“I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST” (Galatians 2:20) A preacher must live what he preaches. Preaching the word of God is easy….living it is hard to do. Therefore, I preach to myself.
A. “Crucified” = Strong’s #4957 [Sustauroo] (Literally) “to crucify with; to impale in company with. ” Derived from #4862 [Sun] & #4717 [Stauroo]“union, with or together, (i.e. by association, companionship, process, resemblance, possession, instrumentality, addition, etc.
B. “Crucified” = [Figuratively] “to extinguish, (or subdue) passion or selfishness.
A. Jesus was crucified in about 33 A.D.
1. BEFORE this letter (Galatians) was written. (anywhere from 48 to 53 A.D.)
2. Paul (Saul) Still opposed Christ in Acts 8 when Stephen was killed
B. THEREFORE, Paul was NOT literally crucified in the flesh with (or alongside of ) Christ
A. SOMETHING about Paul died. BUT WHAT? (Romans 6:1-6)
1. Christians are to be DEAD to sin (vs. 1-3)
a. Do Christians sin? YES! (1 John 1:8) “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
b. Do Faithful Christians SERVE sin? NO! (Romans 6:17-18) “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
A. Baptized INTO it (Romans 6:3)
B. Baptism into death BEGINS a NEW life (Romans 6:4)
C. The forgiveness of sins is GOD’s part in Baptism (Acts 2:38, Galatians 3:26-27, 1 Peter 3:21)
1. What is OUR part?
a. We “put to death the old man of sin” (separate ourselves from the service to sin) D Therefore, being CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST means separating ourselves from our sinful desires and uniting ourselves with Christ (1) (2)
A. Is he dead forever when we are baptized INTO Christ? (Romans 6:7-13)
1. Like the monster in the movies, he can be hard to kill
B. Paul warns us to keep the old man of sin dead (Ephesians 4:17-24) (Colossians 3:1-10)
A. We cannot be Jesus’ disciple without being CRUCIFIED (Matthew 10:38) “and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 16:24) “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ “ (Luke 9:23) “And he said to them all, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ “ (Luke 14:27) “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple”
B. We “crucify” our “old man of sin” when we are Baptized INTO the death of Christ (Romans 6:1-4)
C. We must CONSTANTLY be on guard that the “old man of sin” doesn’t come back (2 Peter 2:20-22) “For if they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have know it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, ‘The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
D. IF we “die” with Christ, we shall LIVE with Christ (2 Timothy 2:11) “It is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him” end