Crucify the Flesh Walk in Spirit Freedom Galatians 5:24
Memory Verse
And those who are of Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and strong desires (Galatians 5:24).
Since we are immersed into Christ’s death, we are also raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). The Christian who counts this to be true and then yields his members to righteousness experiences the freedom he has in Christ from his sin nature (Romans 6:11, 13). The sin nature cannot work out what it desires in Christ (Romans 6:6). As the Christian yields, the way he governs his life will be according to the desires from the Holy Spirit, Who produces desires within him that are against the strong desires from the sin nature (Galatians 5:16–17). This is not a life lived by law, but freedom in righteousness (Galatians 5:18).
Those then who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh. Since the flesh has been crucified with Christ, its passions and strong desires are separated and crucified along with it. Passions is a word that can also be translated as suffering; however, this suffering is from a strong and barely controllable emotion. Thus, it is a compelling desire that will cause pain due to the intensity and focus in the pursuit of obtaining it. Since Christ suffered in this way for us, we are to arm ourselves with the same frame of mind. For the one who suffers in the flesh ceases from sin (1 Peter 4:1). This suffering is from passion in the flesh that desires to work out its strong desires. When we refuse to satisfy the desires from the flesh, some of them will cause pain; however, as we focus our mind on the things above and seek after the righteous desires the Holy Spirit produces in us, His desires will push against the desires from the flesh so that we gain freedom from its passions and strong desires (Galatians 5:17).
Since in Christ we crucified the passions and strong desires from the flesh, we are to now live the remaining time in the flesh to the desirous will of God, not to the strong desires of men (1 Peter 4:2). Where the Spirit is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).