"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Paul tells the Galatians his own life experience as an example to show that trying to gain justification by the law only exposes not exonerates sinfulness. Once Paul gained God's approval through the justification that is in Christ, he no longer had to try to meet the impossible burden of trying to earn acceptance with God through his own efforts. God personalized salvation and so an amazing transformation took place in this new relationship to God. Now Christ directs and empowers all that Paul does because Christ's crucifixion was a personal expression of His love for people individually. Therefore, Paul trusts Christ moment by moment and Christ works in and through him to give spiritual effectiveness to all that Paul does. Paul's life is now controlled by God's love and not by the law. Like Paul we should find an amazing new freedom in living a life that is devoted to Jesus, the Son of God, Who redeems each of us individually because He loves us and now lives inside us. But our devotion should be focused on living in a way that pleases God and not in a way that tries to earn our salvation.
