BORN CRUCIFIED?

"For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." 

(Romans 8:13, NASB).

In today's text, we are shown a choice between living according to our flesh, or according to the Spirit. If it's after the flesh, then the sentence of death, but if after the Spirit, then we have abundance of life. The fact our flesh is under the curse of sin, it is subject to death, so to live according to the flesh brings death. Now on the other hand, the Spirit is life. Paul writes: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." (Rom. 8:2, NASB). Sin brings bondage and death, whereas the Spirit brings freedom and life.

The title for today's devotion was taken from the title of L. E. Maxwell's book, "Born Crucified." We are all born in the flesh, but not in the Spirit; we were dead spiritually to God.We were very much alive physically, but dead in our relationship with the Lord. In a sense, when we were born the first time, we were dead to God spiritually, but when we were "born again" (John 3:3, 7), sometimes referred to as the second birth, we became alive spiritually to God. It is then, we began to learn the art of "daily dying" to ourselves (see 1 Cor. 15:31), Paul's letter to the Galatians outlines the threefold truth about the term "crucified" as follows:

1. We have been "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). That is, we have died in the death of Christ. "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3, NASB). This is the death we are identified with, the death of Christ.

2. We have "crucified the flesh" (Gal. 5:24). Meaning, we have put to death the "passions and desires" of our flesh that had for so long enslaved us. So what are we to put to death? "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Col. 3:5; see also Gal. 5:19-21, ESV).

3. Finally, we are "crucified to the world" (Gal. 6:14). In other words, we are no longer a slave to the fashions, pleasures, social status, power, and philosophies of this present evil world. We have been set free and sanctified in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Christian's threefold enemy that rages against him daily is the flesh, the world, and Satan. However, when the believer learns to daily die to himself, he becomes free in the death of Christ, becoming dead to the appetites, passions, and temptations of his flesh with, the world around him, and the enemy Satan who rages against him. Now that the flesh, the world, and Satan no longer have power over the saint, seeing he is dead in his response to these enemies, he is alive only to respond to his new Master, Christ. Wherein we were once dead in our trespasses and sins to Christ, now we are dead to those trespasses and sins that once separated us from Christ.

So in summary, we are identified in the death of Christ. Due to this truth that we are identified in Christ's death, we are dead to the passions and desires of our flesh, and dead also to the system and course of this present world. Let us consider once again Paul's words in today's text: "For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13, NASB). We are all destined to die in the flesh, for that is a part of the curse our first parents brought into the world (see Gen. 3:1-24; Rom. 5:12), but the second Adam, brought light in life through His death, burial, and resurrection. So in light of this, let us continue living in the Spirit, so the deeds of the body will be put to death. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (Rom. 13:14, ESV).