But they that [are] of the Christ have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts.
Paul has just listed the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. He now states a fact about everyone who belongs to Christ — one that raises three questions: when did this crucifixion happen, who did it, and what does it change today?
The Cross Applied to the Flesh
This verse is one of three places in Galatians where the cross meets a specific enemy. One writer traces the pattern across the whole letter:
Legalism turns back to the principles of the law. That at once gives the flesh a place, because the law appeals to the flesh, and the flesh brings in the world. So the law, the flesh and the world go together. To correct the wrong use of the law and the evils of the flesh and the world, the Spirit of God brings in the Cross of Christ. So in this letter we find the Cross applied to the law in Galatians 2:20; to the flesh in Galatians 5:24; and to the world in Galatians 6:14.
What "Belong to Christ" Means
Willis translates the verse closely, then stops on the phrase that names the people:
"But the ones of Jesus Christ have crucified the flesh with the emotions and passionate cravings." "The ones of Jesus Christ" reminds us of Galatians 3:29, where being of Christ makes you Abraham's seed. We noticed that the expression "of Christ" meant more than "belonging to Christ." It also means being a part of Christ, members of Christ, not merely the property of Christ.
Willis quotes a literal translation; the ESV has "passions and desires" for "emotions and passionate cravings."
Done, Not Being Done
Paul uses the past tense here. That one point carries the weight of the verse.
This is part of the comfort God gives me. As a matter of faith, and not of mere feeling, I am entitled to know that "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." It does not say, "They are crucifying it," as if it were something still going on. It is done in receiving a crucified Christ. In God's sight, and now to faith also, their nature was nailed to the tree, and is done with before God.
How a Believer Did It
Christ was crucified — so how can Paul say that we crucified the flesh? The answer turns on consent.
How have I crucified the flesh with its passions and desires? The answer is plain. As a believer, I have consented to God's just and righteous judgment of myself as a man in the flesh — a man who cannot please God, and who is unfit for His presence.
Another writer ties this consent to belonging to Christ at all:
This last scripture shows what belonging to Christ involves. No one comes into allegiance to Him on any other terms. He must himself solemnly endorse and confirm the sentence carried out against the flesh at the Cross.
Not the Same as Daily Self-Denial
This crucifixion is not the same as the daily work of putting sin to death.
Scripture does not call the "members which are on the earth" crucified. The old mortal body and its members, prone to evil, are still with us, and we have to subdue them. "Mortification" is the process that controls them... To mortify is to put to death. We cannot put to death what is already dead.
Why the Flesh Cannot Be Reformed
Because the flesh is a crucified thing, no amount of religious effort can improve it.
We can make the flesh moral — we can even make it religious — but we cannot make it please God. So the seeker after holiness in the flesh may starve or punish his body. That merely pleases the flesh and puffs him up with pride... No one can make a crucified thing better or sanctify it... The only remedy is the walk in the Spirit, with the flesh in its true place — "no confidence in the flesh."
Kelly names the power for this. It is not restraint but occupation with Christ, which "fills the soul, by the energy of the Spirit, with all that is good."
A Question for the Conscience
The verse states a fact about every Christian. So each of us should ask whether it fits.
We do well to ask whether we have really arrived at this, which is the proper attitude of the Christian. Have we definitely put the sentence of death on the flesh?... Is this what we profess to have done as Christians — but are we living up to our profession? A very serious question which we must each answer for ourselves. Let us give ourselves time for conscience to answer!
Summary
- Cross — Galatians applies the cross three times: to the law (2:20), to the flesh (5:24), to the world (6:14).
- Verdict — God judged the flesh at the cross. The believer crucified it by consenting to that judgment.
- Past tense — Paul says it is done, not being done. Faith knows the old nature was nailed to the tree and is finished with before God.
- Distinction — Crucifixion is finished. Mortifying the members is the daily work, since you cannot put to death what is already dead.
- Result — You can make the flesh moral or even religious, but never pleasing to God. The remedy is walking in the Spirit and occupation with Christ.