[Paul the Apostle writes,] “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and 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.” (Galatians 2:20)
The apostle seems so certain here. The life Paul once lived has been put to death with Christ. Now Paul’s life consists in the resurrected Christ living within Paul and in the trust Paul places in Christ.
Contrast this certainty with Paul’s dilemma, described in his own words: “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Romans 7:18-19) I’m not sure how to account for the sharpness of the contrast. Maybe Paul is going through some ups and downs. Perhaps he emphasizes one message with the Galatians and another message with the Romans. It’s possible he has matured in his understanding in the time between his sending the one letter and his sending the other, or maybe some combination of these and other influences accounts for the differences between Paul’s view of life in the Bible’s book of Romans and his view of life in the Bible’s book of Galatians.
What accounts for your view of life, reader?
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