(Galatians 2:20b)  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.

There is something more significant than simply a name change when Saul of Tarsus became the Apostle Paul.  The old life was replaced by a new life.  The old self-righteous Saul was dead.  The old self-centered Saul was dead.  The old religious Saul was dead.  The old prideful Saul was dead.  The sinner became a saint.  He began a new life of participation in the resurrection life of Christ.  Paul’s new life was really the life of the Lord Jesus Christ living through him. Self-righteousness was replaced by Christ’s righteousness.  Self-centeredness was replaced by the Lordship of Christ.  Religion was replaced by a relationship with Christ.  Pride was replaced by the humility of Christ.

Paul wasn’t waiting to die in order to experience eternal life.  He experienced it in this life because he was no longer identified with the man who was capable of dying.  He was identified with the Savior who could never die!

When we are “in Christ,” Christ is also in us.  His death became our death.  His life is our life.  Did you catch that?  The Christian life isn’t about striving to live like Him. Otherwise, we’ll continually fail in our flesh to live up to a standard we could never attain.  The Christian life is really about allowing Christ to live His life through us. Our life isn’t to be like Christ.  Our life is Christ!

(Colossians 3:4)  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

The world tells us it isn’t true.  The world tells us we are who we were.  The world tells us Christ isn’t alive.  The world wants us to accept the identity of who we were before God put it up on the cross 2,000 years ago.  But God’s truth tells us the opposite.

(Romans 6:11)  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Renewed Thought – Through the fog of this spiritual war, in our self-condemnation, in the condemnation of others, we must never, ever forget our identity, our life is Christ.