I have been on the road for the past 2 weeks, and it is safe to say it’s been probably the best 2 weeks of my year so far.

Having been engulfed by college stress for months, my environment had grown stale over time, and a trip away from home seemed favourable.

So I visited another city and got to spend some time away from civilization with friends, engaging our hands and having fun away from the noise of urban life. It was quite a refreshing experience. When we got back to the city, I had a swell time going around town, thanks to the lovely people I got to hang out with.

The most outstanding highlight of my experience, however, wasn’t a social event or anything physical. It was rather a realization of a profound spiritual truth – one that forms the foundation of a true Christian life.

The events that led to this realization were divinely arranged, and it took a while to build up to this point. However, I’ll spare you all those details, as I believe the events aren’t as important as the truth they exposed me to, which would serve as the basis of today’s discussion.

No Longer I, But Christ

“I have been crucified with Christ; 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 faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

The Bible verse referenced above is a popular one, quoted and cited severally but not many are familiar with the truth embedded therein. It’s interesting how something can be so obvious yet so obscure.

This verse contains in it the very substance of genuine Christian life, and that is the fact that a genuine walk of faith starts with a change of identity. Being a true follower of Christ is not so much about what you do (actions or practices) but rather who you are.

The New Living Translation (NLT) renders the opening phrase of Galatians 2:20 thus: “My old self has been crucified with Christ…”. This pretty much sums it up. God’s redemption plan for the fallen man was not to better the “Adamic” nature that became our lot by one man’s disobedience (Romans 5:19), but rather to do away with it by means of the cross and replace it with the God-life which the sinless Christ bore.

This transaction has so many implications. One of such implications was revealed in the next line of the verse: “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”. It is clear from this line that there is a change in identity. A replacement of the crucified “old life” with the life of Christ. But how did this come to be, you might ask?

The Exchange

Simply put, Christ didn’t die alone on the cross. He took with Him the iniquity (the sinful identity) of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6), and brought judgement upon it, and He who was without sin was made sin that we may become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

There was an exchange that occurred on the cross when Christ was crucified. In Romans 5-8, Apostle Paul wrote extensively on the dealings of the cross when Christ died. It is impossible to carry out a complete exegesis of the content of that passage in one post. However, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, we see that a price was paid on our behalf for our redemption, and in exchange, we have become God’s temple where His spirit dwells.

“Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.”

1 Corinthians 6:19‭-‬20 (AMPC)

This divine exchange brought about the evacuation of the corrupted nature which we inherited from Adam, and in its stead, the life of Christ has become our new life (Colossians 3:3-4).

Christ In You, The Hope Of Glory

The phrase which serves as the title of this post was gotten from Colossians 1:27, and it reads thus:

“…to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

Colossians 1:27 (KJV)

From other translations, it is written as: “Christ lives in you…”(NLT), “Christ within and among you…”(AMPC), “Christ, embedded within us…”(TPT), and so on.

This glorious mystery of Christ living inside of us which was worked out on the cross is the basis of a victorious and evergreen walk with God. A revelation of this simple yet profound truth liberates us from the ever-fluctuating and inconsistent ordinances of mere religion, which are without lasting effects (Colossians 2:20-23).

I am excited to unravel more and more of this mystery for myself as I look to grow in its reality. And I believe this is a pivotal point to my life’s trajectory. My perspective on life is definitely transformed. I can’t wait to see what Christ in me works out through me from here onwards:)

There’s a lot more to this truth, but I cannot exhaust it all in this one post. I have tried as much as possible to compress the basic concept, but I am yet aware that I might have only succeeded in provoking further questions in some minds.

I am open to continuing this conversation. Feel free to engage in the comment section or reach out via any of my social media handles which can be found on the contact page.