Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:24-25 NLT
To live by the Spirit requires two very intentional choices. First, it demands a decisive finish. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” The metaphor of crucifixion is so significant. Crucifixion is not a temporary timeout or a breakable boundary. Crucifixion is a violent permanent death, a forever finish. Everyone who went to their crucifixion carried their cross and knew it was a one-way walk. No coming back. Crucifying the flesh is not something that can be done lightly. It is a fully aware, conscious decision to renounce my selfish sinful ways, not for a day or a season, but forever.
What does renounce mean? “To formally or publicly give up, refuse, or abandon a claim, right, belief, possession, or association. It implies a voluntary, often official, disconnection …
Synonyms include abandon, reject, forsake, repudiate, resign, and disown” (Oxford Languages). It’s a choice in the mindset of the old hymn, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.” I live by the Spirit by first intentionally and decisively declaring death to my fleshly, self-ordered ways. This is not gradual and casual self-improvement. It is a definitive choice I make to crucify my sinful nature.
Keep in mind that our identity comes first. “Those who belong to Christ have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” We don’t crucify the flesh TO belong. We do it because we belong. We have a new identity. We belong to Christ. Only He belongs on the throne of our lives. Because we belong to Him, we behave differently. We no longer identify with our flesh, and WE by our own choices crucify our old nature.
Second, it demands a daily walk in a new direction. When I belong to Christ, I am living in the Spirit. My old flesh is crucified and I breathe new air. Living by the Spirit means He is our Source. He is like the air we breathe. Our strength, wisdom, hope, direction, everything all comes from the Spirit. God gives us His Spirit as an internal, relational gift, and we respond by daily making active choices to walk in partnership with the Spirit. We keep our hearts and minds attentive, responsive, and obedient. Maintaining alignment with Him is walking in the Spirit.
- Do we get this new direction perfectly? No, but it is our identity, and the plan is direction, not perfection. “Keeping in step” requires movement and adjustment. It’s a partnership. You don’t walk perfectly in step every moment, but you correct, realign, and continue. God’s flawless plan is not perfect performance but consistent intentional responsiveness.