What it Means to be Crucified with Christ
Have you ever stopped to think about who you are?
Not what you do.
Not what others think about you.
Not even who you've always believed yourself to be.
But who you truly are in Christ.
I think so many of us spend years trying to become a "better version" of ourselves. We work harder, pray more, try to fix our mistakes, and hope that somehow we'll finally become the Christian we know we should be.
But the beautiful truth of the gospel is that Jesus didn't come to improve the old you.
He came to give you an entirely new life.
Two families
The Bible teaches that every person is born into one of two lineages.
The first begins with Adam.
The second begins with Christ.
Paul explains this beautifully in 1 Corinthians 15:22 (KJV):
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
Every one of us entered this world "in Adam."
That means we inherited a sinful nature. We inherited separation from God, brokenness, and the consequences of sin.
None of us had to learn how to be selfish.
None of us had to be taught how to struggle with pride, fear, or disobedience.
It's simply part of our human condition.
And when we look around the world today, we still see the effects of that first choice in the Garden of Eden.
Broken relationships.
Pain.
Heartache.
Death.
Sin has left its mark on every one of us.
But God wasn't finished.
From the very beginning, God had a rescue plan.
He didn't leave mankind in Adam.
He sent another Adam.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:45 (KJV):
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit."
Jesus came to do what Adam never could.
Where Adam disobeyed...
Jesus obeyed.
Where Adam brought death...
Jesus brought life.
Where Adam's choice separated us from God...
Jesus' sacrifice opened the way back to Him.
That changes everything.
The Cross wasn't just for forgiveness
When most of us think about the Cross, we think about forgiveness.
And we should.
Jesus willingly bore our sins so that we could be forgiven.
But the Cross accomplished something even greater.
It gave us a completely new identity.
Paul writes in Romans 6:6 (KJV):
"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."
Notice what he says.
Our old man was crucified.
Not improved.
Not cleaned up.
Crucified.
Sometimes we spend so much time trying to fix the "old me" that we forget God already dealt with that person at the Cross.
The Christian life isn't about making the old life behave better.
It's about living from the new life Christ has given us.
You are a new creation
One of my favorite promises in Scripture is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV):
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Think about those words.
A new creature.
God doesn't simply see a forgiven sinner trying to get by.
He sees His redeemed child.
Chosen.
Loved.
Made alive.
Given a brand-new identity in Christ.
That truth changes how we face temptation.
How we respond to failure.
How we see ourselves.
And even how we approach each new day.
Living like who you are
The enemy would love for us to keep living like we're still trapped in Adam.
Still defeated.
Still defined by our past.
Still carrying guilt that Jesus already paid for.
But that's no longer our story.
If you've trusted Christ as your Savior, your identity has changed.
You don't have to earn God's love.
You don't have to live in constant defeat.
You don't have to keep introducing yourself by your failures.
You now belong to Christ.
And because you belong to Him...
You can begin living like the woman He has already declared you to be.
Reflection
Take a few quiet moments today and ask yourself:
- Am I still defining myself by who I used to be?
- Have I truly embraced my new identity in Christ?
- Is there an area of my life where I'm living as though I'm still "in Adam" instead of "in Christ"?
A Word of Encouragement
Friend, if you've placed your faith in Jesus, your story has changed.
You are no longer who you once were.
The Cross didn't simply forgive your past.
It gave you a new future.
So when the enemy reminds you of who you used to be...
Remind him of what Christ has already done.
Because in Christ, you are no longer defined by Adam.
You are defined by your Savior.
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me..." — Galatians 2:20 (KJV)