With Messiah I Have Been Crucified
The challenge to live the Messianic life is not unique to our day and age—in fact, the obstacles of life that cloud our understanding of the ways of God have proven to be a formidable foe since the beginning.
To the believers of Galatia, who were trapped by their own doctrines and misconceptions about the Messianic life, Paul wrote,
“With Messiah I have been crucified, and no more do I live, but Messiah lives in me; and that which I now live in the body, I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me…” Galatians 2:20
This is the foundational truth of the Messianic life, without which we have no hope: our life is no more—it is the life of Messiah we now live. When we think and act contrary to who Messiah is, we are living contrary to who we truly are. We live the Messianic life by thinking as the Master thought, walking as the Master walked, and completely laying down our lives for the Father’s service… just as the Son laid down His life for us.
Like the believers in Galatia, each one of us sees life through the filter of our own personal opinions and experiences. As disciples of Messiah, however, we need to come to a place where we are willing to set aside our opinions and experiences—even the ones we really like and that seem to be working for us—if they do not line up with the life of Messiah and the Word of God. If we remain in opposition to the Word, living according to our own desires and ways of doing things, we will be hindered in our ability to become the effective disciples of Messiah that we were remade to be—we will be unable to live the Messianic life.
When we choose God and neighbor over self, we are choosing to live the Messianic life. It is the most selfless life imaginable, and yet its rewards are without measure. “For you died, and your life has been hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah—our life—is revealed, then we,too, will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:3-4). If we are to truly be Messiah’s disciples, this is the life we must choose today—a life that is totally and completely “sold-out” to the Master… a life wholeheartedly devoted only to Yeshua.
The above was excerpted from my book, “Being a Disciple of Messiah”.
I invite you to share your thoughts on this subject, below.
Shalom Kevin,
I must wholeheartedly, agree with this, If we accept that Yeshua died on that stake for us then our life has been paid For with a great price, it is no longer I who lives But Messiah Yeshua who lives in me & Daily lay my life on his altar as a living sacrifice {Rom.12:1 }so that I may learn to live and think as Messiah did. My life is no longer my own, to do as I wish,except to do as My Master Yeshua wishes. Sold Out-devoted Only to Yeshua the author and finisher of my life and Faith
A lot of fine sounding words but what do you think those words mean and what doesit entail to “…live and think like Messiah…”. He was fully committed to walking in the will of His Father and keeping the commandments. Do the good words you share carry that message? And, Messiah tells us He came to do not His own will but to do the will of the Father. He also says that the words He spoke were not His words but He only spoke what His Father gave Him to say. I am very concerned that much of the “Messianic teaching” coming out these days is either the same old Catholic/Protestant stuff or it’s all Torah with no attempt to season it with the heart of Messiah….which, by the way, is YHWH’s heart as scripture tells us that Messiah is the exact representation of YHWH. Just curious about the words….there are so many people creating a cacophony of sound that essentially says nothing specifically lest we offend the mainline dogma. I do not speak harshly but rather only seek to hear surrender, obedience, righteousness, mercy, compassion, and the whole truth proclaimed….not the sentimentalities that are cloaked so as not to offend.
Lew, perhaps you should try reading my book, “Being a Disciple of Messiah,” from which the above was excerpted. 🙂
It really speaks the Truth, this article and excerpt from “Being A Disciple of Messiah”. When we put God and Neighbor over self, we are likely to have blessing in our lives as disciples of Messiah Yeshua. Without it, we are nothing in Him. Paul says it very clearly in Scripture about how to live the Messianic Life in clear and simple terms of in explaining the Lifestyle Yeshua and all the Messianic Disciples in the past, present, and future are supposed to live in righteousness and in sincere truths. Thank you!
You can’t know how much I needed to be reminded of this truth and to read what you wrote for my life today . . . .