Galatians 3:19-21
For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
How could Paul say that he is dead to the law, and was crucified with Christ? He was a murderer of believers at the time when Jesus was crucified. The Bible and the History says that there were only two other thieve’s got crucified with Jesus. When we read Pauline epistles; it does not make any sense to our natural mind. That is why Greeks called (Paul) him a babbler (Acts 17:18) and Jews called him a fool. If Paul come and preach in our church; we would call him the same.
Let us read another scripture Paul wrote which is of the same line and length.
Romans 6:6-11
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In Romans 6, Paul describes crucifixion, death and burial as a universal truth; I mean the crucifixion, death and burial as something that happened to the whole humanity.
[NB: Resurrection did not happen to the whole world when Jesus was resurrected, resurrection happens individually, when a person believe the resurrection of Jesus. I will explain this truth in another article.]
Paul, are you saying that I went to the cross too? I was not even born that time. This is too much for my peanut brain to figure out. Paul, are you saying that Hitler and Saddam Hussein went to the cross too? Paul would tell us – “Yes” brother, I could not figure out with my brain too; but it was revealed to me by the Holy Spirit, therefore I believed.
Did you come across these questions when you read Pauline epistles; if you haven’t yet, you are still living in a religious bubble? Which need to be busted with Gospel truths? Please allow this babbler to bust this bubble.
Apostle Paul would say:
Jesus carried the old man (sinful nature) of the whole humanity with him on the cross, all of us were in Him when Jesus (Last Adam) went through the crucifixion, death and burial. Just like the whole humanity was in First Adam when he went to eat the forbidden fruit.
What happend on the cross(obedience) is a reversal of what happend in the garden of Eden (disobedience). By default, we were all identified with Adam (sinner)when we are born into this earth, and we are all identified with christ (righteous) when we are born again. Our identity is changed from sinner to righteous, the moment we are born again. Now we have to live out with that identity. It is not about us, it is all about whom we are identitified with. Can you believe this awesome truth?
We are sinner''s by natural birth; and we are righteous by spiritual birth. We have not done anything to become a sinner; likewise we don''t have to do anything to become righteous. If you are born again rightesouness is your birthright. According to God, you are either a sinner or a righteous person. You cannot increase your righteousness or decrease your sinful nature by your actions. Your birth decides your nature and destiny. Look unto Jesus and understand your new righteous nature.
If you are not satisfied with those two verses, I would like to give another scripture of the same line and length (my cricket sense).
Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Paul looks at the world through the cross; he is seeing the whole world crucified dead and buried along with Christ, all our sins are paid off and we are reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19). All that the world needs is the resurrection from the death. This resurrection or new birth takes place only by preaching of the Gospel.
Let us see a prophecy in the Old Testament about the New Covenant, where God told the prophet Ezekiel to speak to the dry bones, and they become alive. There are spiritually dead people around us; they need some body to preach the true Gospel. You will become a productive evangelist, the day you start seeing the world through the cross.
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 7So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.