Common Union

You Are No Longer the Point of Reference

Another thing that we died to on the cross is ourselves as our point of reference. This is the revelation Paul gives us in Galatians 2:20:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, 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 up for me.”

Paul’s emphasis here is not on his living but on Christ’s living in him. But if we don’t know that we’ve died with Christ, we have no choice but to keep thinking that our selves are the point of reference. When I am still the point of reference for righteousness—when my obedience or disobedience is still the point of reference, my will, my choices, my efforts, my deeds, my service—then I am still trying to correct me, to fix me up, to make myself acceptable to God. I’m locked into the ceaseless striving of trying to change myself. I am living as if I’m still alive, as if my willpower or self-effort is the source of life.

“A friend of mine once said to me, ‘You know, until I really knew that I had been crucified with Christ, there was no way for me to get rid of me. Because I was still alive to me.’ It’s so true. Until we know we’ve died, we’re never going to be free of ourselves, and we will never experience union. We will still be a problem to ourselves. The spotlight will still be on us. That’s where most Christians are living their life: ‘I’ve got to produce for God’” (Rest of the Gospel, p. 53).