letting loose

Galatians 2:20

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NLT)

I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Amplified)

When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too; so that my proud ego no longer lives. But the Messiah lives in me, and the life I now live in my body I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had, who loved me and gave himself up for me. (CJB)

So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me. (ERV)

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. (ESV)

As far as the Law is concerned I may consider that I died on the cross with Christ. And my present life is not that of the old “I”, but the living Christ within me. The bodily life I now live, I live believing in the Son of God, who loved me and sacrificed himself for me. Consequently I refuse to stultify the grace of God by reverting to the Law. For if righteousness were possible under the Law then Christ died for nothing! (J B Phillips)

What actually took place is this:

I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God,

and it didn’t work.

So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man.

Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it.

I identified myself completely with him.

Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ.

My ego is no longer central.

It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion,

and I am no longer driven to impress God.

Christ lives in me.

The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God?

I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace.

If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

(The Message)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NIV)

I have been crucified with the Anointed One—I am no longer alive—but the Anointed is living in me; and whatever life I have left in this failing body I live by the faithfulness of God’s Son, the One who loves me and gave His body on the cross for me. (The Voice)

* * * * * * * *

What actually took place is this:

I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God,

and it didn’t work.

So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man.

Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it.

I identified myself completely with him.

Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ.

My ego is no longer central.

It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion,

and I am no longer driven to impress God.

Christ lives in me.

The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God?

I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace.

If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

(The Message)

I think The Message, a paraphrase edition of this text, puts it all together better.

It expresses what was going on in Paul's mind.

It makes a better statement of about how Paul abandoned his reliance on his good works to get himself justified as a person worthy of God's attention.

His reality now is that he relies now on the sacrifice of Jesus to make him acceptable to God.

And as he abandons a “work your way into heaven” thinking, he lets go of his life, & let's Jesus take control of him to the point that there is less & less of Paul's personality coming out & more & more of Jesus', who now lives in & through Paul.

I hope all this is making sense. Sometimes at this hour of the morning, it's hard to tell ;-)