Title: Mystery of Faith
Contents
“I died through the law to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. I live by faith in the Son of God, who gave himself up, and I do not take away the grace of God, for if justification is through the law, then Christ died in vain."
The words of Galatians 2:20 can be said to be the climax of the gospel that is deep and profound enough to be nicknamed 'Mount Everest of the gospel'. The key to interpreting these mysterious words is “living in faith” at the end. This belief plays a mysterious role for us in several ways.
First, faith connects us with the Son of God.
We are sinners with no one to meet the Son of God. But this faith makes us meet, connect, and unite with the Son of God. The Son of God is the one who loves me, the one who was for me, and the one who gave up his body.
Here, we need to think about who the Son of God is through the text for a moment.
1. Jesus loves us.
When Jesus treats us, his motive always starts with love. When the Lord asks us to dedicate ourselves, no matter what commands he gives us, no matter how difficult adversity comes, the motive is always love. Therefore, we can take up the cross and live a life of faith with the conviction that the Lord loves us no matter what kind of suffering we face.
2. Jesus is the one who redeemed us from the curse of the law by being cursed for us.
In Galatians 3:10, we are sinners who have not done all the things that are written in the law. We stand under the curse of the law. The Lord redeemed us in our place of being cursed and dying (Galatians 3:13). In the end, the Lord took our place because of love. Not only did He do it on the cross, but even now, the Lord is representing us on God's side. That is why the Bible says that he is a mediator or a comforter.
3. Jesus accomplished the climax of his love by giving up his body.
It is faith that enables us to meet such an amazing Lord.
Second, this faith makes us dead with Jesus.
This is a history of the past that made us also die when Jesus was crucified. This can be thought of in two senses as being dead to the law.
One is that “the debt is fulfilled”. If we do not keep the law, we are in bondage from which we cannot escape. However, since we do not keep this law, we always have anxiety and pain in our hearts. This is the debtor. As soon as we live as debtors in the bondage of the law, we become dead to the law together with Jesus as soon as we believe in Jesus. In other words, because Jesus paid all the debts required by the law on our behalf, the payment of our debts is over.
The other is that the relationship with the law has been terminated. Dissolution of a relationship is only possible with death. Therefore, we can be saved only through faith because death with Jesus ended the fulfillment of the obligation of the law and the relationship ended.
Third, this faith enables me to live with Jesus Christ now.
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
The word “living” here has three meanings as it means to live toward God.
1. It means becoming righteous.
2. It means becoming a free man.
3. It means living with Christ in reality.
Therefore, we are no longer slaves, but children of God. This is an experiential experience of actually feeling Jesus dominating us.
Fourth, this belief is personal.
The first person “I” appears more than 10 times in the text. Beliefs are personal and not exercised by parents or other third parties. That's exactly what I do.
saint! We must all experience this wonderful mystery of faith. I hope that you will die with the Lord and be convinced that the Lord lives in you and lead a victorious life of faith.
“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. 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.”