I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…
Galatians 2:20a
Jesus died on a cross almost 2000 years ago on a hill called Mount Calvary. He hung between two thieves who were deserving of death.
However, Jesus had never sinned. And though He didn’t deserve to die, the Jewish people didn’t understand it was the reason He came.
When it became evident that Jesus wasn’t going to overthrow the Roman government and set up His kingdom, the people decided He couldn’t possibly be the promised Messiah. So, they cried, “Crucify Him!”
They didn’t understand that the future kingdom was for a later date. And it still is.
The first time Jesus came was to die for the world’s sins because it is the only way a person can be made right with God. You see, our sin separates us from God.
But when we believe He came to die, that His death paid for our sins and it’s why God can restore us to Himself, we are crucified with Christ.
So, what does it mean to be crucified with Christ?
Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
What Does It Mean to Be Crucified With Christ?
A believer doesn’t literally die with Christ on the cross. That is pretty obvious since most of us weren’t even born yet. So, to be crucified with Christ is spiritually significant and means that you are no longer under sin’s penalty of eternal death. Jesus broke sin’s power when He died, and reversed the punishment when He rose again. Jesus conquered death, and the one who believes in Him will no longer be subject to eternal death. Additionally, being crucified with Christ means you have a new life and set aside the old life with its passions and desires. You no longer love your old way of living but willingly give it up to follow and live for Jesus.
You Are No Longer Under the Penalty of Sin
As I’ve already said, the penalty for sin is eternal death. There is only one way to escape it, and that’s to accept what Jesus did on the cross for you.
As long as you think there is another way, you remain guilty of sin. Only Jesus’ death on the cross can free you from death.
Consider the following verses:
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and death spread to all men, because all sinned–
Romans 6:16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:13 For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Galatians 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.
The Old is Gone, the New is Here
Another way of saying you have been crucified with Christ is to say your old self is dead, and you have received a new life. You are born again.
Your old self is who you used to be before you believed in Jesus. You were separated from God and had no hope of being good enough. You were a slave to sin and under its penalty and power.
Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
But now, as a believer, you have a new life in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.
The new life is God’s grace and miracle.
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You Crucified the Flesh and Its Passions
The flesh is another term for your old self with all its worldly desires. This world is no longer your home, and trying to make it so takes you away from God.
That’s not to say that everything in the world is bad. On the contrary, God’s creation was good, but sin corrupted it. Sin introduced evil passions and desires that are opposed to God’s way. People can still be moral and ethical, but at heart, we are self-centered.
FLESH minus the H spelled backward is SELF. We are, by nature, selfish and don’t naturally seek after God or want to please Him. We want our own way.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Galatians 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
We crucified the flesh and its passions when we were crucified with Christ.
You No Longer Love Your Life
Loving your life is the same as living a self-centered life as opposed to a God-centered life.
Being crucified with Christ means you stop living for yourself and instead live for God. The Bible also calls this denying self, taking up your cross, and following Christ.
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Your new desires are to please God. You understand that those who hang onto their life will lose it because they weren’t willing to trust Jesus for their eternity.
John 12:25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
You Are Alive and United With Christ
When we “nail to the cross” our old way of living, we receive new life. We were dead in our sins, but God, in His mercy and love, made us alive with Christ.
Formally, we lived according to the world’s way of living, following the passionate desires of our sinful nature (Ephesians 2:3).
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
Colossians 3:1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sites on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
Now we have a new way of living, and it’s a way that makes us responsible to and reliant on the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:12-13 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
Being United With Christ Involves Suffering
Additionally, we understand that being united with Christ means we will suffer for His sake. We will tell unbelievers about Jesus even though it’s hard, experience God’s power in our lives, and someday live in heaven forever with God.
2 Corinthians 4:10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ and experience his mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
Through the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace to you as a believer, you will be able to suffer well and endure. Our sinful nature will still try to gain control and convince us we can’t live this new life. But resist this lie.
And you will sometimes fail. But confess your sin and trust that God isn’t angry with you or condemning you. As you grow in your faith and knowledge of God, you will see God coming through in your life over and over again. Trust that God is faithful and will always forgive you.
Final Thoughts
So, what does it mean to be crucified with Christ? First and foremost, it means you are no longer under the penalty of sin and won’t experience eternal death.
Instead, you have eternal life and will live with God forever in heaven. Even physical death is just passing from this world into the presence of Jesus.
However, in this life, to be crucified with Christ means living for Him and doing what pleases God.
The old is gone, and you are a new creation. The old you lived for yourself, but the new you crucified or laid aside your selfish desires.
In other words, you no longer love the kind of life you used to live. You have decided to follow Jesus, and you will not turn back.
You are committed to living for Christ, knowing you are alive with Him and united to Him. You understand it involves suffering but little by little, you will become more like Christ.
If you aren’t sure you have been “crucified with Christ” or don’t know if you will go to heaven when you die, I encourage you to read another article that may help you to understand.