Reference: Galatians 2:20
The dictionary's definition for the wordcrucified or crucify means to be fastened to a cross and put to death. Theapostle Paul uses this word saying that he was crucified with the Lord Jesus.This of course means that the apostle Paul is saying that he also has been putto death. Paul is of course referring to a spiritual death and not a physicaldeath. We know as according to the Bible that Jesus Christ was hanged on thecross and put to death.
The cross was used because this manner ofdying was a very tortuous way to die. Jesus hung on the cross until his lifehad left his body. I am quite sure that you have some sort of idea what itwould be like to hang on a cross until your life drained out of you. This wouldbe a very horrible way to die. Our text above found in the second chapter ofthe book of Galatians tells us that the apostle Paul was crucified with Christ,but nevertheless he lived. He meant by this statement that he did not die aphysical death like Christ did on the cross, but rather he meant that he died aspiritual death on a spiritual cross.
To die a spiritual death is in realitysuffering in the same manner as you would in a physical death. The onlydifference between dying a physical death and dying a spiritual death is thatthe body does not die and cease to function like it would if you died from somekind of serious illness. To be crucified and put to death with Christ like Paultells us means that we die out to the lusts and desires of the flesh. The deathof our fleshly lusts and desires is a process that we go through and thisprocess is a way of suffering in the same manner as it would be to suffer aphysical death. A physical death consists of our body ceasing to function. Whenthe body dies this simply means that we no longer continue to live in thefleshly body. The body dies and goes back to the dust from whence it was made.
The death of the body is not the end oflife as some may think. The body is only the house where the inward man livesin. The spirit will leave the body at death and go back to the one that createdit as so stated in Ecclesiastes 12:7. There are many people who may understand about thephysical death, but very few understand the mystery of the spiritual death.This spiritual death is the process that Jesus calls being born again. Jesusplainly tells us in his word that unless a man is born again he cannot see norenter into the kingdom of God.
To become a born again child of God is theposition that Paul refers to when he said that he was crucified with Christ.For a man to be crucified with Christ as Paul confesses to be, then he mustundergo the process of putting his fleshly body to death so that he can beraised again and walk in a newness of life. We can't possibly walk in a newlife unless we are willing to die a spiritual death. The putting to death ofour fleshly body is done by mortifying the deeds of our flesh. The deeds of theflesh is called the works of the flesh.
Paul tells us what the works of the fleshis in Galatians 5:19-21. These works are the automatic manifestations of everyperson that has been born from the womb of their earthly mother. We are allborn into this world as sinners. This is why God's word says that we all havesinned and come short of the glory of God. We have all sinned simply because wewere born this way from our natural birth. As long as we are in our natural wayof life we will forever walk after and obey the things of the flesh, which arethe works of the flesh as Paul mentions in Galatians5:19-21. In order forus to be born again and become a new creation in Christ then we must undergothis process through and by the agents of the water and the Spirit as Jesustold Nicodemus.
Nicodemus looked at the natural way ofbirth and wondered how he could go back to his mother's womb and be born allover again, but Jesus was referring to being born again of the water and theSpirit. We can only be born again and made into a new creation through and bythe mighty power of the Holy Spirit. Very few people in the world today trulyunderstands the workings and the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our hearts andlives. Most people think that the power of the Holy Spirit is given to them sothat they can manifest the great miracles that Jesus manifested. When thepeople get this idea they are easy prey to the wiles and tactics of the devil.
Satan can deceive most people simplybecause he's aware of the lust and greed that man's heart is filled with. God'sword plainly reveals that he gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit so that hewill lead and guide us into all truth that will absolutely set us freeand transform us into the new creations of Christ. Man's heart is so full ofpride that Satan can easily mislead him and cause him to exalt himself. Prideis the sin that caused Satan's downfall. He was lifted up with pride saying hewould exalt his throne above the stars of God, but God said he would be broughtdown to hell and this he certainly did.
Satan has forever been God's foe fightingagainst him. Satan cannot fight God face to face, but he certainly can by usingGod's creation of man. God made man giving him a mental capability to do andthink as he wills. God forces nobody to serve him. Man is given a choice inwhom he is to serve. God's word plainly tells us what will happen if we chooseto do evil and reject the ways of life as according to what his word says andreveals. The plain truth of God's word will reveal that he gives the gift ofhis Spirit to them so that they can be transformed into the image of JesusChrist, but since this process requires obedience this very thing will causemost people to reject it.
Jesus said that strait and narrow is theway to life eternal, but broad is the way that lead to destruction and manywill be found on this way. This is simply because that the way that leads todestruction is a way that requires no suffering to the flesh. The truth ofGod's word reveals that we absolutely must mortify our fleshly lusts anddesires, but today there are thousands of preachers turning the grace of Godinto lasciviousness and denying even the Lord Jesus.
To turn God's grace into lasciviousnessmeans to deny the true walk of faith and be led by the ungodly lusts of fleshthinking that the Holy Spirit leads in this manner. The apostle Jude speaks ofthose who walk after their own fleshly lusts and so does the apostle Peter inhis second epistle. If you are a person that is following your own selfishdesires then you are in the flesh and obeying the things of the flesh thinkingyou are being led of the Spirit.
To be crucified with Christ means that youmust kill out your fleshly desires that works through your emotions. Sinoperates and is revealed through your fleshly emotions. This is why Paul saysthere is no good thing in the flesh. Paul tells us that if any man be in Christthen they have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Your fleshlylusts can only be put to death by your walking in the truth and obeying it.Your flesh will utterly hate truth....