Crucified with Christ
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ live in me; and the life which 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
Reading through chapter 2, when we get to verse 11, we are brought into a tense moment. The kin of confrontation you don’t expect among church leaders - Paul standing face to face with Peter, publicly rebuking Him. Paul tells us that Peter had openly eaten freely with Gentile believers, but suddenly pulled away when a group of Jewish believers from Jerusalem arrived. Peter gave into the pressures of people pleasing, which led him to act hypocritically, retreating back to tradition. Paul couldn’t let it slide. The gospel itself was at stake.
This is the backdrop of Galatians 2:15-21, where Paul draws a bold, beautiful line in the sand: We are not justified by works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. The issue wasn’t just dietary laws or cultural customs. It goes much deeper - how a person is made right with God? Peter’s actions subtly rebuilt a system of religious performance, suggesting that Christ alone wasn’t enough.
For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. -Galatians 2:18
Paul’s words cut through the noise. Christ didn’t come to clean up the old system; He came to fulfill it. In the Jewish context, “fulfill” doesn’t mean to abolish or nullify, but to bring to fullness, to interpret and obey God’s instruction as originally intended. So Jesus didn’t tear down the Law’s value - He embodied its truest meaning and brought it to completion.
Paul makes it clear: we are justified (declared righteous) not by keeping the law, but by trusting in Jesus. But that doesn’t mean our lives don’t change. Real faith produces real fruit. Obedience isn’t how we earn salvation - it’s the natural outflow of a heart that’s been changed by grace.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which 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
This is identity-shaping truth. The old “me” - the one who tried to earn approval, who feared men, who lived for self - that person is dead. And now, Christ live in me. This means the works I now do - loving others, serving the church, fleeing from sin - aren’t attempts to gain something from God, but a joyful response to what I’ve already received.
Paul’s warning in verse 18 is worth sitting with. Are we, perhaps unknowingly, rebuilding what Jesus tore down?
When we measure out worth by how much we read or pray - rather than resting in Christ - we’re rebuilding
When we judge others by outward performance - rather than grace - we’re rebuilding.
When we beat ourselves up over sin instead of running to repentance at the cross - we’re rebuilding.
When we live for the approval of others rather than the approval of God - we’re rebuilding.
Grace doesn’t lead us to laziness. It leads us to transformation. The life we now live, we live by faith - every moment, every choice, every act of love empowered by Christ within us.
So today:
Remind yourself of the gospel in your life. Remind yourself: I am justified by faith, not by performance.
Let you obedience flow from your identity. Don’t ask: What would a good Christian do? Instead, ask: What does Christ in me look like today?
Tear down old structures. Examine your habits, thought patterns, or relationships. Are you slipping into works-based thinking or people-pleasing?
Think about this:
Am I living like someone who’s been crucified with Christ - or am I quietly rebuilding the old systems He died to set me free from?
Heavenly Father, thank You for the grace that saves and the grace that transforms. Forgive me for the ways I rebuild the old life - trusting in performance, fearing man, or trying to earn Your love. Help me to live each day by faith in You. Remind me that I’ve been crucified with Christ, and now You live in me. May that truth shape how I think, live, love, and obey. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
