Yes—according to Galatians 2:20, Christ lives in the believer because the old self has been crucified with Him.
Paul writes, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." He was not physically crucified but was alive; in God's sight his old Adam was placed on the cross. The life he now lives in the flesh is lived by faith in the Son of God, and Les teaches that God now sees Christ in the believer.
Galatians 2:20 — This verse directly answers the question: Paul says he is crucified with Christ, yet it is no longer he who lives but Christ who lives in him.
Galatians 2:20 states: "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." Romans 6:6 says: "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." 2 Corinthians 5:17 adds: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." These verses teach that the old man is crucified with Christ, the body of sin is destroyed, and the believer becomes a new creation in whom Christ lives. The life lived in the flesh is lived by faith in the Son of God.
Les Feldick explains Galatians 2:20 as a statement of spiritual identification, not physical crucifixion. When Paul says, "I am crucified with Christ," he is not saying he was nailed to a Roman cross—he was alive and writing the letter. In God's sight, however, Paul was put to death on the cross with Christ, and the same is true for every believer. At the moment a person believes the gospel, God considers the old Adam—the sin nature inherited from Adam—to be crucified with Christ. God sees that old nature as on the cross, dead and defeated. The word "destroyed" in Romans 6:6 does not mean the old nature is annihilated. Instead, he is put out of commission; his power over daily behavior is broken. Les is careful to say the old Adam is still in force experientially and remains an influence in the believer's life, but God has declared him dead. This is why Paul could say, "Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." The believer's new life is the life of Christ Himself, and the life now lived in the flesh is lived by the faith, or faithfulness, of the Son of God. The result is that God sees Christ when He looks at the believer. Les teaches that God clothes believers with the righteousness of Christ so that He no longer sees the old sinful nature. This reality is basic to salvation, not a casual or flippant thing, and gives believers assurance.
No. Paul was alive and writing the book of Galatians when he said "I am crucified with Christ." Les explains that this means Paul was not actually nailed to a Roman cross; rather, in God's sight he was put to death on the cross with Christ. The same is true for every believer: God considers the old Adam as having been crucified on the cross.
When a person believes the gospel, God reckons the old Adam crucified and dead. Les teaches that crucifixion kills and puts the old nature out of commission; the body of sin is destroyed, not annihilated but defeated. Old Adam's power over daily behavior is broken, yet experientially he still remains as an influence in the believer's life.
Christ lives in the believer as the source of new life. Paul says it is no longer he who lives, but Christ lives in him. The life now lived in the flesh is lived by the faith/faithfulness of Christ, because old Adam is dead and Christ is alive in the believer.
God has placed the old nature on the cross and clothed believers with the righteousness of Christ. So when God looks at a believer, He sees Christ, not the believer. This is part of what it means to be in Christ.
God Puts Old Adam on the Cross
God regards the believer's old Adam as having been crucified with Christ; the body of sin is defeated, not annihilated, and this truth is foundational for assurance of salvation.
Paul's 'I Am Crucified With Christ' Explained
Paul says "I am crucified with Christ" while he is alive—meaning not a physical crucifixion but a spiritual reality that makes the believer a new creation.
Old Adam Dies at the Moment of Belief
The moment a person believes, God reckons old Adam dead and crucified, which is why Paul asks how those dead to old Adam could continue in sin.
Daily Life Lived by Faithfulness of Christ
Old Adam has been put to death and his power over daily behavior broken; the believer's ongoing life is lived by the faithfulness of Christ.
Crucifixion Kills the Old Nature
Crucifixion kills and puts the old nature out of commission so that the body of sin is destroyed and the believer is freed from serving sin.
Paul Alive Yet Crucified With Christ
Paul was alive and writing Galatians when he said he was crucified; believers likewise have been put to death in God's mind on the cross yet are alive.
God Sees Christ, Not the Believer
When God looks at a believer, He sees Christ, because the old nature is crucified and the believer is now clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
Old Adam Crucified but Still an Influence
Even though old Adam is declared dead in God's mind, he remains an influence in the Christian life; God saw us in Christ when we believed.
Galatians 2:20: 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.
This is the anchor verse for the whole question: Paul states that Christ now lives in the believer and the old self is crucified.
Romans 6:6: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Explains that the old man is crucified so the body of sin is destroyed and we should not serve sin.
2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Paul's phrase "new creation" in the clip points to the new life Christ lives in the believer.
No. Paul was alive and writing the book of Galatians when he said, "I am crucified with Christ." Les explains that this is how God sees the believer—crucified with Christ on the cross. The old Adam has been put to death in God's sight, so the believer can say the same.
At the moment a person believes the gospel, God reckons the old Adam crucified and dead. This happens because God saw the believer in Christ on the cross when Christ died. The old sin nature is not annihilated but is defeated and put out of commission.
No. Les teaches that old Adam, though declared dead in God's mind, is still an influence in the believer's daily Christian life. The difference is that his power has been broken, and the believer can now live by the faithfulness of Christ.
Assurance comes when a person understands that at the moment of believing the gospel, God considered the old Adam crucified and placed the believer in Christ. When God looks at a believer, He sees the righteousness of Christ, not the old sinful nature.