"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."
Galatians 5:24
Part 2
Yesterday: A Characteristic of the Genuine Believer
“And they that are Christ’s.”
The mark of every true believer is that they belong to Christ.
“Have crucified the flesh.” (a)
No longer under the domination of the “flesh” but under the control of the Holy Spirit.
Today: The “Flesh” is Crucified for Christ’s Sake
“And they that are Christ’s.”
“Have crucified the flesh.” (b)
Why did Paul use the word “crucified” here? He could have chosen so many different words for the action of “putting to death the flesh” (executed, killed, punished, tormented, murdered, slain, slaughtered, destroyed…). Why “crucified”? This word stands out in our thinking. It does because of what Jesus and His death on the cross mean to us. He died on that cross, in our place, as our perfect substitute! The cross is where He paid our sin debt. The picture of the cross has a special meaning to every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
The cross is the place where each disciple will die to self and say “yes,” to God’s will for whatever He wants for our lives. The death of the cross is excruciatingly painful. This is the place where God wants us to deal with our “flesh” by crucifixion! And this word choice shows us that we need to deal with our own flesh decisively![1] No one “accidentally” crucifies his/her “flesh!” It is a deliberate act!
As we think about Paul’s words in this verse, ask yourself who is doing the crucifying of our “flesh.” Is it God crucifying the believer’s flesh after salvation? No, the verse does not say that. The verse says, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh!” This reminds us of what Paul told the Colossians.
“Mortify [put to death] therefore, your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).
Who is it that puts to death all of these wrong affections? The believer has these as holdovers from his/her previously “lost life?” He says literally, “[You all] Mortify therefore your members…”
We cannot get away from this crucial truth. Each believer is to crucify his/her own “flesh.”
“Please notice that the ‘crucifixion’ of the flesh described here is something that is done not to us but by us . . . Galatians 5:24 does not teach the same truth as Galatians 2:20 or Romans 6:6. In those verses, we are told that by faith-union with Christ, we have been crucified with him’. But here it is we who have taken action”[2] (Stott).
God’s Word is explicit every believer is to nail his/her own “flesh” to His cross! We put to death our own “flesh.” We have to say “no” to our old sinful desires, driven by our “flesh.” This is a responsibility that every believer has. When we are tempted to sin, it is up to us to remember that we have crucified our “flesh!” We must learn to say “no” to ourselves!
Come back tomorrow as we learn more about putting our “flesh” to death!
Quote: “Take up the cross is a figure of speech closely related to crucify the flesh. Believers are to behave like a person carrying his own cross to the place of his execution. Paul follows the Lord’s words to their logical conclusion. Not only must believers pick up and carry their cross, but they must also make sure their death sentence gets carried out. Crucifying the flesh illustrates the putting to death of selfish, sinful desires.”[3]
[1] Enduring Word Commentary, ibid. I have borrowed these four ideas from Guzik, who has said them much more succinctly.
[2] Stott’s quote is found in Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Galatians 5:24-26. Emphasis mine.
[3] This quote is from the “Got Questions” site. Downloaded: Thursday, January 14, 2021. From: https://www.gotquestions.org/crucify-the-flesh.html.