I’m On Team Crucifixion S6e8 Gal2:20

Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ."  But he actually has NOT.  He's not been up on the Roman crucifixion machine.  So, how then is it true?

When Manchester United plays, its' fans declare, "WE WON today." Really? Did a million people strap on their cleats and shin guards? No.  What they mean is that by ASSOCIATION, by attachment, they participate in the win.

Similarly, we are NOT crucified.  Christ is. Our attachment to Him achieves the benefits.  And how do we attach?  By being super-Jewish as the Galatians recommend? No, by FAITH, by confession, by agreement, by calling on and setting our seal to HIM.  

I HAVE been crucified with Christ.  Have you?  Think on this today. Please like, share, and subscribe at bewithme.us. Then, come back tomorrow.

Transcript

Michael Smith: 0:01

Good morning, my brothers and sisters, welcome to episode eight in the book of Galatians. This is actually season six of a podcast called Be with me. I told you yesterday for those of you who listen, I said that today would be a happy podcast. Well, if it is, it's going to be associated with crucifixion. Like, what? That's just crazy. It is because we're at a verse in Galatians. It's the most famous verse in Galatians, I think Galatians 220, I had been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live 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. So I'm stuck today on the the first sentence of that, which is I have been crucified. So those four words I have been crucified. Okay, first of all, it's not true. Because I have not spent any time on a Roman execution machine called a cross and the process of crucifixion. So it's, it's not true. But he has, and he has been crucified and died and as a perfect sacrifice. So the way I get crucified, if you will, is by associating myself with his crucifixion. And in that sense, I'm riding on his coattails. And then on the winning team, a similar thing would be, let's say, you follow Manchester United, or maybe the Chicago Bulls, and a game is played. And then you tell me is like, Oh, we won today? Like, wait a minute, did you? You know, strap on the shin guards and go go play? No, you didn't? How did you win? In what sense? Did you win? Well, by association with the winning team, okay. Just for a second, let's say I really was crucified. If i Your humble podcaster was crucified, I promise you I would do poor, I would do it poorly. I would do it sinfully I would revile my, my persecutors, I would probably curse them, I would probably say bad words, I would probably condemn them. In other words, even by by crucifixion, I would do it so poorly, that I would ruin myself, even if the rest of my life was, was worthy. So when I look at that statement, I have been crucified. No, I haven't number one, and if I did, I would do it wrong. So those four words are incredibly incomplete. So let's finish the sentence. Let's go to the six words, I have been crucified with Christ. So that's the key point. I want to pause just a second in just address what problem are the Galatians trying to, to fix here, they don't seem to argue that they're sinners, which is, you know, that's something Romans goes on and on about, you know, All have sinned. And first, John says, in chapter one says, if we, if we say, we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. And we make God a liar. So apparently, those groups of people that those letters are addressed to are even trying to get to a more foundational thing is no, you're you're a sinner. I don't think the Galatians really study with this. They their problem is, well, we are sinners, but how do we fix it? And the way they fix it is kind of this, this bad idea of, in a word, they they say, I will fix it by being super Jews. So even if we're Gentiles, we'll turn them into kind of super Jews. Now, it is understandable, because for 1000 years, a number of 1000s of year actually, that answer was true. So let's say you were a Gentile. And you wanted to get right with God. Well, the way to do that would be to associate with the Jews. Why? Because they had the answer. They had the temple, they had the laws, they had the sacrificial system. So you would become what's called a proselyte. That is, you would be as Jewish as humanly possible, maybe even moved to Jerusalem, to get on the coattails of the Jews, and that was welcomed to these these people were welcomed into into the faith. So for 1000s of years being super Jewish, was actually the right idea to get this answer until Jesus so here's the deal. So John, in John 628. People ask Jesus the disciples as Jesus, what must we do that is what's the essential element To be doing the works of God, and Jesus and some, this is the work singular of God that you believe. So the work of God goes from being Jewish, and doing the rights of being Jewish to belief. So how then RMI crucified with Christ, first of all, you got to agree to the sin, you have to agree to the problem, you have to agree to separation with God, you have to believe that a repair process is necessary a plan a rescue mission, you have to believe that there's a penalty for for sin. So think about this is let's say I commit some sort of a crime. Well, what did they do to pay the penalty for crime? Well, first of all, it's time you go to jail, or maybe it's a restoration of the blood money you stole or something like that. Or maybe it would be a fine. Or maybe you would have to do community service and work. So what if I killed somebody? Well, maybe a life would be required that is your life? Or here's the analogy, how about this other person comes and takes that punishment? That's what Christ does on the cross. And the penalty, this punishment, we're talking about his death, and who would pay this? So what if? What if we say, well, my sins not that bad, doesn't require a death? Well, the problem with us is we don't understand God's holiness. He's telling us Yeah, death is actually required, a perfectly holy and sinless sacrifice. So how am I crucified with Christ? Well, you are, by association, by ascent, by substitution, if you will. And how do I get there? How do I get onto his team? Well, it's by belief. It's by faith. There's scripture says this in all kinds of beautiful ways that you can belong to Him becomes child, confess with your mouth, call on Him, set your seal to this, with agreement, come to him and drink. These are all words that we use today for getting on Jesus's team. So I have been crucified with Christ Paul says that I'm saying it. Here's my final question for you is, I have been crucified with Christ. Have you? Think about that? Get back to me. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for listening.