"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."
— Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
Galatians 2:20 is the "I have been crucified with Christ" verse, Paul's most personal summary of what faith in Jesus means for daily life. This page gives the verse, what the key words mean, where it sits in Galatians 2, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about faith, Bible verses about God's love, and 2 Corinthians 5:17.
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The verse
The King James reads: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
"Crucified with" is systauroo (G4957), to be crucified together with someone. "Live" is zao (G2198). "The body" (KJV "the flesh") is sarx (G4561), ordinary bodily life. "Faith" is pistis (G4102). "Loved" is agapao (G25), and "gave himself" is paradidomi (G3860), to hand over.
Where it sits in Galatians 2
Earlier in the chapter Paul describes confronting Peter at Antioch for pulling away from Gentile believers (Galatians 2:11-14). He then states the point at issue: "a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 2:16).
Verse 20 is Paul's personal version of that truth. Verse 21 closes the argument: "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
What the verse is saying
Paul is not saying he stopped existing. He is saying the old life, the one trying to earn standing with God, ended when he was joined to Christ's death. The life he lives now is still lived "in the body," with ordinary days, but it runs on trust in Jesus rather than on his own record.
The verse ends on love, not on effort: "who loved me and gave himself for me." Paul says something similar in Romans: "our old self was crucified with him" (Romans 6:6). He also writes, "if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17), and "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Questions people ask
What does Galatians 2:20 say?
In the NIV it says, "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." The KJV begins, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."
What does "crucified with Christ" mean?
The Greek word systauroo means to be crucified together with someone. Paul means that when he trusted Christ, he shared in Christ's death, so the old way of trying to earn God's approval no longer defines him.
Does Galatians 2:20 mean I no longer have my own personality?
No. Paul still says "the life I now live in the body." He keeps living as himself. What changed is the source and direction of that life: it is lived by faith in Jesus.
Who wrote Galatians 2:20?
The apostle Paul wrote it in his letter to the churches in Galatia, a region in what is now central Turkey.
What verse comes after Galatians 2:20?
Galatians 2:21: "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
