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Galatians 5:24 – “They That Are Christ’s Have Crucified the Flesh” – Why So Many Will Miss Heaven
October 6, 2023
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In this video, I’d like to spend some time on Galatians 5:24, which says, “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh.” This verse comes right after Paul provides a long list of fleshly sins, like murder, adultery, drunkenness, and then concludes with this in verse 21: “they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” So, what is verse 24 saying when Paul then says, “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh?” Properly understanding this verse is crucial, because many people have misinterpreted it and, as a result, it is the reason why many will miss heaven. What is Galatians 5:24 telling us? Let’s look into it.
Here’s verse 24 and I’ll include verse 25 because they are connected:
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (some translations have: “with its passions and desires”). If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25 KJV)
We’re going to look at what this verse truly means. As I said, this verse comes right after one of the scariest passages in the Bible:
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21 KJV)
This verse is very clear. It’s a stern warning against the works of the flesh. Those who do these sins of the flesh and have these sins on their record shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.
So, looking back at verse 24, what is Paul then saying when he writes about the flesh being crucified? What does it mean to have crucified the flesh?
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25 KJV)
So many people will miss heaven because they misinterpret this verse and verses like it. This is about as serious as it gets. How do people misinterpret this verse?
The common error that many people make is thinking that Galatians 5:24 means this:
They that are Christ’s must crucify the flesh daily. They must put to death fleshly sins in their lives. If they don’t, they’re no longer Christ’s.
In other words, to remain a Christian, you must crucify your flesh daily, putting to death the works of the flesh in your life so that you live for Christ, or you will no longer be Christ’s. After all, they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh. You will no longer be saved, because those who continue to commit fleshly sins will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
That is the common error, and it is deadly. It will cause a person to miss heaven because of its subtly. It sounds right on the surface, but so do a lot of false teachings that lure people into false beliefs.
Why is this interpretation in error? Why is this not just a false belief, but a deadly error that will send people to hell?
It is in error because it changes the Gospel. It changes the true reason why someone is saved. It replaces having faith in Christ as the means of salvation and instead places the responsibility of salvation onto you. You must obey. You must put to death the flesh. If you do, you will be saved. If you don’t, you are no longer Christ’s and you will not be saved.
Thus, it is no longer the all-sufficiency of Christ that saves you. Your salvation then depends on Christ plus your obedience to put to death the deeds of the flesh. You have added to the Gospel a new requirement. Ultimately, this is saying your salvation is up to you and how you perform, how well you obey, proving how worthy you are of salvation. That’s not trusting in Christ. That’s not placing all your faith on Christ.
How Can You Be Saved When You Don’t Believe
That Christ Alone Has Saved You?
That Christ Alone Has Saved You?
That’s not believing the Gospel. That is a teaching from the very pit of hell. It is a complete denial of the Gospel, saying that what Christ did, His sacrifice for your sin, isn’t enough to save you. It’s saying we are NOT saved as a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. That’s a denial of the Gospel. And it is deadly. Many will end up in hell because of this false belief.
Is our obedience to Christ important? Absolutely!
Is our putting to death the deeds of the flesh important? Absolutely!
We are to live holy lives before God. We are to honor Him and revere Him.
But our obedience in putting to death the deeds of the flesh has NOTHING to do with our salvation. It has everything to do with our discipleship that comes AFTER salvation, but not salvation itself.
OK. So, in the remainder of this video, let’s do three things to put this to rest:
1. Let’s define the True Gospel and what it takes to be saved versus what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
2. Let’s define what Galatians 5:24 really means and how it fits into chapter 5
3. Let’s finish by defining HOW we are to walk in the Spirit instead of in the flesh.
Those three things. Let’s start with #1.
1. The True Gospel
To define the Gospel, we’ll use Ephesians 2:8-10 because of its clarity. There’s no ambiguity in this passage as to what it takes to be saved and what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV)
In this passage, we have a definition of both salvation and discipleship. They are not the same. We are first saved by faith in Christ alone and then, after salvation, we become a disciple of Christ, leaning to be like Christ as we live day-by-day and doing the good works God has prepared for us to do.
First Salvation:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
The verse starts by saying “by grace are ye saved.” The word, “grace,” means “unmerited favor.” Nothing we do earns or merits our salvation. So, right from the start, we see that this false teaching that you have to obey and make yourself worthy of salvation by putting to death the flesh is a complete lie. That’s not salvation by grace and this verse clearly says we are saved by God’s grace, His unmerited favor.
When it comes down to it, no one is worthy of salvation because God’s standard is His own perfection, which even the best of us cannot achieve. All of us fall short of being worthy of salvation. Therefore, if anyone is to be saved, it has to be by God’s grace, His unmerited favor.
Verse 8 goes on to say that we are saved through faith. This gift of salvation by God’s grace is given through faith in Christ – “for by grace are ye saved through faith.” Faith is the means by which we receive salvation. We are saved through faith, by believing in Christ, that He died on the cross to pay our entire debt of sin before God, all of our sins (past, present, and future) and then He rose from the dead. We’re not saved by anything we do, but by God’s grace through faith in Christ.
Jesus paid our debt of sin for us with His blood and His death, the very penalty God imposes on account of sin. Christ died for us to pay for our sins. And then He rose from the dead, showing us the new eternal life that He gives to those who believe on Him for salvation.
We are saved by God’s grace, His unmerited favor, through faith in Christ alone, nothing else. For this verse goes on to say that salvation is “not of yourselves.” Nothing you do earns your salvation.
Instead, it is the gift of God. A gift is not something you earn or work for. A gift is something you receive without payment. It is something that is given to you.
And then just to make sure we’re clear on that, Paul repeats that salvation is “not of works.” A work is something you have to do to get something in return, in this case, salvation. There is no good work you have to do to earn salvation or to keep it. Salvation is “not of works.”
Salvation is a gift from God, “lest any man should boast.” God gets all the glory. No one will be able to stand before God and be saved based on what they did or didn’t do.
By contrast, a false gospel says:
You must believe in Christ
AND
YOU must do this: (Fill in the blank)
Any time someone adds anything to believing in Christ as a requirement for salvation, what this is saying is that:
Christ’s sacrifice is insufficient to save you.
Instead, you must also prove your worthiness.
That is a false gospel from the pit of hell. And many people will miss heaven because of it.
The True Gospel says:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
Salvation = Christ + Nothing
When you believe that false teaching that says you must put to death your flesh or you will no longer be Christ’s, that is robbing Christ of His glory and putting that glory on you, so that you can then boast before God of how well you obeyed Him by putting to death the deeds of the flesh. That’s what the Pharisees were doing, boasting of their own righteousness, their own obedience before God. And Jesus condemned them.
Many will miss heaven because they believe the lie that our salvation is based on Christ plus our obedience. Ultimately, they are not fully trusting in the all-sufficiency of Christ to save them.
Instead, the true Gospel says that our salvation is based on God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. He gets all the glory. We get none of it, nor do we deserve any of that glory. Even if we obey, that’s just the grace of God enabling us to follow Him, not our greatness in being such wonderful, obedient servants of God. We are unworthy of salvation in every way, every one of us. We are only saved by the gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ alone.
That’s salvation. But then comes Discipleship in verse 10:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV)
This verse is NOT talking about salvation. It’s talking about discipleship that follows salvation. Notice that it is speaking of someone who is already “in Christ Jesus.” A person who is “in Christ Jesus” is a person who is already saved. So, this verse isn’t about salvation. It’s speaking of someone who is already saved.
This verse is saying that AFTER we are saved, AFTER we are already “in Christ Jesus,” God’s plan is then to lead us “unto good works which God hath before ordained.” God has “good works” prepared for us to do. We don’t even prepare the good works. We don’t have to think up good things to do for God. God has already planned good works for us to do, which means He deserves the glory for our good works, not us.
Our good works flow from being “in Christ.” That’s why being “in Christ” is mentioned in this verse before it talks about “good works.” As we grow in our relationship with Christ, it is through that relationship that God then reveals to us the good works He has prepared for us to do. It all flows from being “in Christ.”
Can you see that verse 10 is not talking about salvation? It’s talking about discipleship that comes AFTER salvation. After we’re saved, we are to become like Christ and, as we grow in our relationship with Christ, God will reveal to us the good works He has prepared for us to do. That’s what discipleship is about. It’s not the same as salvation. It follows salvation.
The deadly error comes in mixing salvation and discipleship verses together, thinking that they all are about salvation.
Example:
“Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24 KJV)
This verse has NOTHING to do with salvation, but I’ve seen so many people take this verse and say, “If you don’t deny yourself and take up your cross, you won’t be saved.” That interpretation directly contradicts what we just read in Ephesians 2:8-9. This is not a verse on salvation. Notice that it starts off by saying that Jesus was speaking to His disciples. This is a verse on discipleship, not salvation. As a good disciple, AFTER we are saved, yes, we need to learn to deny ourselves and follow Jesus. But that’s discipleship, not salvation, which is a gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. Salvation is through faith. Discipleship is about works, serving Christ and becoming like Him after we’re saved.
When you mix verses about salvation and discipleship together,
you end up with a false gospel of works.
you end up with a false gospel of works.
Don’t do this. Learn to distinguish verses about salvation from verses about discipleship. If any verse says you must do something more than believe in Jesus by faith, then it’s not about salvation.
Another example, going back to Ephesians 2: If you incorrectly mix together verses 8-9 which have to do with salvation with verse 10, which has to do with discipleship, thinking it all has to do with salvation, then you end up with a false gospel of works. If those verses are all talking about salvation, that’s a problem because they would then contradict each other, one saying our salvation is not of works, while verse 10 says that it does depend on works. No. Verses 8-9 are talking about salvation, which is a gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ alone, not of works, while verse 10 is talking about discipleship, doing good works after you are saved. We are saved unto good works.
Or, in the case of Galatians 5:24, if you don’t do the work of putting to death the flesh, then you can lose your salvation. That would directly contradict Ephesians 2:8-9, which clearly say that we are saved by faith alone, not by works.
No Work We Do Saves Us.
No Work We Do Keeps Us Saved.
No Work We Do Keeps Us Saved.
Don’t Mix Salvation and Discipleship Verses Together.
We Are Saved by God and We Are Kept Saved by God
We are saved as a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ alone. And it is God, not us, Who then keeps us saved:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5 KJV)
This verse says that our salvation cannot be corrupted, cannot be defiled by our sin (because all sin was paid for on the cross), will not fade away, because it is reserved for you in heaven, which means we can never lose it. Why?
Because we are kept saved by the power of God through faith unto salvation. It is God Who saves us. It is God Who keeps us saved so that salvation can never be lost.
But what if we stop believing? God has already taken care of that risk by giving us His Holy Spirit, Who now lives inside us from the moment we are saved. Even if we drift toward apostasy, God’s Holy Spirit is still right there inside us, revealing truth and correcting us, drawing us back to Christ, so that we don’t remain in a state of apostasy. There’s no such thing in Scripture as a saved believer who leaves the faith forever. It has never happened, and it will never happen, so that not even one Christian will be lost. Saved Christians may weaken and drift in their faith temporarily, but God is faithful and He will work through His Holy Spirit in us to pull us back so that none are lost. Salvation can never be lost because of the faithfulness and goodness of God. He is a good Father Who loves His children and will not let any of them perish.
This verse in 1 Peter says that our salvation is protected by the power of God. That means God Himself has taken the responsibility to keep us saved. If God has taken that responsibility onto Himself, will He not succeed? Will He let even one of His children, even the most wayward child, fall away into destruction? No. God knows how to pull us back and He knows how to do this without violating our free will.
God is perfect, and He will protect us perfectly so that no even one saved believer is lost. Why? Because our debt of sin has been paid in full by Christ on the cross. From the moment we place our faith in Jesus, all of our sins are forgiven, washed away forever, and we then forever stand in His righteousness and, as it says in Romans 8:1, there is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ. We are forever secure in our salvation. Nothing will ever change that.
Salvation is the one-time act of placing your faith in Christ to save you. The very moment you believe in Christ, your sins are washed away (all of them, past, present, and future sins), and God’s Holy Spirit comes to live inside you forever. Salvation is a one-time act.
On the other hand, discipleship that follows salvation is an ongoing daily process where we become transformed to be like Christ, so that we can do the good works the Father has prepared for us to do.
Salvation and discipleship go together, but they are not the same. Discipleship follows salvation. It is not part of salvation. We can’t take verses that apply to discipleship and apply them to salvation. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone, not by works or by anything we do.
But then, after we are saved, our discipleship IS based on works, doing the good works that the Father has prepared for us. We do those works in faith, relying on God for strength and leading. But our discipleship has NOTHING to do with our salvation, which is through faith in Christ alone.
That is salvation. That is discipleship. With that foundation, let’s now look at the true meaning of Galatians 5:24.
2. The True Meaning of Galatians 5:24
Here again are the verses:
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
(Sometimes translated as it’s passions and desires). If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25 KJV)
(Sometimes translated as it’s passions and desires). If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25 KJV)
First, notice that it starts off with, “they that are Christ’s.” Paul is talking about someone who is already saved, who has already been given the gift of salvation through faith in Christ alone. Paul is speaking about a saved Christian.
Second, notice the past tense of the words, “have crucified the flesh.” This phrase is written in the past tense, not the present tense. It’s not speaking of an ongoing activity but something that has already happened in the past. It doesn’t say, “they that are Christ’s crucify the flesh daily.” It says, “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh” (past tense). This is an event that has already happened in the past.
What has been crucified with Christ? The flesh! The flesh has already been crucified, which means it no longer has power over us. It’s power over us is dead.
This is exactly what Paul said in Romans 6:
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him (Christ), that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (Romans 6:6 KJV)
Our old man, the flesh, has already been crucified with Christ. This means the flesh no longer has power to control us or to condemn us. The flesh has been crucified with Christ. We have been set free. We have freedom in Christ.
Therefore, Paul says, “we should not serve sin.” This phrase, “should not serve sin,” in the Greek literally means, “no longer be slaves to sin.” Apart from Christ, we were slaves to sin. Through Christ, we have been set free from the bondage to sin so that we don’t have to obey it anymore.
As good disciples of Christ who are ALREADY saved, we should not allow ourselves to be brought back into bondage again to sin. We have been set free from that. We have been set free to where sin no longer has the power to control us. Instead, we have to power of the Holy Spirit inside us to help us walk before God in holiness.
The very moment we place our faith in Christ, our sins are washed away and our bondage to sin, the power it has to control us, is forever broken. At that moment, because our sin is washed away by the blood of Christ, we are declared holy in God’s sight. That’s our new position before God. He no longer sees us as sinful but holy. We stand in the very holiness of Christ. Holiness is our new position before God.
But holiness as a practice in our daily lives is not something that will happen instantaneously. It is the ongoing, life-long process of discipleship, becoming more and more like Christ. In each child of God, one-by-one, God breaks off old patterns of sinful thinking and behavior. He helps us become more like Christ, so that we become holy, not just in our position before Him, but also in our daily practice of how we live.
The point is this: Our flesh has already been defeated. It has already been crucified with Christ. In fact, Paul goes even further to say in Romans 8 that we are no longer in the flesh at all:
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” (Romans 8:9 KJV)
Our flesh has been crucified to where we are no longer even in the flesh. We now have something far more powerful inside us: the Holy Spirit of God, Who will strengthen us and lead us in the truth, Who will give us the power to say no to sin.
Paul confirms this very thing in Galatians 2:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)
We have been crucified with Christ. We still live in these fleshly bodies, but our flesh is dead in terms of its power to control us. We now live by faith in the Spirit. We are no longer in the flesh. Therefore, by choice, we should walk in the Spirit, not the flesh. That is what Paul is saying in Galatians 5:24-25.
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25 KJV)
This isn’t imposing a condition on salvation, that if you don’t put flesh to death in your daily lives then you are no longer Christ’s. That’s not what it’s saying at all. It’s saying that those who are Christ’s, those of us who are already saved, have already had their flesh crucified in the past, the very moment we believed in Christ, so that flesh cannot control us any longer. Therefore, since we now live in the Spirit and not the flesh, let us walk in the Spirit in our daily lives. Let us put into practice in our daily lives who we now are. We are now children of God. Sin can no longer keep us enslaved. We now have power to say no. Therefore, let us walk in the Spirit as children of God, because that is who we now are.
Or, as Paul put it in Romans 8:
“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.” (Romans 8:12 KJV)
We now have the power through the Holy Spirit in us to not live after the flesh anymore. Paul says we don’t owe the flesh anything. The implication is that, by contrast, we owe God everything, therefore we ought to live for Him and honor Him in the way we live our lives. God has set us free from the power of sin to control us or condemn us. Therefore, let us live for Him, to honor Him, and not be slaves to sin anymore. We have freedom in Christ.
Earlier in Galatians 5, Paul confirmed this freedom that we now have, calling it liberty:
“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13 KJV)
We now have liberty where sin can no longer control us or condemn us. This means that the flesh has absolutely no power to condemn us to hell, even if we give in to sin. Why? Because all sin has already been paid for on the cross (past, present and future sins). If sin can still send a saved believer to hell, then we don’t have liberty, do we? But Paul says we have liberty.
Paul even acknowledges that this liberty can be used “for an occasion to the flesh,” without being condemned. When a Christians sins, it does not negate the liberty and freedom that Christ has given us. We are not going to be sent to hell if we sin because sin has already been paid for in full on the cross. That’s not saying we should sin or that we are free to sin. No one is saying that. I’m saying that Christ has set us free to where we can no longer be condemned to hell on account of sin.
As a saved believer in Christ, even when you sin, that does not erase the liberty that Christ has given you. Even so, choose in your freedom to not give in to sin. Paul is saying: “Don’t use your liberty to go on sinning. Yes, you’ll still be saved, but that kind of lifestyle is what Christ recued you from. That’s the kind of sinful lifestyle that people who are going to hell are living. You’ve been set free from that through faith in Christ. You don’t need to continue in it. You are free! You have liberty and the power of the Holy Spirit in you to say no to sin! Therefore, honor God with your life by using your liberty to love and serve one another.”
If sin in our lives could still condemn us, then we do not have liberty. We would instead have an obligation and requirement to not sin, or we could be sent to hell. That’s not liberty. But Paul said we have liberty, not by anything we do ourselves, but by God’s gift of grace through faith in Christ.
Paul confirmed this liberty again to the Corinthian church, where he wrote:
“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17 KJV)
God’s Holy Spirit lives inside us now and we have liberty. We’re not under obligation to obey laws or commandments such that, if we don’t, we’ll still be sent to hell. No. We have liberty in Christ. But Paul cautions that we should not use this liberty to go on sinning. That does not honor God.
Going back to Galatians 5, then why did Paul list all these sins of the flesh in Galatians 5 and end it by saying,
“…they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:21 KJV)
Because that statement is true. Anyone with fleshly sins on their record on judgment day, the Day of the Great White Throne Judgment described in Revelation 20, will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the moment we placed our faith in Christ, all of our sins (past, present, and future) were washed away, we were saved, and we now have liberty.
Paul said the very same thing in 1 Corinthians 6, where he also listed sins of the flesh and said:
“Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:10 KJV)
But then he immediately wrote:
“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:11-12 KJV)
Notice that “washed,” “sanctified,” and “justified” are in the present tense: “Ye ARE washed, ye ARE sanctified, ye ARE justified.” We are continually in a state of being washed, justified and sanctified. We don’t lose that when we sin as believers. We remain washed, justified, and sanctified before God, not because of our good behavior but because of what Christ did for us.
We have liberty because we are washed, sanctified and justified in the present by Christ so that none of those sins listed will ever be found on our record. Even when we do them as Christians, they are immediately washed from our record because they’ve already been paid for on the cross, so that, on Judgment Day, when we stand before God, our record is clean. Literally, you are continually in a state of being washed, sanctified, and justified even when you sin, so that your record before God remains perfectly clean, without blemish. If that weren’t true, then sin could still send you to hell. But God’s Word says that we now have liberty in Christ.
Paul then confirms this by saying, “All things are lawful for me.” If all things are lawful, then there is nothing unlawful. In other words, sin, which is the breaking of God’s laws, can no longer condemn him to hell. That doesn’t mean he’s totally unrestrained to live in sin freely, for he goes on to say that “All things are lawful, but all things are not expedient (which means profitable)” and “I will not be brought under the power of any.”
In his freedom, Paul chooses to live for God. He won’t be sent to hell if he doesn’t, but it won’t be expedient or profitable for him if he chooses to live for sin. There are rewards that Christ will give to believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ for living faithfully in this life, plus there are blessings we receive in this life as a result of faithful living. Or, if we choose to not live faithfully, rewards and blessings can be lost. Also, God can chasten His saved children who live unfaithfully, even to the point of ending their physical lives early, but their salvation will not be lost. That is because salvation is a gift, not a reward, and can never be lost.
Therefore, Paul says his choice is that he “will not be brought under the power of any.” In his freedom, in His liberty, he chooses to not let sin “reign in his mortal body,” (as it says in Romans 6:12).
That’s the message of Galatians 5:24-25 –
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:24-25 KJV)
The meaning is this:
Our flesh has already been crucified with Christ. It no longer has power over us. We now have liberty. We now live in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Therefore, let us not walk in the flesh anymore, but instead let us walk in the Spirit.
That’s what this verse means. Paul is letting the Galatians know that they have assurance of salvation through faith in Christ alone, that their flesh is already dead in terms of its power over them, and therefore, he is encouraging them to walk in the Spirit, to not give in to the flesh anymore, to live their lives honoring God.
That’s the meaning of this verse. It’s not imposing a warning that you must put fleshly sins to death, or you will be sent to hell. Paul is saying the opposite. He’s saying that you have already been set free from the power of sin to send you to hell, so don’t obey sin and become its slave anymore. Instead, choose to walk in the Spirit and honor God with the way you live.
The question then becomes HOW?
How do we not walk in the flesh but instead, walk in the Spirit?
3. How to Walk in the Spirit
The key is to be transformed in the renewing of our minds. Paul tells us this in Romans 12:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2 KJV)
Our old man the flesh has been crucified with Christ. But our old mind remains. We still have old patterns of thinking, and our thinking is being influenced daily by this fallen world we live in. We are tempted with fleshly desires and the world as well as our fleshly bodies are encouraging us to give in to sin and enjoy it. The problem is not the flesh, for it has been crucified. The problem is our weak minds that have not yet been transformed, and so in our minds, we give in to sin too easily.
Paul says we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Do you want victory over sin? It doesn’t come by trying harder to obey God. That only leads to self-condemnation and guilt.
Godly living comes by being transformed in your mind, the way you think. And there’s only one way to do that:
Spend Time With God!
Simply that: Spend time with God in His Word, in praise, in prayer, in music, memorizing Scripture, in your thoughts, in a million ways through each day. The more you repeatedly focus your mind on God, the more you start to think like He does. Your old patterns of sinful thinking get replaced with godly thinking. Your mind becomes transformed to think like Christ. When that happens, obedience to God is a natural result. It’s no longer forced obedience. It becomes something you want to do because that’s how you now think. You now think like He does. And that comes just by spending time with Him. Make it a priority!
God loves you and will never reject you for wanting to turn to Him. There’s no greater picture of this than that of the prodigal son, who disobeyed his father, turned his back on him and later tried to return. Instead of his father being angry with his son, it says:
“And he (the prodigal son) arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20 KJV)
No matter what you’ve done or how many times you’ve blown it, that’s the response you’ll get from God whenever you turn to Him. God is a good Father, the best. He loves His children deeply. He will not reject you, even if you are that prodigal son or daughter. He loves you with an everlasting love and NOTHING is ever going to change that.
Just start spending time with Him in whatever way works for you. It will transform your thinking and that will transform your behavior. It will transform your very life. In a very natural way, not forced, you will become holy and obedient to God, without even trying hard, because that’s the way you now think after spending time with Him.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30:
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)
It’s not difficult to live a godly life. Jesus said His restrictions on us (His yoke) are easy and His burden, the burden that He places on us, is light. Stop striving to obey and simply spend time with Him. Let His Word sink into your soul and you will find that, the more you do, the more it becomes easy to live a godly life. Let the presence of God transform you naturally by just spending time with Him. It won’t happen overnight. Discipleship, becoming like Christ is a life-long process. But you will see results more and more, the more you spend time with Him.
Take some deliberate steps to get your mind on Him each day. There are a million ways to do this. Find what works for you. Maybe it’s getting back into a daily habit of reading God’s Word. Maybe it’s playing some praise music in the car instead of secular music. Think of Him along whatever way you’re going. Do whatever works for you to get your mind on Him.
The world is trying nonstop to pull you in the other direction. Take some deliberate steps to pull yourself closer to God. Just spend time with Him and let God’s Holy Spirit in you transform your mind, your thinking. Everything else will follow from there.
Paul said in Philippians 2:
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5 KJV)
Take some steps to transform your mind to be that of Christ’s, a mind that is centered on Him. That’s the key to walking in the Spirit.
But What if You Are Not Sure You Are Even Saved?
Then take the first step by believing in Christ.
CHOOSE TODAY to believe in Christ to save you, believing that He died on the cross to pay for all your sins and rose from the dead to give you eternal life, and that He will not only save you but will keep you saved forever.
Whatever you may have done, and no matter how badly you may have blown it in the past, don’t think for a second that God has given up on you.
The Lord’s Desire is to Save You!
He is For You, Not Against You.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)
It is not the Lord’s desire that even one person should perish. It is not too late. If you think that, that’s just the enemy talking, trying to get you to give up on God. Don’t give in to that negative thought. God is for you, not against you, and He desires you with an everlasting love. He longs to pour out blessings upon you. Let Him.
So, if you are not 100% sure of your salvation, my closing wish for you is this:
Make Sure You Are Saved Right Now! Don’t put it off.
Jesus said:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.” (John 6:47 KJV)
So, believe on Him and let Him set you free!
Salvation = God’s Grace Alone Through Faith Alone on Christ Alone
Believing the Gospel means placing your entire trust on Christ for your salvation, believing that Christ:
- Died for your sins
- Was buried
- Rose from the dead
As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
Nothing more. Nothing less. There are no other requirements to be saved than to believe on Jesus. Once you place your faith in Christ for your salvation, you are born again, and you are forever a child of God. Our Father is a good Father Who will never abandon you but will preserve you in the faith and never let you go.
If you are not certain about your salvation, time is getting very late. Don’t take the chance of missing out on God.
Making Sure You Are Saved Is As Easy As ABC
Admit to God that you have sinned.
Believe that Jesus, God’s Son, died to pay for
your sins 100%, was buried and rose from the dead.
Call upon Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and save you.
If you make that decision to call upon Him, God gives you this assurance:
“For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13 KJV)
Thank you for watching.
