Reflections on Galatians 2:20-21
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me…” (Galatians 2:20)
The Embrace of Universal Love
“He loved me and gave Himself for me.” These words from the apostle Paul echo with profound personal and universal significance. Around the cross of Christ stood a tapestry of humanity: His blessed mother and the beloved disciple John, the Roman judge, hardened soldiers, the chief priest, the Pharisee, the thieves condemned to die, and even the vilest of His executioners. Christ gave Himself for each of them. His love and sacrificial death extend to all—those esteemed by history and those forgotten, those we cherish and those we have never known. For every soul—no matter how lost, broken, or proud—Christ’s love reaches out, offering salvation and hope.
The gift of salvation remains open. Each person is free to accept or refuse this divine offering. No soul, however lost, will ever be able to claim that God’s loving-kindness did not desire its redemption. And no saint, radiant in glory, can boast of any merit but the infinite grace and priceless gift of Christ, their Redeemer. The dying love of Jesus encompasses all humanity, yet it also focuses with an intense and personal devotion on each individual soul. He died for all, and yet He died for each as though each were the only object of His incarnation and sacrifice.
Crucified with Christ: A Transforming Union
Paul’s understanding of Christianity was not about mere doctrinal belief, ritual devotion, or even simply accepting offered grace. For him, to be a Christian was to be absolutely united with Christ in a spiritual, living experience. Throughout his letters, Paul describes the Christian journey as one that mirrors Christ’s own—from humility and suffering to heavenly triumph. In Galatians 2:20-21, he reveals the essential elements and secret of this transformative experience.
I. The Essential Christian Experience
· Crucifixion with Christ. This is not a metaphorical or symbolic identification. Paul’s words are born from real spiritual struggle and renewal. To be crucified with Christ means that the old self—the desires, passions, sinful habits, and worldly attachments—are put to death. Christianity is not simply about gentle improvement; it is militant, purging, and even painful. The process is a kind of judicial execution of the old life, brought about by the very passions that once ruled us. When we turn in faith to Christ and unite ourselves to Him, our old self is mortally wounded. The life we once lived can no longer continue.
· Christ Living in Us. With the death of the old self comes a new life. Paul testifies that he has so surrendered to Christ that his life is now animated and governed by Christ Himself. This is the heart of true Christianity. The new life is not barren or ascetic; it is vibrant and full. It draws its energy from Christ, is shaped by His will, seeks His purposes, and is lived in communion with Him. Selfish goals and self-made plans give way to the grace, mind, and will of Christ. This new life is not a distant hope but a present reality—lived here and now, in the flesh, by faith.
II. The Secret of This Experience
· Realized Through Faith. Paul lived “in faith.” The power of Christ to destroy the old life and live within us is made effective only through faith—through trusting Him and yielding ourselves in reliance and obedience. This union is not automatic or mechanical; it is a conscious, voluntary act of faith. Faith is the living bond that unites us with Christ in both His death and resurrection.
· Motivated by Christ’s Love and Sacrifice. The love of Christ compels us. His gift of Himself reveals the depth of His love and brings it powerfully to our hearts. The revolution in Paul’s life—from persecutor to apostle—was brought about by this encounter with the love and sacrifice of Christ. To share in this experience, we must fix our thoughts on Christ’s love and personally appropriate it: “He loved me.”
A Love That Binds All
The dying love of Jesus is both universal and personal. It embraces the entire human race and yet singles out each soul with exclusive affection. Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for all and offered to all. The call is to respond in faith, to be united with Him in the death of the old self, and to rise in the newness of life that He gives. This is the mystery and the miracle at the heart of Christian faith—Christ’s universal love, reaching out to all, and yet speaking directly to each heart: “He loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Minister A Francine Green
March 2026
afrancinegreen.com 