"The life I live in the body, I don't."

The title to this post ("The life I live in the body, I don't.") is a quote I heard today from Paul Walsh (Senior Pastor at The Grace Project in London, England). This afternoon I joined him, along with Mike Zenker (National Director of Grace Walk Canada) and Dave Lesniak (Station Manager for Grace Walk Internet Radio) in Paul's very first Live Movement of Grace Web TV Show (Sponsored by Grace Walk Radio). More info on Movement of Grace at the end.

Today Paul was talking about Galatians 2:20 (I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me). However, his focus was on the preceding verse (19), and how it sets up verse 20. Verse 19 says "For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God."

Through the LAW, I died to the Law. In other words (and this goes along with other New Testament scripture), the Law's purpose was to bring me to the point of DEATH. Its purpose was to kill me. If I hadn't died, I couldn't have then been born again so that I could "live to God." And so Paul then read Galatians 2:20, but changed it slightly to bring out the point that is really being made.

"The life I live in the body... I don't." The life that I live in the body... isn't ME living it. It's Christ-in-me. "I" have died, having been crucified with Christ. It is no longer "I" who live, but Christ lives in me.

It's not up to "us" to live the Christian life. It's up to us to daily reckon the fact that we have died, that we no longer live, but it's a matter of Christ's very life doing the living! This takes all the pressure off of "us," and gives Christ all the glory.

And quickly, another thing Paul brought us is that whether my life is a matter of "me living for me" or "me living for God," it's still self-righteous living! It's still a matter of "me" living for something. But in Christ we're not living for God. It's really Him living in and through us.

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Check out www.movementofgrace.net. Several people are lined up to begin (or have already begun) doing live, interactive, Web TV broadcasts. This was put together by Dave Lesniak. He has spent a lot of time networking with people and working with technical issues to make this possible. You can watch anonymously, or you can log in with a stickam.com account and type messages or take part live with your own web cam. I'm hoping to be around to take part in as many of the broadcasts as I can. Paul Walsh's program is currently scheduled at 12pm (noon) Central Time every Monday. Of course, this is early evening for Paul in England.