Galatians 2:20 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.
“I am crucified with Christ!” That was true of Paul and it is true of me. I pray that it is true of you.
“Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” When Paul wrote this he was still alive physically but He was also newly alive spiritually.
“And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
The life Paul now lived in the flesh was different that the life he lived before. That is, before Christ began to live in him. “But Christ liveth in me.” In the life he lived before he had persecuted Christians but now he had become one. After Christ began living in him there was a conflict in his life that was not there before. That conflict goes on in the life of all who have Christ in their hearts. That conflict will not end until the day our flesh dies physically. We sometimes live our lives the way we want to and sometimes we live them the way Christ wants us to. The more we live them like Christ wants us to the better.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
God knew in all eternity past that we would have the battle between our spirit and our flesh and He makes provision of forgiveness for the times we sin.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If you do not have Christ in your heart and life, the conflict between your flesh and spirit will not be there and God’s forgiveness does not yet apply to you. You have not yet been forgiven for any of your sin, much less all of it.
Mark 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
