Defeating the Enemies of our Soul: The Flesh

Name of Assembly: United Apostolic Church
Type of service: Bible Study
Date: June 22nd & 29th, 2021
Series Topic: Defeating the Enemies of our Soul
Lesson 1: The Flesh
Scripture Text: Romans 7:18-25; 8:1-13; 1 Peter 2:11

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” – Romans 7:18-25.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 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. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live”– Romans 8:1-13.

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” – 1 Peter 2:11.

INTRODUCTION

When we begin our walk with God, we soon realize that something or someone is not happy about our born-again experience (John 3:1-8). Our newfound experience in Christ becomes the object of attack. Often, there is an insinuation that we never really received the Holy Ghost. Other thoughts, feelings, doubts, and fears began to confront our joy of being saved.

Having enemies who want to destroy us in hell is the age-old experience of the redeemed. Singly and collectively, forces attack our mind, body, soul, and spirit in a concerted effort to separate us from the love of God. Satan’s devices and darts are legion, and he uses them to defeat and ultimately destroy every person he can.

Our purpose is not to give honor to our enemies but to expose them as that—enemies. The lessons in this series lessons will cover the three basic enemies of our soul. When we analyze our problems, trials, and temptations, we will find that they stem from one or more of these three root causes.

DEFINITION

In the context of this lesson, the word flesh does not refer to the physical flesh of the human body. Rather, flesh comes from the Greek word sarx, which in the New Testament usually indicates human nature with its frailties and passions. It encompasses carnality and being carnally minded.

ORIGIN

When humans fell in the Garden of Eden, the law of sin, or the sin principle, became a part of humanity. “18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” – Romans 7:18-25.

This corrupt, defiled sinful nature is transmitted from parent to child through procreation. Humanity’s bloodline not only carries and transmits physical death but also spiritual death. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” - Genesis 2:16-17.

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons” – Genesis 3:1-7.

“12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” – Romans 5:12-19.

We inherit from our father Adam our carnal nature and nothing in this world can remove this from us as long as we live. The Adamic nature is a permanent part of every nationality and passes from generation to generation. God does not take away this nature when we get saved. Our soul is redeemed and saved, but our body is not yet redeemed, and we still struggle with the sinful human nature.

We will receive a redeemed body when Jesus catches away His church. God’s Word calls this event the redemption of the body. “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” - Romans 8:23-24. Then and only then will we be free from the flesh, or sinful nature, as we know it.

WORKS OF THE FLESH

No person can be better outwardly than he is inwardly. He may be able to hide his evil desires for a season, but eventually they will become manifest or evident. 

The works of the flesh are described in Galatians 5:19-21, “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.” The list of fleshly works is comprehensive, but it is not complete. This is observable from the phrase “and such like” (verse 21).

The list of fleshly works can be place in the following categories: deeds of impurity, sins of idolatry, sins of hostility, and sins of intemperance.

DEEDS OF IMPURITY

The sins of impurity include adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and lewdness. These are works of the flesh. There is no room for compromise. Immorality should have no place in our lives as Christians.

1. Adultery speaks of illicit sex relations on the part of those who are married. Leviticus 18:20 spells it our plainly: “Thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor’s wife, to defile thyself with her.” Hebrews 13:4 declares that God will judge “whoremongers and adulterers.” The Greek word for “whoremongers” is pornos which means:

• • A man who prostitutes his body to another's lust for hire.
  • A man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a fornicator

This Greek word is used in the following scriptures:1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 12:16; Hebrews 13:4; Revelation 22:15.

“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11But now I have written unto you not to keep company* (to mix up together, to keep company with, be intimate with one) if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat” – 1 Corinthians 5:9-11.

*“And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish (to admonish, warn, exhort) him as a brother” – 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15.

Adultery is both the physical adultery described in Leviticus 18:20, and the mental act which involves fantasizing, or saturating the mind with illicit thoughts. St. Matthew 5:27-28, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

There is a lifestyle which can be called communal adultery. This is when a husband and wife allow freedom to their spouse to have sexual relations with another person. When God established the home, he designed that one man should live with one woman, and the two should become one flesh. The sin of adultery is not a trivial matter.

2. Fornication speaks of sexual relations among the unmarried. An issue of U. S. News & World Report indicates that ten percent of all girls in the United States have had sexual intercourse by the age of 13.

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reports that an estimated 55% of male and female teens have had sexual intercourse by age 18. The report, “Sexual Activity and Contraceptive Use Among Teenagers in the United States: 2011-2015,” features the most recent data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), conducted by NCHS, and compares the new data to past NSFG data. The data represent all teens in the U.S. and were derived from interviews with 4,134 male and female teens 15-19 years of age over the period 2011 through 2015. The report documented the following findings: Among teen females aged 15-19, 42% have had sex, and among teen males, the percent was 44%.

3. Uncleanness describes those who may not necessarily commit outward acts of immorality, but whose thoughts and desires are unclean. Uncleanness is stimulated by reading pornographic literature, dwelling on obscene pictures, and telling smutty suggestive stories. It is aggravated further by the present-day emphasis on wearing less and less and exposing more and more.

4. Lasciviousness speaks of an uncontrolled lust. It also means “excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.” Lascivious behavior may include the way we dress (when our goal is to appear sexy or sensual). Lasciviousness also encompasses viewing sexually explicit media. This would include salacious magazines, movies, and television, as well as outright pornography.

Lascivious behavior is prevalent in the work environment where both men and women work in close proximity. Though sexual harassment laws have helped curtail unwanted advances from fellow-workers, flirting, suggestive touching, and inappropriate language are commonplace. However, we must stand for our godly convictions at all costs.

Without question, today’s postmodern society encourages men and women to be “sexy,” but we must understand that Christians are to be virtuous. In his letter to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul said, “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18–20, NLT). As followers of Jesus, our focus is to be holy in spirit and in body.

These are sins of impurity. Satan is a vicious liar. He has been trying over the years to stir wrong sexual desires by implying that secret adulterous love is more exciting than true married love. The moral depravity that is sweeping the world is at an all-time high. We must all be aware that sexual misconduct deeply grieves the Holy Spirit.

SINS OF IDOLATRY

The “works of the flesh” include a second category which we have labeled sins of idolatry. These include one evil called “idolatry” and another called “witchcraft” [sorcery].

1. Idolatry is the act of giving something other than the true and living God, the principal place in our affections. Most people in our society do not worship gods of wood and stone, but it is easy for us to set our affections on gods of chrome and steel and glass. Some worship the gods of pleasure and fashion and other material things.

Many people are planning like the man in the parable that Jesus told in Luke 12:16- 21. The man was prospering financially more and more each year. His barns were full. He was a good man; he was an outstanding farmer; but he was preoccupied with material things. While he was still in the midst of his plans for the future, the Lord Jesus said the following, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20).

2. Witchcraft is translated from the Greek word pharmakeia, which refers to “the use of drugs.” Today, the word “witchcraft” (or “scorcery”) refers to those who claim to have superhuman powers, abilities to cause spells, to use magic, and to attain secret knowledge gleaned from evil spirits. These practices were widespread in the pagan cultures, but Israel was prohibited from allowing sorcerers, spiritists, mediums, necromancers, and the like in their midst.

Many colleges are now offering courses on witchcraft. Superstition is closely related to witchcraft. Some carry a rabbit’s foot, hang a horseshoe above the barn door, cross their fingers when deciding, or spit when a black cat crosses their path. Believers who are trusting in luck instead of consulting God in prayer, are guilty of giving into the dictates of the flesh.

SINS OF HOSTILITY

There is a third category of the “works of the flesh,” which we have labeled “sins of hostility.” Many of the sins of hostility are closely related, and so there will be only a brief description of each.

1. Hatred is a strong dislike (a feeling of ill-will) toward another person. The apostle John declares, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15). For some, hatred is a way of life. Such persons are essentially murderers even though they may never have committed the overt act of murder. We must always be careful to use the word “hatred” only for hating a wrong cause (like intolerance and injustice), not for
hating individual persons.

2. Variance speaks of disputes and quarrels that cause discord among brethren. There are many church members who are simply not easy to get along with. Many are very touchy and easily offended. Some brethren are stubborn and contrary. May the Lord deliver all of us from these carnal and wicked characteristics!

3. Emulations is a term that speaks of those who desire to surpass others. The Greek word, zelos, can de note both good and bad qualities. It is used sometimes to mean zeal and enthusiasm in pursuing a noble task, but here it speaks primarily of a begrudging resentment which envies the blessings of others.

4. Wrath speaks of violent forms of anger. It is storms of uncontrolled temper. It pictures the person who loses control when the car will not start, or meals aren’t ready on time. The husband who steps out of the room and slams the door behind him because something does not suit him—is displaying such fits of temper. Such conduct indicates that he is still under the grip of the lower nature.

5. Strife is translated from a Greek word which means “office seeking” or “canvassing for an office.” It can describe those who would like to be elevated to a place of responsibility in the church, not for the service they can render but for the “prestige” it might bring. The woman described as “the mother of Zebedee’s children” (Matthew 20:20), manifested this spirit when she requested that her sons would be granted a position on either side of the Lord in His kingdom. Some willeven manipulate events for their own personal gain. This behavior is also prevalent in the workplace, where employees actively seek promotions over their colleagues, and in the process, malign their characters.

6. Seditions speak of divisions. The Greek word refers to any kind of commotion within the church that causes what is commonly known as “church splits.” There are times when separation from a Church group because of false doctrines is necessary, but in most cases, the primary duty of every Christian is to witness faithfully right where he is. The most deplorable splits are those resulting from personality conflicts within the church. When there are seditions, the unity and fellowship of the local body of Christ is fractured, and the testimony of the congregation in the community is marred. This divisive tendency is the result of choosing to walk in the way of envy and bickering, rather than in the royal road of love and forgiveness.

7. Heresies are ideas (schools of thought) that are contrary to the accepted fundamental historic doctrines of the Christian faith. It seems like some theologians are always trying to dream up something new. All Christians, when listening to teaching and preaching, need to take a lesson from the Bereans. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11).

8. Envyings speaks of a resentful desire for another’s possessions or advantages. It is closely related to the word emulations named earlier in the text (verse 20). One major difference between the two words is that envy is always bad, whereas emulations are not. The word translated “envyings” is a totally evil concept and has no possibilities for good. The earlier word (emulations) may resent the good fortune of others, but the (envy) being considered here is so resentful that it may plot to destroy the other person. This plotting can even be done in a subtle manner that takes the form a sabotaging a person with the desire of seeing them fail.

9. Murders is a reminder that snuffing out a human life involves more than sticking a knife into another person. It is possible to speak words that are intended to slay. Many a husband has brought his wife to an early death by his lack of love, his mean unappreciative spirit toward her, and his unfaithfulness to her.

SINS OF INTEMPERANCE

The final category in the list of the “works of the flesh” is what we call “sins of intemperance”. The two terms in this category have obvious meanings.

1. Drunkenness is a condition caused by drinking alcoholic beverages. The reference is to being intoxicated with strong drink. In the United States of America there are more than ten million confirmed alcoholics. Nearly four out of five high school seniors have drunk alcohol within any given month. Drunkenness is not a disease; it is, instead, a devastating sin. The drunkard is listed in Scripture along with thieves, extortioners, and sodomites, as those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Drunkenness has killed more persons than all the wars of history put together. During the Vietnam War, 50,000 American soldiers were killed. During that same period, five times that number (250,000 people) were killed here in the United States of America by automobile accidents caused by drunken drivers. Drinking alcohol has drained more blood, broken more homes, and brought more misery than any other plague that has impacted humanity. Drunkenness is a shameful and degrading work of the flesh, and obviously has no place in the life of a Christian.

2. Revellings is a term associated with carousing (the activity of drinking alcohol and enjoying oneself with others in a noisy, lively way) and debauchery (extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures especially sexual pleasures, behavior involving sex, drugs, alcohol, etc.). The Greek word also indicates “wild parties.” Revellings refers to disorderly merrymaking, including celebrations that are typical at wild parties. The term speaks of engaging in loose, loud, frivolous, and boisterous behavior. Revellings are common (in the world about us) when celebrating carnivals, weddings, anniversaries, and some holidays. The Bible admonishes us that our conduct as believers, by way of contrast, should portray “a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” - 1 Peter 3:4 (ESV).

“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 5:21.

The tense of the verb translated “do” means to habitually continue in the fleshly sins, rather than an isolated falling into the evil. Those who keep practicing such sins are not being led by God’s Spirit and are warned that they shall not inherit God’s
kingdom.

There is a difference between falling into sin (through carelessness) and living in sin (as a settled choice of life). True Christians hate sinning against Jesus and if they do yield to temptation, they are in misery until they have confessed the sin and
cried to God for mercy. 

The way to gain increasing victory over the works of the flesh is found in verses 16 and 18 of Galatians 5, where we are admonished to “walk in the Spirit,” and to be “led of the Spirit.” To be “led” of the Spirit means more than to be guided by Him; it means to be controlled by Him.

SCRIPTURAL FACTS CONCERNING THE FLESH

Here are a few scriptural facts concerning the flesh:

1. The flesh is weak, but the spirit is willing (Matthew 26:41).
2. The will of the flesh is different from the will of God (John 1:13).
3. The flesh is not to be trusted (Philippians 3:3-4).
4. If we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption (Galatians 6:8).
5. We are not to lean on the flesh (Jeremiah 17:5).

God’s Word covers the complete spectrum of the flesh, exposing it to the spiritual eye to
help us stay saved. Armed with this knowledge, we can prepare ourselves accordingly.

OUR BODIES – THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST

After we have been born again, inside the earthly temple of our body abides both the carnal Adamic nature and the Holy Ghost. Both Christ and Satan want to be Lord of our lives; hence there is a conflict between Spirit and flesh. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17).

Several synonymous terms describe our condition and position as Christians in this world. As we study the following seven contrasts, we will better understand the conflict going on continually in our lives.

1. Two Births—Every saint has experienced two distinct births in his or her life, one natural and one spiritual. With two such experiences, how can we expect anything less than a struggle?

a) What is born of the flesh is flesh (John 3:6).
b) What is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6). Receiving the Holy Ghost is the birth of the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4, 38; I Corinthians 12:13).

2. Two Natures—Every Christian possesses two natures, one fleshly and one spiritual.

a) By natural birth, we have a carnal, earthly nature (Romans 1:26; I Corinthians 11:14; Ephesians 2:3).
b) Because we have been born again, we are made partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4). Both natures want to rule, so a fight ensues.

3. Two Walks—In this instance, to walk means to order one’s behavior or con-duct. Two roads rise to meet us; Jesus said one was narrow and the other broad (St. Matthew 7:13- 14). Before we choose one, should look at its destiny, because both roads lead somewhere.

a) We can walk in the flesh (Romans 8:4-8; Galatians 5:16-17), the result of which is death.
b) We can walk in the Spirit, which has better benefits than walking in the flesh, namely eternal life (Romans 8:4-6; Galatians 5:16).

4. Two Laws—In this context, law is a principle rather than a decree or com-mand.

a) The law of sin and death refers to the original sin principle that humans received at the fall of Adam (Romans 7:18-25; 8:2).
b) The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus delivers us from the law of sin and death (8:1-4).

5. Two Fathers—In Adam we all die, but in Christ we are all made alive. Adam and Christ serve as the head of two distinct generations; the Christian has both as a father. From each we inherit a nature, mind, and will, along with other attributes.

a) Adam is our father according to the flesh, when we go to the fountainhead of humanity (Romans 5:12-19; I Corinthians 15:22).
b) Christ is our heavenly Father. By and through Him and His Word, we are begotten
again to a living hope (Romans 5:12-19; I Corinthians 15:22; I Peter 1:23).

6. Two Minds—Now that we are saved, we have both the mind of the flesh and the mind of the Spirit within us. The intellect, wisdom, and knowledge of both seek to direct our paths. (Romans 8:5; Ephesians 2:3; Philippians 2:5; 3:19; Colossians 2:18; I Peter 1:13.)

a) The carnal mind is the enemy of God. It seeks to dominate our thought life and give us directions (Romans 8:6-7; I Corinthians 3:1-4).
b) Spiritual-mindedness brings life and peace when we walk after the bidding of the Spirit and Word (Romans 8:6-7; I Corinthians 3:1-4).

7. Two Men—Two different bodies do not exist in us, but in one body dwell two different “men,” or natures.

a) The “old man” is the carnal, sinful, and fleshly man that is born with these tendencies (Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22-24).
b) The other man is the “new man,” or the inward man, which needs renewing (Romans 6:6; II Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 4:22-24). The Scripture tells us to put on this new man with its accompanying spiritual virtues and to put off the old man with its sins (Colossians 2:11; 3:8-14).

We can readily see our paradoxical position: we are in the world but not of the world; we belong to Christ, but Satan wants us back. Daily we must die to the flesh and walk after the Spirit if we want to be saved.

THE SCRIPTURAL METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE FLESH

The Bible is clear on how we are to handle this enemy of the soul. Though unpleasant, the method is surprisingly successful - we are to crucify the flesh so that we can live.

Crucifixion—was a cruel means of death, frowned on by both God and humans. It is one of history’s most humiliating ways to die. God’s Word declares that those who are crucified are cursed of God (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Christ was made a curse for us through His crucifixion (Galatians 3:13). Now we have the responsibility of crucifying the flesh in a spiritual sense as a means of self-control.

a. Our old man is crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6).
b. Paul was crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20).
c. Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh (Galatians 5:22-25).
d. We are to be crucified to the world and the world to us (Galatians 6:14).
e. Discipleship has three prerequisites (Luke 9:23-25; 14:26-27).

i. We are to deny ourselves.
ii. We are to take up our cross daily.
iii. We are to follow Jesus.

Prayer, fasting, Bible study, church attendance, altar work, communion, washing the saints’ feet, loving our enemies, giving our time and money, and witnessing are a few of the ways that we can crucify the flesh. Every lawful, allowable human desire, no matter how scriptural, must at some time and place be controlled. In this way, we crucify the flesh.