What does is mean that “it is no longer I who live” in Galatians 2:20?

Answer

In Galatians 2:20, the apostle Paul makes a concise yet impactful statement about the believer’s identity in Christ. Paul declares, “I have 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” (ESV). Here, Paul explains the consequences of being crucified with Christ.

When Paul states, “It is no longer I who live,” he is pointing to the profound transformation that takes place when sinners place their faith in the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. It mirrors the transformation Jesus discussed with Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3;ESV;see also verse 5). Being born again does not entail merely making superficial changes; it signifies a complete renewal. We have been crucified with Christ, and we have died to our former selves that once defined us: “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” «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. », (Romans 6:6, ESV).

When Paul mentions, “It is no longer I who live,” he is acknowledging his own self-denial for the sake of Christ. The transformation that Jesus brings about in our hearts is so thorough that we almost feel like different individuals. It is such a profound change that we take on a new identity, and that identity is Christ.

Furthermore, Paul affirms, “Christ lives in me” «I am crucified with ChristNevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ lives 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.” (Galatians 2:20). Simply put, this means that Christ is the source of our lives and our identity. While Christ is physically absent from the world, He continues to abide with us through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who empowers and enables us to pursue righteousness and bear fruit that leads to eternal life (Galatians 5:22-23). In fact, the fruit of the Spirit is proof that we belong to Christ (Romans 8:9-11).

Though we have physical bodies and continue to struggle with sin (Romans 7:7-25), Christ has thoroughly and radically transformed the way we operate our lives. We used to be self-reliant and self-righteous sinners. Now, we live by faith, love, and hope. “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Corinthians 13:13). The faith that Paul speaks of in Galatians 2:20 is not blind faith, but an intimate and personal experience of Christ’s love. Christ not only says that He loves us, but He has shown it through His actions: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, ESV). God’s love for us, then, is the foundation of our lives. The believer can say, “It is no longer I who live” because of the miraculo

Our way of life has been transformed. Our previous self and our state of sin are part of our former way of living. We are dead to sin, having been spiritually crucified with Christ.

The Message offers a helpful paraphrase of Galatians 2:19–21: “I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not ‘mine,’ but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.”