
What
does it mean to be "crucified with Christ" in a fulfilled
view? From a fulfilled view, to be "crucified
with Christ" (Galatians 2:20) means that the old covenant
identity tied to the flesh, the law, and national Israel was put to
death. Paul, representing faithful Israel, died to that old system
when he embraced Christ. In this view, the crucifixion wasn't
just Jesus' physical death, but a covenantal transition. By being
"crucified with Christ," Paul declared that he no longer
identified with the law based righteousness of the Old Covenant, but
with the life and righteousness found in Christ, the fulfillment of
all God's promises. That death meant: A death to the law (Galatians 2:19) A death to the flesh and works-based
identity A resurrection into a new creation life
(Galatians 6:15), lived by faith Christ now lives in the believer,
because the New Covenant dwelling of God with His people has come
(Revelation 21:3). The "crucifixion" is spiritual and
covenantal, it represents the end of the old world and the beginning
of the new.
By Dan Maines
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