The Here And Now
If you were to define the tense of the Gospel what would it look like to you? Paul speaks directly to that in Galatians 2:20.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV) 20 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.
It certainly would take us to the past and the historical facts that surround the work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins as God the Father vented His wrath on His son whom me made to be sin for us. He imputed our sin onto Christ that we might be seen as righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).
We are saved by grace, kept by grace, but we are also to live by grace. Jesus’ work in us calls us to live by faith in the power of the cross.
We are crucified with Him (present tense) that the body of sin might be done away with and we are no longer under the slavery of sin.