What did Paul mean when he said 'I am crucified with Christ'?
Paul meant his old identity in Adam died when he met the risen Christ on the Damascus road. That encounter crucified him in the Old Adam, making him a new creation. Although God reckons the old man dead, believers still experience its pull alongside the new nature energized by the Holy Spirit.
Les explains that Paul was not physically crucified on a Roman cross; if he died as a martyr, it was likely by beheading. The crucifixion Paul refers to happened on the Damascus road when the Lord knocked him down and Saul recognized he was dealing with the Ascended Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One. There Saul died, was crucified in the Old Adam, and immediately became a new man, a new creation. Les teaches this is Paul's whole thrust: believers now have two forces working within them. God reckons Old Adam absolutely dead, but in experience he is still there. Les says Old Adam's attacks are often more troublesome than Satan's, because Old Adam pops thoughts into our minds and catches us in moments of weakness; opposite him is the new nature energized by the Holy Spirit.
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.
More Questions
What event is Paul referring to when he says 'I am crucified'?
Paul's 'I am crucified' refers to his Damascus road experience when the Lord knocked him down and he recognized the ascended, crucified Jesus.
What does Paul mean that he is crucified with Christ yet lives?
Paul teaches in Galatians 2:20 that although he was crucified by identification with Christ's death, he still lives.
Was Paul literally nailed to a Roman cross when he said 'I am crucified with Christ'?
Paul's 'I am crucified with Christ' does not mean he was literally nailed to a Roman cross; it means he was crucified and is alive.