Galatians 2:19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
Why do I have to die to the law? Because the Law demanded complete obedience, and I was incapable of that, therefore, the penalty of that disobedience was required: death.
We die to the law when we chose to be crucified with Christ.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ;”
Romans 6:1-4 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
The new life that I live to God, looks like Jesus.
"it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;" Galatians 2:20
Galatians 5:24 “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Cf. Matthew 5-7
Only daily faith makes that new life possible,
“and the life which 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
Applications
Dying happens once in Jesus, but living happens everyday as we exercise faith in it's reality.
Romans 6:5 , “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
The center piece to the story of grace is death.
1. The death of Jesus in order that the requirement of the law would be met.
2. My death with Jesus so that the full requirement of the law could be found in me through Jesus.
3. My daily exercise of this death to sin, life to God nature by grabbing hold of it again by faith and making everyday a new episode in the journey of relationship to God and representation of Him.
4. Those who refuse to die, don't want life to God!
5. If anyone tells you another Gospel, let them be accursed.
Galatians 1:6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
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