The Scripture clearly teaches what happens when a person truly comes to know Jesus Christ as his or her own personal Savior and Lord of his life. A miraculous transformation occurs as a result, which is referred to as “salvation.”
Salvation changes my lifestyle and my mindset. I no longer has any allegiance to “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The god of this world is one of the titles for Satan. Another title is “the prince of this world.”
The light of the gospel is always shining. God is always seeking to shine into the hearts of men. But Satan puts various barriers between. Unbelievers and God. It may be pride, or rebellion, or self-righteousness. Spiritual blindness keeps people from perceiving the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As one who has known the Lord Jesus as his Savior, the apostle Paul could confidently declare: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ who lives in me; and the life 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).
The fact is that by God’s grace I am saved. Therefore, for me to live is Christ Jesus. The reason is that I can now identify with Him in His death because the “old me” as a sinner without God and without hope has been crucified with Him; when He died on the cross.
In his commentary on the quoted text, William MacDonald writes as follows: “The believer is identified with Christ in His death. Not only was He crucified on Calvary, I was crucified there as well — in Him. This means the end of me as a sinner in God’s sight. It means the end of me as a person seeking merit or earn salvation by my own efforts.”
“The believer does not cease to live as a personality or as an individual . But the one who is seen by God as having died is not the same one who lives. It is no longer I who lives in me. The Savior did not die for me in order that I might go on living my life as I chose. He died for me that from now on He might be able to live His life in me. The life which I now live in this human body, I live by faith in the Son of God. Faith means reliance or dependence. The Christian lives by continual dependence on Christ, by yielding to Him, by allowing Christ to live His life in him” (Believer’s Bible Commentary pg. 1880 Thomas Nelson Publishers).
Because of the definite change that takes place, I consider my life to become the “out-living” of the “in-living” Jesus Christ. I, myself am now dead to sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus my Lord.
Here is a question for you to consider and answer. “Have you ever turned your life over to the Lord Jesus Christ with a prayer that His life might be manifest in your body?”
Not only did the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me; the Scripture says: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25). The biblical meaning of “justification” is that when God pardons a guilty sinner and credits Christ’s perfect righteousness to that individual; viewing him as completely right in His sight.
It must be clearly understood that there could not by any justification if Jesus Christ had remained dead and buried. Glory to God, Christ was raised from the dead, and that means my justification is definitely the result that is assured by His resurrection.
And His resurrection is proof positive that my sins are all gone. I am from sin and guilt set free. The Savior is now exalted at God’s right hand in heaven; and “always lives to make intercession for me” (Hebrews 7:25).
YET NOT I, BUT CHRIST who lives in me. My earnest expectation and hope is that in absolutely nothing will I be ashamed, but rather with great courage and inspiration, the Lord Jesus Christ will be exalted, glorified, honored, magnified, and praised in my body, whether by life or by death. Glory to God.