So that translates a Greek connective which could be rendered either as “but” or as “and.” Most translators take the connective to be continuative, indicating that what follows is a further explanation of the previous verse, and not adversative to it (for the adversative, compare King James Version “nevertheless, I live,” Knox “and yet I am alive”).

In it is no longer I who live, Paul may be saying that under the old system of the Law, the “I” was prominent, it was the “I” that lived. To depend on the Law is to put emphasis on one’s own powers to do what it requires. Instead of that, it is now Christ who lives in him. “Christ in me” is as intimate as the converse expression “in Christ.” Many languages do not have a so-called expletive such as it which may occur at the beginning of a clause and refer to something occurring later in the same clause. However, the same idea may be expressed as “the one who is living is no longer I,” or “I am not the one who is still living, but Christ is the one who is living in me.”

It is impossible in some languages to speak of “living a life,” and therefore one cannot translate literally this life that I live now. One may, however, translate as “the way I live now,” “the manner in which I live,” or “how I am now living.”

The next statement makes the previous one much clearer: Paul’s new life is based on faith in the Son of God. The Son of God is one of the titles which the early Christians used to refer to Jesus Christ. Again, faith is trust in and commitment to Christ. By faith in the Son of God may be rendered as “by trusting in God’s Son,” or “by putting my confidence in God’s Son.”

Paul mentions two acts of Christ: (1) who loved me and (2) gave his life for me. The word for “love” here suggests unmerited, undeserved, self-giving love, while the word for “give” suggests Christ’s voluntary surrender of himself to die on the cross (compare Phillips “sacrificed himself for me”; New English Bible “gave himself up for me”). This dying is now identified as a dying for me, that is, Christ’s act on the cross is intensely personal; it is as if he died for Paul alone, but there is nothing self-centered in Paul’s statement.

In some languages it is quite impossible to speak of “giving one’s life.” One can, however, “willingly die” or “willingly suffer death.”

For me may be indicated as a benefactive in a number of languages, for example, “for my benefit.” But in other instances it may be necessary to translate as “in order to help me.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .