Galatians 2:20 English Standard Version (ESV) I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
We do not give up control when it comes to choosing to live by faith. We still have free will. The effort we put towards obedience of faith is in seeking His commands, understanding those commands, believing those commands, and then choosing to obey them according to our best understanding.
Philippians 1:21-22 English Standard Version
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
Paul was saying here that he has work to do. Even so, what he should choose to do was still something unclear because he knew that the hardest choices still lay ahead for him. To live or to die was still something within his ability to choose. We know from his writings that he chose to stay for our sake.
That was who Paul was in Christ. This Christian life consists of two distinct parts which must be discovered to have its full effect.
Who is Christ in me?
Who am I in Christ?
Earlier it was brought to our attention that who we let in when Christ comes knocking dictates our attitudes once we let Him into our hearts. That does not change who He is but it does affect our relationship because of our attitude. Our attitudes will change as we discover who Christ is in us. We will discover that being in His presence changes us in ways we did not expected. His speaking directly into our hearts is a new experience and one we need to experience to understand.