CHRISTIAN LIFE 101 – CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST – PART 4
VIDEO SOURCES
The Galatians Road. A Road Less Traveled. Growing in Grace Ministries, 2023, www.thegalatianroad.com
The MacArthur Study Bible. John MacArthur. Thomas Neilson, Inc., 2006.
My Heart – Christ’s Home. Robert Royd Munger. InterVarsity Press, 1986.
What does it mean to surrender to God? GotQuestions.org. https://www.gotquestions.org/surrender-to-God.html
CHRISTIAN LIFE 101 – CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST – PART 4
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
[Dr. Grace] “Good morning, class, and welcome back to introduction to the Christian Life. As you know, the Galatians Road consists of four verses penned by the Apostle Paul that provide a roadmap for how to live the Christian life. Mr. Law, would you please summarize the truth found in our first verse?
[Mr. Law] “Sure, do you want me to read it?”
[Dr. Grace] “No, that’s okay. How would you share the truth of Galatians 2:16 in your own words?”
[Mr. Law] “Well… we are justified by faith and not by works… That is to say… we are made right with God by faith in Christ because of what Jesus has already done, not by what we do. Our obedience and good deeds should be done by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, not by our own independent human effort... Our works prove the fact that we are already made right with God and that He is working in us, but they are not what make us right with Him.”
[Dr. Grace] “Mr. Law, that was beautifully worded. Well done!”
[Dr. Grace] “Today, we are going to move on to the second verse and discuss what it means to be crucified with Christ. Christian, what do you think the Apostle Paul is saying in Galatians 2:20?”
[Christian] “Well… he says that he no longer lives but Christ lives in him. You know… I’ve heard a lot of preachers talk about the idea of ‘dying to self’ but to be honest this has always been confusing to me… because… I’m still alive, you know? I’m right here… and I still have my own thoughts and feelings.”
[Dr. Grace] “Christian, you are absolutely right – this verse is about ‘dying to self’. And you a not alone… many Christians are confused by this verse and others like it. I think one reason for the confusion is that we often assume that the word ‘death’ only refers to a ‘physical death’. When in fact, the Bible frequently uses the word ‘death’ to refer to ‘separation’ rather than ‘expiration’. At the Fall, Adam and Even didn’t instantly die, but they were instantly separated from God. The Prodigal Son didn’t die and then come back to life; he was separated and then reconciled to his father.”
[Dr. Grace] “With this in mind, the Bible provides many examples of the changes that take place in us after we become a Christian using this language of death and life.
• For example, the Bible says we are dead to the Law. Of course, we don’t cease to exist and neither does the Law. Under the New Covenant, our relationship to the Law has changed… We are not under Law, but under grace.
• The Bible says we are dead to sin. As believers, we separate ourselves from sin, which no longer has power over us, and we merge our lives with righteousness.
• The Bible also says we are dead to the flesh. The flesh isn’t dead. We will carry the residue of our flesh with us for the rest of our lives and it is our job to deny the flesh and walk in the Spirit on a daily basis.
• Lastly, the Bible says we are dead to this world. Of course, we still live in the world, but we are not of the world. We don’t crave the things this world does anymore. There is a separation between us and the world now that we are children of God and citizens of heaven.”
[Christian] “Dr. Grace, I didn’t know ‘death’ could mean ‘separation’… that really helps in understanding these verses.”
[Dr. Grace] “Christian, that’s wonderful! You reminded me of something earlier that I want to address. When we talk about ‘dying to self’ or being ‘crucified with Christ’, we are not suggesting complete self-annihilation. Instead, we are describing what the late evangelist, Billy Graham, used to refer to as surrender.”
[Dr. Grace] “Surrender is a battle term. When an opposing army surrenders, they lay down their arms and give up their rights to the conquering nation. Surrendering to God works the same way. We surrender our self-righteousness, our selfish desires, our independence from God, and essentially, our control over our lives. And we give it all to Him. Yes, the Christian life involves sacrifice. However, anything we give up is not worth comparing to what we gain. This reminds me of the profound one-sentence parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and then hid again, and in his joy, he went out and sold all that he owned and bought the entire field.”
[Dr. Grace] “Now, here’s a thought-provoking question. How many miracles Jesus perform? Only Jesus… Can anyone take a guess?”
[Christian] “Uh, thirty to forty?”
[Dr. Grace] “That’s a good guess. Anyone else?”
[Mr. Law] “Dr. Grace, that’s a trick question because John tells us that Jesus performed many other miracles and did many other things not recorded in the Bible.”
[Dr. Grace] That’s an excellent point, Mr. Law. And you are correct, it was a bit of a trick question. What if I phrased it this way: ‘How many miracles did Jesus perform without the help of the Father or the Spirit?’”
[Hear crickets in background.]
[Dr. Grace] “None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. In John 14:10, Jesus tells us that everything He did was actually the Father working through Him. Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity and when He took on human flesh, He became God incarnate, that is ‘God with a bod!’ He is 100% God and 100% man—the only mediator between God and man. So, I am not deemphasizing His deity. Rather, I am emphasizing a unique aspect of His character while He walked this earth that is often overlooked—His perfect surrender.”
[Dr. Grace] “Class, Jesus Christ not only lived the perfect life that you and I never could… He surrendered to the Father every moment of His life as an example for how the Body of Christ would surrender to Him and the Holy Spirit under the New Covenant.”
[Christian] “Dr. Grace, what does it look like to surrender our lives to Jesus?”
[Dr. Grace] “There is a classic little book written by Robert Munger titled ‘My Heart – Christ’s Home’ and in it, he describes the progression of surrender you are inquiring about through a beautiful analogy of Christ entering the home of his heart as if it were a literal house. He invites Jesus into his heart as a guest and the first room they look at together is the study, which represents his mind. Jesus helps him clean out the many books and magazines representing his impure thoughts and replace them with Scriptures for him to meditate on. The next room they look at is the dining room, which represents his appetite and desires. The analogy continues with the workroom, which represents his talents and gifts, then the rec room, which represents how he spends his free time, and then on to the bedroom, which represents how he views his relationships with the opposite sex. In the end, after giving Jesus access to every inch of his house as an invited guest, he eventually transfers the deed and title of his home to Christ, giving him complete ownership and authority of his heart.”
[Bell rings.]
[Dr. Grace] “May we separate ourselves from the old way of living and like Robert Munger, may we surrender every area of our life and every room of our hearts to Jesus Christ. Class dismissed.”
[David Erhart] “Thanks for watching this episode of the Christian Life 101. We hope this video series is a blessing to you and inspires believers all over the world to live an abundant Christian Life. If you haven’t already, subscribe to our YouTube channel and click the bell to be notified when we release new videos. If you would like to pray for our ministry or receive periodic updates on our plans and progress, sign up to our email newsletter at ChristianityEngaged.org.”
[David Erhart] “With the click of a button, you can like our videos and share them with your friends and by doing so, you help us share the gospel and inspire believers around the globe. And finally, we are raising support to finance our operational budget and expansion plans. If you are able, would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry at ChristianityEngaged.org/donate? From all of us here at Christianity Engaged, God bless you all.”
SUBSCRIBE