What event is Paul referring to when he says he was crucified?
Paul is not referring to a literal Roman crucifixion, since he was never crucified. He means the Damascus road event where the risen Jesus confronted him, Saul died in the Old Adam, and he became a new man, a new creation.
Les explains that Paul did not die on a Roman cross; if he died a martyr’s death, it was by beheading. He was never crucified. The event Paul refers to is the day on the road to Damascus when the Lord spoke to him and knocked him to the ground. When Saul of Tarsus recognized he was dealing with the ascended Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, Saul died—crucified in the Old Adam—and immediately became a new man, a new creation. Les ties this to Paul’s teaching that believers now have two forces working within them: God reckons Old Adam absolutely dead, but in experience he is still there. Old Adam, not Satan alone, constantly confronts believers, while the new nature is 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
Was the Apostle Paul actually crucified on a cross?
Paul was never literally crucified on a Roman cross; if he died a martyr's death, it was by beheading.
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.
Why does Paul say 'I am crucified' if he was never literally crucified?
Paul's statement 'I am crucified' does not refer to a literal Roman crucifixion, because Paul was never crucified; if he died a martyr's death, it was by beheading.