What does is mean that "it is no longer I who live" in Galatians 2:20?

All this, however, involves a paradox which the apostle states in verse 20. "I am crucified," says he, "nevertheless I live." Crucifixion has reached me, yet has it left me a living man. It has reached me in identification with Christ, and its effect is the displacing of self, the old "I," in favour of Christ; so that He, vitally in us now by His Spirit (see Rom. 8:9 and 10), may live in us characteristically — that is, that His character may be seen in us.

Such a life is not possible apart from instant and continuous dependence upon Himself. If Christ is to live in me, and consequently be displayed as to His character by me, He must be abidingly my Object. Hence Paul adds, "The life which I now live in the flesh [that is, in the body, as a man in this world] I live by the faith of the Son of God." By-and-by, when out of the flesh, and in bodies of glory, we shall live by the sight of the Son of God; now we live by the faith of Him. Faith makes Him a living, bright reality to us, and that which acts as the motive force in it all is His love. "The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

In, which here signifies character. Though crucified we live. We are still living people on earth, yet we no longer live the old character of life. We live a life of a new order, a life, the character of which, summed up in one word, is CHRIST. Saul of Tarsus had been crucified with Christ. Yet the individual known as Saul of Tarsus was still living. Still living, yet in another character entirely. As you observed him you saw not the Saul-of-Tarsus character coming into expression, but Christ. In keeping with this he did not retain his old name, but soon after his conversion he became known as Paul, which means, "Little one." He must be little if Christ is to live in him.

By which introduces us to the Object that controlled Paul's soul, and made this new character of life possible. Presently, when the life we now live in the flesh — that is, in our present mortal bodies — is over, we shall live by the sight of the Son of God. Meanwhile we live by the faith of Him. If faith is in activity with us He is made a living bright reality before our souls. The more He is thus before us objectively, that is, as "… the object bright and fair, To fill and satisfy the heart." the more will He be seen in us subjectively.

The apostle gives us a full statement of this blessed truth, as in his own case. "I am crucified with Christ," he says, "nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me." Here he speaks of himself, in one point of view, as dead; and in another, as alive. How can this be understood? By faith only. He speaks of two "I's "; the old "I," or self, as slain — or crucified. The new "I," as his new life — Christ in him. The first, he treats as dead, and for ever done with; the second, as his only life now. "Christ lives in me." The practical effect of this truth, when believed, is immense. Self, wretched self, which is the end and object of the natural man, in all he does, is gone — gone, I mean, to faith. Christ enters and takes the place of self. "For me to live is Christ" — is to have Christ, not self, for my end and object. Christ, not self, is the spring now. We know, of course, that Paul had his natural life here below — the life he ever had as a man, but the life in which he lived, was a wholly new one — Christ in him. "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."

All this is as true now, in principle, of every Christian, as it was of the apostle, though it may not be so brightly manifested. There must first be faith in the truth, then a life answering to the strength which that faith gives. However, it is plainly written, "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." Not, observe, are crucifying it, but have crucified it. But of whom is this great truth stated? Of highly advanced Christians? No, simply of "they that are Christ's." It is as true of the babe, as of the young man, or the father in Christ. What was it that needed crucifying on the cross? Something that belonged to Christ, or to me? It was the old and great "I," that needed to be slain — nailed to the tree, and that was done in Christ, for ever, blessed be His name. Oh! to believe it, — to keep self where the cross has put it — to walk in the liberty and power of the Holy Spirit, and be only, and always, occupied with the risen and glorified Christ.

Now, what is that which, in a divine way, lives within the person of the believer? For we read — “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.” Does this new life — this God-given life — enter into our old, fallen nature? Does “I” reappear with Christ helping it? Is this new life, fallen nature christianized modernized? Ah! how carefully does the gospel bar out self! Were it not so, “I” would reappear dressed in new garments, and would stand erect, as vigorous and more reliant than before; for what kind of “I” is more difficult to convince of its utter death-state in the sight of God than religious “I”? What, then, is this new life? “I live, yet not I;” not the “I,” my fallen nature, my own self, which was and is crucified with Christ, “but Christ liveth in me” — Christ, who has left the sins of His people behind Him for ever — Christ, who was dead but is alive again, lives in the believer.

In the next verse a new term appears “our old man”: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him that the body of sin might be destroyed (annulled) that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom. 6:6). The apostle here speaks, not of sin being dealt with, but of “our old man.” This term is sometimes alluded to as “our old nature,” that is, the root of evil within us. This is not correct. The old man is not a personification of sin itself, but is the old self, the old person, the seat of our former personality and responsibility before our new birth. Thus, in Gal. 2:20, the apostle says, “I am crucified with Christ”; he means the old I, Saul the persecutor of Christ, the enemy of those who confessed Christ's name, the one who described himself as a blasphemer and injurious, the chief of sinners. That old man, Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I” — not that old I — “but Christ lives in me.” The new I, the new man, is he who inwardly delights in Christ, and outwardly conforms to the life of Christ in his everyday words and deeds.

"Though crucified with Christ" (judicially of course), yet Paul knows he has life, but recognizes nothing of himself in it: "Christ lives in me" (v.20). This is the language of one who has learned his utter nothingness, being humbled to see there is no life, no source of goodness, except in Christ Himself. Christ is risen, and it is the power of this resurrection life that operates in the believer, causing the heart to well up in admiration of Him, ascribing every good thought, word and deed to Christ who lives in him. Blessed attitude of faith! The old life is set aside as worthless, not that it is eradicated, for practically speaking we have much occasion to be humbled by its sinful workings. But in God's sight it is done away with, and we are to reckon ourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom.6:11). This is a matter of faith, not of feeling or experience, though when recognized by faith there will surely be an experimental understanding of it to follow. It will be made a real thing to the soul.

This is the proper breathing of a Christian. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me." This is Christianity. The old "I "crucified, and Christ living in me. The Christian is a new creation. Old things are passed away. The death of Christ has closed for ever the history of the old "I;" and hence, though sin dwells in the believer, its power is broken and gone for ever. Not only is its guilt cancelled, but its terrible dominion completely overthrown.

Can you say, "I am crucified with Christ"? Every claim on me as a responsible man has been met in that death. I am dead with Him. There is an end of 'I'. Yes, the claims of a holy God have been fully met; yet I live; yet not I, Christ liveth in me. Oh, have we learnt this end of the abominable old 'I' in the cross of Christ? It is also blessedly true that He bare our sins in His own body on the tree. But here the great point is the end of old self, the vile old man; and the new 'I', the new life in Christ. Death has had its full power according to the claims of God, and yet I live in Christ. Have you thus come to the end of yourself? Is it now, " not i, but christ"?

This is a marvellous thing, and one we do well to consider; for we can never know liberty of soul until we have entered into the fact of our association with Christ in His death. For in that death, not only have I forgiveness of sins, not only is my guilt gone, but myself is gone. Knowing identification with Him thus, I can take the place of myself being gone altogether; I can say with the apostle: "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." I live, yet not I; self is gone.

But I now turn to the last passage we read, Gal. 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." There will scarcely be a difference of judgment as to the first words of this verse; for is it not true that every one of us can say — that is, if we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ — "I have been crucified with Christ"? But is it also true that we can say, "Nevertheless I live; yet not I"? Has it been true of me today? Has none of the flesh been expressed, none of the old life? Can we say of our lives today, I have not lived; but Christ has lived in me? The apostle says it. Can we say it? We have thus again the whole of the responsibility of my standing, it is Christ in me down here; and because He is in me, He is to be expressed in all that I am. Oh what marvellous saints we should be if this were the case! If I could see in you, fellow-believer, and you could see in me, nothing but Christ! And yet how often we say, "Oh, but there are peculiarities of character, temper, and disposition, to be accounted for!" But am I not dead? Where then can be the peculiarities? Are we buried as to the old self in the grave of Christ? Surely not, if these things are manifested. In God's sight we are, and that is the blessedness of it, — the old man is gone completely; but now we are speaking of responsibility, and I want to press it upon my own heart and yours. Is it true of me and you, that we don't live; but Christ lives in us? Is it true in our relationships with the saints, for instance? Have they seen anything but Christ in us when assembled together in the name of the Lord Jesus — gathered together in the power of His Spirit? Have we all exhibited Christ, and not ourselves? Has the word spoken, the hymns sung, the worship offered, all been an expression of Christ? In my home, through the past week, has it been so? Have the unconverted ones, as they looked at me, said, What a power is expressed in that life! In my place of business, have those round about me been constrained to say, What a marvellous life it is! I happened to say once to the principal, I think it was, of a house of business, when speaking of a young man in his employ, that he was a believer. What was his reply? "I didn't know it." How was that? Perhaps, you will say, the principal had not eyes to see. But I want to ask you this, Should there be a believer anywhere, and not be known? Should it be so? Was it so in the early days? Ah, but you say to me in reply to that, The days were so different. They were; but I want to ask you this, Was the expression of the life of Christ different? He has not changed, and why should the expression change? Do you mean to tell me that the world is more like Christ than it was then? No doubt the world has lessened the violence of its hostility and opposition in manifestation; but is not the world the same? Ought there not to be the same complete separation? Yes; we are in danger of sliding back, because we think we have a separate place, and are quite safe. Let it not be so with us. This is the truth I want to bring out — I have nothing to do but to express Christ; and there was one who did it, I suppose, in a measure that no saint has ever attained to since. He said, "To me to live is Christ;" nothing else. Now, will that one word sum up the whole of my life? Is He the one object? Is it Christ in me? If not, then I am not recognizing my responsibility. What then ought I to do? To go in self-judgment into the presence of God, and confess it, and seek for more grace.