Text- Galatians 5:24 – “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” When we analyze our text today, few things become clear to us:
The flesh has passions and desires
Christian living is incompatible with the flesh
Therefore, we crucify the flesh (with its passions and desires)
But then, what exactly is the flesh? It definitely does not refer to your skin or physical body. To understand the context in which the Bible used the word flesh here, let us look at Romans 8:7-9
“The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”
The first thing I want us to see here is the contrast between those who are in the realm of the flesh and those who are in the realm of the spirit. Bible identifies those who are in the realm of the Spirit as those who belong to Christ. These are the people that Galatians 5:24 talks about with regards to crucifying the flesh.
The hallmark of the flesh according to Romans 8 is that it is hostile to God (that is, in enmity with God), does not submit to God’s law, and indeed cannot do so. Bible tells us that those who are in the flesh cannot please God!
When you give your life to Christ, you are translated from the realm of the flesh to the realm of the Spirit. This gives you the ability and the willingness to please God with your life, and to submit to God’s law. If this is not true of your Christianity, then it is not real Christianity. If this is not true of your salvation, then it is not genuine salvation!
Furthermore, the flesh is the part of you that wants to rebel against God’s law. It is that part that fights to resist your transformation into that new man that you are in Christ. The devil constantly seeks to use the desires and pleasures of your flesh to keep you enslaved to our old habits and sinful attitudes.
How do you do this? Paul gave us the answer in Galatians 5:16, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the desires of the flesh”. I therefore, implore you today beloved, to walk in the spirit, thus crucifying the flesh with all its passions and desires.
You live in the realm of the spirit, so you can and you should please God with your life. Shalom!
PRAYER
Lord, it is my desire to please you with my life. Holy Spirit, guide me to walk in the spirit, so that I will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.
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