Living Influence with Bill Thrall and Scott Boyd

Episode: What It Means to Die With Christ
Date: August 28, 2025

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode, Bill Thrall and Scott Boyd dive into the spiritual implications of the phrase, "I have been crucified with Christ," exploring what it truly means to die with Christ. The hosts wrestle with how this reality transforms a believer's identity, shame, and relationship to sin, law, and grace. Drawing from Galatians 2 and their own experiences, Bill and Scott candidly dissect the difference between living out of old patterns of striving and shame versus embracing the freedom and acceptance God offers through Christ’s finished work.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Opening Question: Did I Really Die with Christ?

• Bill (A) starts with the provocative query: "Did I really die? I don't feel dead." (00:03)
• The co-hosts agree this is their “favorite topic: Death”—not just physical, but spiritual.

2. Scripture Foundation: Galatians 2

• Bill quotes, "I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me…" (00:16 - 00:38)
• The hosts focus on what it means that Christ not only died for our sins, but brings us into His death, fundamentally changing our spiritual identity.

3. Dying to Shame and the Old Self

• Bill highlights the radical nature of Christ’s work:
  Quote: "When I died in Christ, I actually died to shame...I ain't who I used to be and I never will be again." (01:44)
• Discusses the tension many Christians feel when confronting the idea of being crucified with Christ, often not realizing its full practical implications (02:36)
• Paul’s teaching in Romans is cited: being "dead to sin, dead to the law… now under grace." (02:36)

4. The Futility of Striving and Surrender

• The hosts humorously recount the common Christian emphasis on “surrender,” especially in accountability and men’s groups:
  Scott: "I just got to surrender more." (04:06)
  Bill: "There is no greater surrender than death…You can't be more surrendered than death. And guess what happened to me at Calvary? I died." (04:34)
• The futility of trying to manage shame or sin by self-effort is discussed:
  Bill: "My attempting to deal with my shame by giving up more of me is useless." (04:41)

5. Letting God Define Us Instead of Our Experiences

• The importance of not letting personal experiences define one’s identity:
  Bill: "What if I learned to let my God define me? ...Bill, I want you to know you’ve died." (04:59-05:24)
• Scott references Galatians 2: practicing faith means living by what God says is true, not by our own experience of failure.

6. Dead to Law, Alive to Grace

• Bill explores the difference between living under the law and living under grace:
  Bill: "A dead person can't honor the law. If I'm dead and I've died to the law, then the law is no longer my objective…he says I’m under grace." (06:19-07:09)
• Living in shame is equated to seeing oneself as a sinner, rather than as a new creation in Christ.

7. Real-Life Application: Men's Groups and Accountability

• Scott shares his personal experiences in accountability groups, reflecting on how dwelling on vulnerability without the solution found in Christ’s death kept them stuck:
  Scott: "We don’t have a solution somehow. Although God says there’s a solution… What does it look like if we actually had that same meeting and we believe we were dead?" (08:43-09:30)

8. God’s Perspective vs. Self-Perception

• Bill imagines God saying, “Could you please trust me? ...I've already solved [your shame] in you.” (09:39-10:36)
• The hosts stress that acting upon the truth of being dead with Christ is the mark of faith:
  Bill: "You know you trust something if you act upon it." (10:44)

9. Living in the Light of Grace

• By acting on what God says is true, shortcomings lose their power to condemn:
  Scott: "I can bring them into the light and they don’t condemn me." (11:14-11:32)
• The completeness of Christ’s work is underscored:
  Bill: "It is finished. ...He conquered sin when he said it is finished. And the proof...is that he rose again." (11:54-12:53)

10. Saints, Not Sinners: A New Identity

• The group explores why believers are called saints, not sinners, in the New Testament:
  Scott: "Never in the New Testament are we referred to as sinners. No, only saints." (14:20-14:25)
• Bill and Scott discuss how righteousness is a received gift, not an earned status (15:13-15:17), freeing them from pride and comparison.

11. From Legalism to Love

• Bill reflects on his upbringing in a legalistic church:
  Bill: "They were constantly measuring each other by how little they sinned...It was such an unsafe environment." (15:33-16:28)
• In contrast, he points to measuring one’s life by God’s declaration: being dead with Christ means we live by our new identity (16:29).
• The more believers experience love, the less they sin; love responds to sin not with condemnation but with grace, affirming a person’s true identity (17:05-17:35).

12. Grace, Freedom, and Practical Implications

• Scott notes: “I will still sin. You will sin. ...But if the response is love, first love covers a multitude of sins...and love brings me back.” (17:14-17:35)
• Allowing others to love us, and receiving love, is reframed as an act of spiritual maturity and freedom.
  Bill: "This is called love. But it’s different." (18:18-18:21)
• Living "dead to shame" means living without condemnation:
  Bill: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus...In Christ Jesus, I'm dead." (18:54-19:12)

13. Conclusion: The Invitation to Trust and Freedom

• The episode closes with a challenge:
  Bill: "What would it be like if I could trust my God with my dying so that my behavior, my shame, and the law would no longer define me? ...That's called freedom." (19:38-20:11)
• Bill urges listeners:
  Bill: "Get on your knees and ask your God to teach you that you are dead in Christ so you can experience his grace." (20:13)
• Scott affirms:
  Scott: “Am I really dead? Yes. In Jesus, I am. That makes all the difference.” (20:31-20:38)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• "I ain't who I used to be and I never will be again." — Bill (01:44)
• "There is no greater surrender than death...I died." — Bill (04:34)
• "My attempting to deal with my shame by giving up more of me is useless." — Bill (04:41)
• "You know you trust something if you act upon it." — Bill (10:44)
• "It is finished... He conquered sin when he said it is finished. And the proof...is that he rose again." — Bill (11:54-12:53)
• "Never in the New Testament are we referred to as sinners. No, only saints." — Scott (14:20-14:25)
• "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." — Bill (18:54)
• "That's called freedom." — Bill (20:11)
• "Am I really dead? Yes. In Jesus, I am. That makes all the difference." — Scott (20:31-20:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:03: Opening—“Did I really die? I don't feel dead.”
• 00:16 - 00:39: Galatians 2 quoted—setting the scriptural foundation.
• 01:44: Dying to shame; new identity in Christ.
• 04:06 - 04:34: Surrender vs. death—a critique of Christian striving.
• 06:19 - 07:09: Transition from law to grace.
• 09:30 - 10:36: God’s view vs. our self-perception.
• 10:44: On trusting and acting upon God’s truth.
• 11:54 - 12:53: "It is finished"—completeness of Christ’s work.
• 14:20 - 14:25: “Never referred to as sinners, only saints.”
• 15:33 - 16:28: Legalism and the consequences.
• 17:04 - 17:35: The role of love in practical Christian living.
• 18:54: No condemnation in Christ.
• 19:38 - 20:11: Freedom through trusting God with our dying.
• 20:31-20:38: Affirmation of the new identity.

Tone and Style

The conversation is warm, disarmingly honest, gentle, and at times playful. Bill and Scott routinely share personal stories, challenge long-standing Christian assumptions, and encourage listeners to embrace their identity in Christ—free from shame and striving. Their dialogue is infused with hope and an inviting call to deeper trust.

Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a profound re-framing of what it means to die with Christ. Rather than an invitation to endless striving or self-improvement, Bill and Scott paint a picture of spiritual rest, grace, and freedom found in accepting one’s death and new life in Christ. The influence of a Christ-follower, they assert, flows not from self-perfection but from embracing the reality of being unconditionally loved and completely remade through Christ’s finished work.