CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
If you believe in Jesus and are born again you belong to Him. The deciding factor is whether one has been related to Christ in life, not how spiritual one is or what work he does for the Lord nor whether he has been freed from sin, has overcome the passions and desires of his flesh, and is now wholly sanctified. When one has believed in the Lord Jesus as his Savior no matter what his current state may be–in victory or defeat–he has crucified the flesh.
“The issue before us is not a moral one, nor is it a matter of spiritual life, knowledge, or work. It simply is whether he is the Lord’s. If so, then he already has crucified the flesh on the cross. The meaning clearly is not that of going to crucify or of in the process of crucifying, but has crucified.” (Nee)
If you belong to Christ your flesh was crucified with Him on the cross. You say you still sin, but God says you have been crucified on the cross. You say your temper persists, but God’s answer is that you have been crucified. You say your lusts remain strong, but again God replies that your flesh has been crucified on the cross. Don’t look at your experience, but listen to what God says to you. If you don’t listen to His Word and only focus on your situation, you will never enter into the reality of your flesh having been crucified on the cross. Simply respond to God’s Word and you shall experience the life God ordained for you.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)
Pastor Alex Bess
