paul could keep being Paul. What he says is far more radical: "I have been crucified with Christ." The old Paul died and now Jesus himself now lives in Paul's place.
This isn't religious poetry. It's the heart of gospel transformation. When we trust Jesus, we don't just get our sins forgiven, we undergo what Scripture calls a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The person you were before Christ—with all your natural desires, priorities, and ways of thinking—that person died on the cross with Jesus.
When you struggle with anger, it's not just you fighting your temper. Christ in you battles against sin's remnants. When you choose to forgive someone who hurt you, that's Jesus’ love flowing through you. Your capacity for patience, joy, and kindness doesn't come from trying harder to be nice. It springs from Jesus living his life through you.
This should change how we approach Christian growth. We can stop asking, "How can I become a better person?" Instead, we should ask, "How can I live more fully in union with Christ?" We don't work to improve ourselves. We learn to walk in step with the One who already lives within us.
That gossip on your tongue? Jesus in you wants to speak words that build up. That bitterness you're carrying? Jesus within you longs to extend grace. The fear that keeps you awake at night? The One who conquered death dwells in your heart.
This union with Christ also means his righteousness becomes yours. When God looks at you, he doesn't see your failures and struggles. He sees Jesus. You're not just forgiven—you're covered in the perfect record of Jesus. His obedience counts as yours. His victory over sin and death belongs to you.
This isn't about losing your personality or becoming a spiritual robot. God made you unique, and union with Christ brings out your truest self. But that self is now fused to Jesus and is being shaped by his character, and empowered by his Spirit.
Remember: You're not just saved by Jesus—you're hidden in him. Every morning, you wake up not as yourself trying to follow God, but as someone in whom Christ lives. Your identity, your power for obedience, your hope for tomorrow—it all flows from this amazing reality: Christ lives in you.
Father, You are the giver of real, lasting life.
Forgive me for trusting my own efforts instead of looking to you.
Thank You for your patience and care as I struggle.
Cause me to live each day, “no longer I, but Christ.”