What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? Does it mean we have to suffer in some way? Or is there some other spiritual meaning to it? The crucified life is one where we die to the old life before we came to Christ and live as a new creation. We no longer live for ourselves but to please Christ. We put all of our trust in Jesus Christ because he gave himself for us.
Galatians 2:20
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.
Put to Death
When we decide to follow Jesus, we decide to put to death our old life. We crucify it because we need to submit to His will. Christ has to be greater in our lives than anything else. If there is competition, we will be distracted and indifferent people. To live the crucified life means to deny ourselves. It doesn’t mean that we live as a monk with no pleasures. Denial means that when we are presented with two options, we chose the one that is going to glorify Christ over the one which will give us satisfaction.
Life of Sacrifice
The Crucified life also means that we live by a different agenda. Our life is no longer our own but is surrendered to the will of Jesus Christ. Each day we seek his direction. To accomplish this, we are equipped with the Holy Spirit. The life Jesus is calling us to is one of sacrifice on the front end but with rich rewards on the back end. We need to live each day for Jesus. That may mean that nothing in our life changes except our heart, but that changes our attitude and how we look at life. That, in turn, will change the outcome.