Galatians 2:20

τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ אACDb.c etc. vulg. syrr. Marcion Clem. Alex.; τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ χριστοῦ BD*G (“hoc est in fide vivo dei et Christi,” Victorinus).

20. The first half of this verse is an expansion of the meaning of both the death and the life mentioned in Galatians 2:19. I died to the Law for I have been crucified with Christ; I live to God, for Christ lives in me.

Observe also that (1) the verse brings out the greatness of the Gospel which the Galatians are inclined to reject. Life is not in the Law and yet you would go back to it! Life is in Christ, and that fully. (2) While in cc. 1 and 2 St Paul has spoken much of Christ’s call to him, so that he was independent of the Twelve, here he shows what Christ can become in the inner life of believers. I died, it is true, but it was with Christ; I live, nay to put it more truly, Christ lives in me.

Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι. The compound verb only here and Romans 6:6 (to be compared closely) in St Paul’s writings, in both places metaphorically, and in the account of the crucifixion in Matthew, Mark, John literally[85]. The metaphorical sense of the simple verb occurs in Galatians 5:24; Galatians 6:14[86].

[85] Is affixed to a word it means that all the passages are mentioned where that word occurs in the New Testament.
[86] Is affixed to a word it means that all the passages are mentioned where that word occurs in the New Testament.

Observe that the cross has the connotation not only of death but also of shame. It is the antithesis to the self-estimation of the successful Jew Galatians 1:13-14.

But how was St Paul crucified with Christ? He went over to Christ’s side, took his position with Him in His shame, venturing all on Him, passing in spirit with Him as He endured pain and death. St Paul’s old life thus came to an end, and he shared the new resurrection life on which Christ entered. See Romans 7:1-7 where this is expressed fully.

The perfect suggests that the crucifixion has had an abiding result upon him. He has never been the same since.

ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ. But my crucifixion has not been only for death, it has been for life. Had St Paul written ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκέτι ζῶ the emphasis would have been on the death of his own personality, i.e. “and it is no longer I that live,” R.V. margin. As it is, the emphasis is primarily on ζῶ, and the meaning is that of the somewhat clumsy R.V. text, “yet I live; (and yet) no longer I.”

ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός. There seems to be no exact parallel, but cf. Galatians 4:19 note; Colossians 3:4 note (where see quotations from Irenaeus); Romans 6:8; 1 John 5:12; John 6:54; John 6:57; John 11:25; John 14:6; John 17:23, also Ephesians 3:17. Of course St Paul does not mean that his former personality is gone, but that Christ, not self, rules, and Christ lives in him, giving both power and character to his life.

ὃ δὲ. An inner accusative after ζῶ, “the life I live”; but perhaps adverbial, “in that” (cf. Winer-Schmiedel, § 24. 9).

νῦν in contrast to the time before his conversion; hardly to the future.

ζῶ. Observe that St Paul refers to the principle of life, not to its circumstances, manner, or interest. Contrast Colossians 2:20; Colossians 3:7.

ἐν σαρκί epexegetic of ζῶ, cf. Philippians 1:22.

ἐν πίστει (emphatic) ζῶ τῇ. He lives in faith as contrasted with the Law, but, after all, a certain kind of faith, that which is directed towards Christ.

τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. See notes on Textual Criticism. The word Christ is not sufficient for St Paul. For the higher the nature of Him who sacrifices Himself the greater seems the love that prompts Him.

τοῦ�. Only here, in this sense, with the object in the singular, but frequently with the plural, e.g. Romans 8:37.

καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ. Romans 4:25; Ephesians 5:2; Ephesians 5:25. St Paul in the enthusiasm of his personal gratitude to Christ seems to have wandered from his subject. Yet nothing was more likely to win the Galatians back to steadfastness in the Gospel than to remind them of Christ’s love, and that for each individually—σὺ δὲ μετὰ τοσαῦτα�; (Chrys.). In fact the self-sacrifice of Christ, in His life and in His death, has always been both the origin of the Christian’s life and the model set before him; see the references to Eph.: see also infra Galatians 6:2 note. For ὑπέρ see the note on Philemon 1:13 and Galatians 1:4; Galatians 3:13.