Where did the "exchange" of the Exchanged Life occur?
The answer to this question lies in the following verse, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) The exchange occurred on the cross through what is referred to as co-crucifixion. The believer was crucified with the Lord on the cross. Therefore Paul exclaimed, "It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me!" This is the most definitive statement of the exchanged life in the Scripture. Lets look more closely at Paul's life and beliefs concerning this exchange.

What specifically was exchanged?
At the cross Paul exchanged his Adamic spirit for a new spirit in Christ. Paul exchanged his life as a self-righteous Pharisee for the righteousness of Christ. This was more than a change of mind for Paul, and it was more than just a new belief or doctrine for Paul. Paul believed that the death and resurrection of Christ brought an end to the Adamic Paul and brought into existence the Christ-empowered Christ-indwelt Paul. The exchange of Paul (the Paul with Adam life) for Christ life, however, did not eradicate the person known as Paul, because he goes on to say, "the life I now live in the flesh", meaning that there was a pre-crucifixion Paul and a post-crucifixion Paul. Paul, possessing his new life in Christ, gloried in the Cross, "But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14) The cross cut off the control that the world had on Paul, therefore he boasted in the cross. There are basically two parts to a cross experience: pre-cross and post-cross. Let's look at the pre-cross or death side of the cross.

What does Paul teach regarding his death with Christ?
"Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6:6) What does this mean? Paul's body could not have been crucified at the same time that Christ was crucified. His soul (mind, will, and emotions) were not crucified with Christ. What part of Paul was crucified according to this scripture? Only the spirit of Paul qualifies as the old man. Only Paul's spirit or old man was crucified. This leads us to the obvious question, 'What is the old man?'

What is the old man?
The old man was the Adamic Paul, or the spirit of Paul, that was dead in sin prior to his salvation. Paul inherited this old man when he was born into the human race. Romans 5:19, "For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." At the cross Paul's old man died and was buried with Christ. This can be seen graphically in the following illustration (#1).

What does Paul teach regarding his new life in Christ?
Now let's look at the post-cross or the life side of the co-crucifixion experience. Since our old man has died with Christ on the cross and was buried with Him, it is essential to note that we have also been resurrected with Him. Ephesians 2:5-6, "even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus . ." While it may be difficult to comprehend the spiritual fact that believers have been resurrected with Christ and seated with Christ in the heavenlies, it is nevertheless true. This resurrected life (in the believer) is what the believer and the world is really seeking. Only His life brings joy, contentment, power, and authority. This can be seen graphically in the following illustration.

What does the term exchange mean?
One of the Greek words which includes the term exchange is the word reconcile. The Greek word translated reconciled is the word katallasso, which is a compound word combining kata, meaning different, and allasso meaning to change, make different, or to exchange. Vine's Bible Dictionary, page 260, says that "katallasso properly denotes to change or exchange especially of money; hence, of persons, to change from enmity to friendship, to reconcile." By definition, in order for an exchange to occur there has to be the giving up of an old life and the receiving of a new life. This is demonstrated in the following illustration.

In the same text where we find the teaching of Paul about becoming a new creature in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."), Paul also teaches about reconciliation through the Cross. "Now all things are of God; who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation . . . . . . For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Now lets look at the change from enmity (towards God) to the friendship aspect of the exchange. We have full biblical authority to say that God reconciled believers through the Cross by exchanging their spiritual Adamic nature for a spiritual Christ-like nature. The Cross exchanges our life in Adam for our life in Christ. This is represented by the following illustration.

This is also represented in the concept of the exchange of our sin (sin nature) for His righteousness (righteous nature). The result of this exchange is that believers now have a new nature, which is the new creation.

Paul makes a similar point in Colossians where he uses a more intense form of the word katallasso by adding the prefix apo, meaning completion. The word apokatallasso means to fully reconcile. Here is the way Paul used this word. "And by Him (Christ) to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled (apokatallasso ) in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, blameless and irreproachable in His sight -". (Colossians 2:20-22) Paul is clearly saying that the exchange of our sin for Christ's righteousness, our Adamic nature for His nature, is so complete that it has apokatallasso (fully reconciled) us to God!

Now lets examine what would be true if the exchange had not occurred on the cross. If there was no actual exchange (old man for Christ' life) on the cross, then ultimately there is no apokatallasso or full reconciliation with the Lord. There is no new overcoming life. There is essentially no hope!!
What is one of the practical results of this exchange? We have His nature and life within us to deliver us from bondage to sin's power which we will deal with in the next article.