“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. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:20–21, ESV)
When I was a boy, I used to watch the series “The Adventures of Superman” on television. At the beginning of each episode we would hear, “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” I thought about how great it would be to have that kind of power. Of course, that was just entertainment, some fantasy for us kids. We would run around with a bath towel tied around our necks and play Superman. Of course, we never leapt tall buildings, flew faster than a speeding bullet, or had more power than a locomotive.
Yes, Superman had supernatural power. Yet the question that we must ponder is this. Is supernatural power something available today or is it just something that lies in fantasy land?
There are some today who exhibit great power. There are professional athletes who do things that for the normal person are impossible. There are some with great intellect, like Albert Einstein, whose intellectual capacity in the area of physics was far beyond the average person. Yet all of all these who have existed in history, they still do not rise to the level of strength and ability that cannot be surpassed.
For a second let us look at the mission that we have to reach the world with the gospel. Let us consider the high calling that we have and what that means. Is it possible for mortal men to accomplish such a mission? Such a calling and such a mission transcends our mortal capabilities. If we truly understand how this works, we will understand that our high calling and mission are supernatural works. They are ones that go beyond the realm of the material. For us to be what we are supposed to be and to do what we are supposed to do requires supernatural power.
Paul understood this need for supernatural power. Moreover, he wrote to the Galatians about it. To live the Christian life in regards to the high calling we have, we need God’s grace. Paul understood this and this he communicated to the Galatians when he wrote,
“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.” (Galatians 2:20, ESV)
In this verse we see tremendous theological truth. It is truth that explains how Paul did the work of taking the truth to the remote regions. In this passage, we see that Paul had the supernatural power necessary to do the mighty work assigned. He indicated that he had dies with Christ and not it was he who lived, but Christ in him. He no longer lived by faith in his own strength and ability. No, his ability and strength transcended the natural into the supernatural. It was the power of Christ in him that made the difference. Paul now lived by faith in the risen Lord who lived in him.
This same supernatural power now dwells in every true believer. This power entered at the moment of saving faith and has never left us. Only now we must live by faith in Jesus to experience His power at work. His power dwells within our fleshly bodies. We must trust in Him, not only for our salvation, but also to fulfill the high calling and the mission that we have in life.
Renewing the Heart 