“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 faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness came by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Gal. 2:20-21)

            Paul is reminding the saints, in the churches of Galatia< that by the Grace of God, experienced in one’s faith in Jesus Christ, that the old Paul died and that he now lives by the living Christ within him.

            The old Paul was a religious man, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee of Pharisees¸ and as touching the Law without equal. Given to the Law, and the oral tradition, Paul was compelled to be an enemy of the Gospel of Grace. The old Paul sought to destroy the movement of the Gospel and the Christ of the Gospel. Paul saw this Christian movement as a threat to the spiritual life of the nation of Israel and a movement that must be stopped!

            Paul knew the letter of the Law, he knew the prophecies concerning the coming Mwssiah, he was without peer in ‘Head Knowledge’, but in hiws heart6 he had no relationship with God. Paul was the very picture of the words of Christ, :Outwardly clean but inside was extortion, and excess…”. “The whited sepulchers, which outwardly appeared beautiful but within are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

            Things totally changed when Paul met Christ on the Damascus Road. Paul experienced Grace through the crucified, and resurrecte4d, Lord Jesus Christ. Grace changed Paul and he would never be the man he used to be! Paul’s former life died and yet he was alive! The life he now lived was Christ living in him. All of us who have experienced the ‘New Birth’ by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ should have the same testimony, “The life I now live is Christ living in me.”

            Like Paul we can all look back on a former life without Jesus. It was a life with its own agenda, priorities and habits. Now those things are the past and we should have new agendas, priorities and habits. Our life is now not what we want, or our personal glory, but what can I do to bring honor, and glory, to Christ. We must all join with Paul when he said, “I am what I am by the Grace of God.”

            All of Paul’s passion was now Jesus Christ and Him crucified! He knew he was saved by Grace, living by Grace, sustained by Grace and that one day he would die with Grace! GRACE IS DEFINED AS “GOD’S UNMERITED FAVOR”.

            Paul was so carried away with ‘Grace’ that he made a promise in Gal. 2:21. “I will not frustrate the grace of God:”……..Paul was promising to never live in such a way as to, ‘disappoint, exasperate, or cancel the desired results of grace’. Because of God’s grace we should also pledge to live our lives for Christ, submit ourselves to the ministry of exalting Christ at all times, and by the Grace of God we will never be an embarrassment to ‘GRACE’.