Why We’re Called to Crucify Our Flesh

What does it mean to crucify our flesh and its desires?

Why do we have to crucify our flesh and its desires?

How does our sinful flesh keep us from a full relationship with God?

Sin. It’s a deadly poison that has infested humanity since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden despite God’s explicit instructions. Sin has not only separated us from God, until the atoning death and sacrifice of Christ restored the once broken relationship but even now; it still permeates our lives even though we as Christians proclaim to walk according to God’s Word.

When sin entered the world, it infected humanity not just on a spiritual level, but also on a physical one. Our flesh became infected with sin and as long as we don’t crucify our flesh and its desires, it will continue to have sway over our hearts, minds, spirit, and most importantly our bodies. Our flesh is spiritually weak because of sin and as such, it’s susceptible to the temptations that sin offers. Offers that don’t, in terms of our relationship with God, bring us closer to God but only seek to gratify itself.

This is why Christ and later the Apostles call for us to crucify our flesh.

Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV) says, “19. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20. idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21. envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

For context, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Galatia. Galatia at the time was a Roman province and as such, was influenced by Roman cultural norms; that included its views on sexuality and relationships. In addition, in the previous chapters of Galatians, Paul has been speaking on topics related to how the true Gospel comes from Christ, how we as Christians are to defend the Gospel and that we’re justified by faith and not by works, alongside how, in Christ; there aren’t divisions for those in Christ. All the racial, social, and gender divisions that we as a society have aren’t there in Christ because of His mercy. All are created in the Imago Dei, in the Image of God.

In this passage of Scripture, we see the Apostle Paul speak on the liberty we as human beings now have because of Christ. Through Christ, we now have the freedom to approach the throne of God. It’s in Christ that we can now have a personal and intimate relationship with God. But that comes with sacrifice and surrender (see Luke 9:23-26).

One such sacrifice or rather blessing that comes from surrendering our lives to Christ and allowing God to direct our steps is the denial of our flesh and its desires.

Galatians 5:24-25 speak on this issue.

“Crucifying our flesh forces us to acknowledge our depravity and sin before a holy and just God. It forces us to surrender ourselves to God and His plans over our own.”

The flesh desires what it desires because of sin, but because we’ve been sanctified by God, we should be allowing God and His Spirit to refine and purify us daily. That includes crucifying and denying our sinful flesh.

As I mentioned earlier, even though we now proclaim ourselves to be followers of Christ and seeking to live according to His Word daily, our bodies and flesh are still susceptible to the temptations of the flesh. This is shown most explicitly regarding marriage and sexual immorality.

Marriage and Sexual Immorality

Genesis 2:21-24 (NKJV) says, “21. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

In this famous passage of Scripture in the Book of Genesis, God had not only put Adam to sleep, recognizing that Adam was lonely and that he needed a helper, but fashioned said helper from the rib of the man. In doing so, God was and still is teaching us as Christians and as humanity an important truth I feel we have forgotten:

God created man and woman in His image and both are valued by God, but each have their role in the marriage.

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One flesh. That is what a husband and wife become when they are married before God. When a husband and wife are married, three are in the relationship. Husband and Wife, but also God. He’s the one that sees the marriage and ordains it. But when we as humanity decided to take knowledge into our own hands, our definition of marriage and sexual intimacy became distorted.

No longer was marriage between one man and one woman. It was whatever anyone felt. This led to humanity indulging their flesh, even to this day, in practices that go against what God has ordained. This has led to sexual immorality running rampant throughout the millennia, but we see it spoken of clearly in the Old and New Testament. We see what happens when people don’t work according to God’s plan and do things on their own.

Abraham, known as the Father of many Nations, didn’t do according to God’s plan and timing and instead; took matters into his own hands. In doing so, Abraham created a situation that is still causing ramifications today.

Genesis 16:1-4 (NKJV) says, “1. Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. 3. Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. 4. So he went in to Hagar and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.”

For context, Abram and his wife Sarai had been promised by God that they would have a son of their own, however, as we see in this passage of Scripture; it had been 10 years since God had made His promise with Abram and Sarai. However, in the culture of the ancient Middle East, it was not uncommon for a barren wife to use a slave as a surrogate for her child. We also see in the previous chapter that God created His covenant with Abram that He would be the Father of many nations.

By circumventing and not trusting in God’s timing, Abram not only hurt his relationship with Sarai, but also Sarai’s relationship with Hagar.

“No longer was marriage between one man and one woman. It was whatever anyone felt. This lead to humanity indulging their flesh, even to this day, in practices that go against what God has ordained.”

It’s not just Abram and Sarai that had problems in their relationship because they didn’t abide by God’s timing. Throughout the Bible and human history, people have allowed their flesh to dictate their actions and it’s caused heartache and societal and cultural issues. Sexual immorality is still rampant in our culture and society today.

1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (NKJV) says, “15. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16. Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

For context, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Corinth. Corinth had a sexual immorality problem. Because they believed that they were free in Christ, they began to make excuses for indulging in their sin. However, we see in this passage of Scripture that that isn’t how we’re called to live by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit convicts us of that which is against God. Sexual immorality, drunkenness, bad decisions, etc… When we have a relationship with God, the Holy Spirit is within us, convicting our spirits. However, when we fail to crucify our flesh, we are turning our bodies, which are the temples of God’s Spirit as the Apostle Paul said, into places of adultery and dragging God into our mess.

Our Relationship with Christ

Our relationship with God is because of God’s love for us and Christ taking our punishment onto Himself. Christ fulfilled God’s punishment of humanity on the Cross and yet, we as humanity continue to refuse, reject, and many times ignore the mercy and grace of God in favor of living the way we feel like.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, our flesh, because it’s steeped in sin, is susceptible to sin’s temptations and this affects our relationship with God. This is why Christ calls for us to crucify our flesh and its passions. When we allow God to humble us and allow His Spirit to convict us, we won’t submit to the desires of the flesh.

The desires of the flesh contradict God and His Word and every time that we indulge in the flesh’s desires, we are saying that God and His Word don’t matter.

“Our flesh is weak as long as we continue to refuse and not only repent of our sin but allow God to humble us and for His Spirit to impart God’s wisdom through His Word.”

Pornography, just like adultery and lust, tarnishes the beauty of God’s design for marriage. It also tarnishes our understanding of God and His mercy. Sin has a habit of shaming us until all we can think about is our shame and that aren’t worthy of God’s love and forgiveness.

For context, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a province of the Roman Empire that worshipped at the altar of Dinah (Roman deity version of Greek goddess Artemis.) Paul in the previous chapter speaks on how, through Christ, we have been redeemed in Christ and that we’ve been forgiven for our sins. We see in this passage of Scripture that Paul notes how, despite the fact that we were once living and walking according to the world and its culture; God has made us alive because of Christ.

When we live according to the flesh, our flesh will act according to the flesh.

Christians, are we crucifying our flesh?

Why are we indulging our flesh even though we proclaim ourselves to live according to the Gospel?

But God, in His infinite wisdom, loved us enough despite being in our transgressions.

Ephesians 2:1-7 (NKJV) says, “1. And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2. in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3. among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5. even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6. and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7. that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 5:16-17 is a reminder for me that as a Christian who proclaims to live according to Christ, I have to walk in the Spirit and not according to the flesh. For me, crucifying my flesh not only means surrendering my life to Christ but it means that I can’t live the way I desire because it’ll lead me towards spiritual, eternal separation from God and I’ll ruin my life if I walk the way I desire without God.

This is why the Apostle James tells us to submit to God, then resist the devil. If we try and resist the devil first, we won’t win, but if we submit ourselves to God, His Word, and His correction, we can resist the devil and his temptations. James 4:1-5 speaks on how pride has caused much strife throughout humanity because of our desire for that which we don’t have. Additionally, we see James talk about how one who is friends with the world is an enemy of God.

Being friends with the world and thus, giving in to the desires of our flesh, alienates us from God. God is a jealous God, the One who is the only Lawgiver. God ordained marriage and sexual intimacy, but humanity in its sin distorted it.

We can’t love the world and love God. One will always have higher precedence.

“Our flesh is spiritually weak because of sin and as such, it’s susceptible to the temptations that sin offers. Offers that don’t, in terms of our relationship with God, bring us closer to God but only seek to gratify itself.”

 

God Bless,

Joshua Reid