During the past few evenings we have seen the kind of life that we live and the kind of life that God requires of us. We have seen the human way of victory and God’s way of overcoming. We have seen what the overcoming life is and the characteristics of this life. Tonight we will speak on the way to experience this overcoming life. We will first consider a very important question: How can we enter into the experience of this life and how can we gain Christ?
The verse we read tonight shows us the way to experience this life. Let us skip the first part of Galatians 2:20 and concentrate on the part that begins with “It is no longer I who live.” This is the life we should experience. It is no longer I who live. On the negative side, I can say that it is no longer I who live. On the positive side, the overcoming life is “Christ who lives in me.” This is what we covered in the last few days. Paul’s letter to the Galatians shows us that he attained, experienced, and entered into the experience of such a life. Let us study the way he attained, experienced, and entered into the experience of this life. The way Paul entered is the same way that we should enter. Paul’s entrance was according to two phrases. The first phrase occurs before the portion in verse 20 that says, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me,” and the second phrase occurs after this portion. The first phrase is “I am crucified with Christ.” This is the first condition for entering into the experience of this life. The second phrase is “The life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith in the Son of God.” This is the second condition for entering into the experience of this life. Through these two conditions, Paul gained Christ as his righteousness, sanctification, and victory. Let us consider these two things in detail.
The first condition is “I am crucified with Christ.” What does this mean? Why must we be crucified with Christ before we can have this overcoming life? Brothers and sisters, how many persons are living within us today? We know that as soon as we believe, the Lord lives within us. Second Corinthians 13:5 says, “Do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are disapproved?” We who have believed in the Lord know that we are not disapproved. It is a definite fact that the Lord is in us. But it is unfortunate that the Lord is not the only One who lives in us; we ourselves also live within us. In order to experience the Lord as our overcoming life, we have to move out. We have to move out, which means that we have to let go. If we move out, we will experience the overcoming life.
Yesterday, a sister asked me how she could have the overcoming life. My answer was that she had to relocate. If two families live within one house and the relationship is not good between them, the only thing that is needed is for one family to relocate. This is not a matter of whether or not we have Christ in us, because the minute we believed, Christ began to live in us. It is not a matter of whether or not He is in us; it is a matter of whether or not we have moved out. As co-tenants, we are very unclean; we have committed all kinds of sins. As soon as we move out, everything will be all right. Hence, the first condition is that we move out; we have to relocate.
God’s Word says, “I am crucified with Christ.” But is it not true that we have not succeeded, even though we have tried to move out many times? We have pretended to die many times, but we are still alive. We have tried to kill ourselves many times, but we have not succeeded. Sometimes it seems that we have died, but we are still alive. We have often tried to crucify ourselves, but we are still not dead. What is the problem? We need to take a closer look at this matter tonight.