Not I, but Christ
by John D. Morris, Ph.D. | Jul. 20, 2025
“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.” (Galatians 2:20)
The second verse of “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” continues by rightly identifying the focus of a believer’s affections. This song does not direct our affection to objects like the cross or the blood and so imply improper worship, but it clearly specifies the deity and work of Christ as paramount to us. We worship Him for who He is and what He has done and is doing on our behalf. His death makes all the difference to us.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
We know that “being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). What happened there? “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).
Today we no longer have an obligation to render animal sacrifices to God for our sin, but we do need to offer something better than even our best. Scripture asks us to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1). We do not literally sacrifice ourselves, but we cherish and recognize that the shedding of His blood on the cross makes our reconciliation with God possible. JDM
Days of Praise Podcast is a podcast based on the Institute for Creation Research quarterly print devotional, Days of Praise. Start your day with devotional readings written by Dr. Henry Morris, Dr. Henry Morris III, Dr. John Morris, and others to strengthen and encourage you in your Christian faith.
The Prince of Glory
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:3)
One of the most precious hymns of the Christian faith is “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” ...More...
The Pure Word
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” (Proverbs 30:5)
When the inspired writer of Proverbs testified here that God’s Word is “pure,” he did not use the usual word for, say, moral purity or metallic purity. Instead, he asserted in effect that every word of God had been refined ...More...
Dealing with Delay
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
Longsuffering is an attribute of God that is often mentioned in Scripture. It is not one of the easier attributes that we would like to acquire ...More...
Committed to Thy Trust
“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.” (1 Timothy 6:20-21)
Paul exhorted his disciple, Timothy, and by extension exhorts us, to “keep” (literally to guard or preserve) ...More...
More Articles
More Math and Logic
Arithmetic and the Genetic Code
Where do physical traits such as height and eye color come from? Biologists say these characteristics are phenotypic (physical) expressions of the genotype—the...
Insect Arithmetic--Pure Genius!
by Frank Sherwin, M.A., & Brian Thomas, M.S. *
As entomologists study insects and spiders, they regularly discover examples of mathematical...
Plants Use Math to Ration Food Use
A new study came out showing how plants utilize an efficient form of mathematics to precisely calculate how much starch to consume as food during the...
More Impact
Transposable Elements: Genomic Parasites or Engineered .,.
Transposable elements (transposons or TEs) are a specialized group of DNA sequences that can transpose or change positions in the genome. Some scientists...
The Oceans Point to a Young Earth
by Jeffrey P. Tomkins, Ph.D., and Tim Clarey, Ph.D.*
Over 70% of Earth's surface is covered by water, most of which is marine and contained in...
The Fossils Still Say No: The Post-Flood Providential P.,.
In the previous article in this series, I explained how the final rock layers were laid down in the global Flood as the newly separated continents and...