Dead to the Law, Alive unto God

In Galatians 2:20–21, the Apostle Paul makes a heartfelt confession in relation to the salvation he has in Christ:

Galatians 2:19–20 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. (20) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth 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.

At first glance, this may seem a bit complicated. Let’s examine it point by point

The word “through” means “by means of”. By means of the law, Paul has now become dead to it. What does that mean? It means that the Law has been satisified, and so from the standpoint of the Law, Paul has died. The result of this dying is that he now “lives unto God”. That is, from God’s perspective, he now has a right to eternal life.

But how can Paul be said to have done this? A sinner dying for his own sin does not grant him a right to eternal life.

He answers in the next verse — “I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST” — The phrase “I am crucified” is present-perfect tense, meaning “I have been crucified”. When Christ died on the cross, he died as Paul’s substitute and representative. He had the guilt of Paul’s sins imputed to his account and suffered in his place. And unlike Paul, or any one of us fallen children of Adam, the Lord Jesus was a spotless lamb without blemish, and therefore was an acceptable sacrifice, able to propitiate the wrath of God on behalf of condemned sinners.

Although the Lord Jesus Christ died, he now lives, so too can Paul say that although he was crucified with Christ, he lives as does his savior. Because just as Jesus Christ suffered and died on behalf of his people, he also rose from the dead on their behalf. Paul is now dead to the Law, and is therefore no longer under its condemnation. He is now alive unto God, and he owes this life to the faith of the Son of God, which he exercised in giving himself for Paul’s sins.

The amazing thing is, that what Paul confesses about himself in this text, he says the same thing about the Lord himself elsewhere:

Romans 6:6–11 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. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin. (8) Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (9) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. (10) For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. (11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, what is the conclusion of the matter? In short, God’s elect stood condemned under the Law. The Lord Jesus entered the world as their substitute and representative, and satisfied the demands of the Law on their behalf. By “dying to sin once” on the cross, he was JUSTIFIED from the sins that he once bore, having made full payment through the shedding of his blood. He was JUSTIFIED, and therefore all of God’s elect were JUSTIFIED IN HIM. When he died, they died. When he rose from the grave, they rose together with him. Made free from sin, the Law, and the condemnation thereof. Made worthy of eternal life, having a perfect righteousness worked out and established for them, imputed to them on Mt. Calvary.

Christ crucified — the only hope for sinners.