One more post on the reality or metaphoric view of Gal. 2:20.
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My friend had a couple of resources from John MacArthur. From his NT commentary on Galatians (p60) he speaks of “the effect of the cross.” Our “union with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.” While he doesn’t specify “real or metaphorical” he speaks of “union” as very real. My thought is that the word “crucified with” Christ (yes, one word: sunestaurōmai) suggests a real experience, not just a metaphor. What happened to the One happened to the other! And no, I don’t mean I literally bled and suffered physically as Jesus did. It is the “death” that was experienced.
In MacArthur’s Liberated for Life: Galatians (the page number escapes me) he says, “I don’t need to work and struggle to get near God. I know where God is; He’s inside – me. It’s only a question of yielding to His presence.” I say: well put.
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F. F. Bruce in the New International Greek Testament Commentary (Galatians), p144, he says, “In fact, this new life in Christ is nothing less than the risen Christ living His life in the believer. … It is by the Spirit that the risen life of Christ is communicated to His people and maintained within them.” Amen!
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Homer Kent (president of Grace Seminary, Winona Lake, Indiana) in Studies in Galatians, says (p75) “the meaning is figurative.” “The identification of the believer with Christ in the theological aspects of the crucifixion.” Not sure about this. But then he says, concerning the “crucified with” term, it is perfect tense, meaning past action with continuing effects. “When Christ was crucified every believer with His Son, and thus believers were crucified with Him.” Again, this sounds real, not figurative. Kent believes it’s real, that “the Triune God is in the believer” (John 14:16-17). Bot Ken and Bruce refer to it as “the resurrection life.”
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In the Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Galatians, James Montgomery Boice deals with Burton thoughts (see previous post). Either 1) Christians experience death and new life because Christ dies for them; or 2) an actual participation of the believer in Christ’s death and resurrection via our ‘mystical union’ (Rom. 6:4-8; Col. 2:12-14,20; 3:1-4). Boice concludes: the last view is the hardest to understand but is the one involved here! My thoughts: I would agree with him on both. The reason it seems “figurative” is because it is hard to imagine or understand this. But the NT puts a lot of stock in the reality of “Christ in you.”
Think a bit. Count on the reality of Gal. 2:20, and the essential foundation of Rom. 12:1-2: bodies presented to Christ, minds being renewed!
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