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Crucified/Mortified/Buried – The Gospel of Regeneration
Initial Salvation
A Christian is “crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20). Personal crucifixion is, as you can see, a past tense experience. It was enabled by the gospel promise, thus the sinner is “baptized into His [Christ’s] death”, being “buried with Him by baptism into death” (Rom. 6:3-4). And again it is written, “ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). At this initial beginning, “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:24) by the blessed promise, “[Christ] died unto sin once: but the life that He liveth, He liveth unto God” (Rom. 6:10); even so, from that single death comes freedom to all that die in Him – “he that is dead is freed from sin” (Rom. 6:7). |
As for a Christian who has been “crucified” to carnality and the flesh, is it theretofore impossible for him to walk in carnality again, as a natural man would (1 Cor. 3:3), so as to commit “the works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19)? It is not impossible. The man can backslide from faith. Thus, when a man is faltering from faith in the gospel promise, the NT pastors briskly command – “The Gospel By Command.”
Present Progressive Salvation
Present Progressive Salvation
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“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.” –Rom. 8:13
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” –Col. 3:5 |
It is understood in the holy scriptures that, “there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1). Look closely at what the passage details! There IS condemnation for those that walk after the flesh! The gospel promise is that we are dead, and by faith we must daily appropriate the power of freedom in the purchase of the gospel. Then, “as [we] have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord” into initial and instantaneous freedom, we will “walk” “in Him” Who is freedom (Col. 2:6, John 8:31-32). This is the walk of a present progressive believer in the gospel of grace. Such a one is therefore obeying the gospel by command. How do you crucify or mortify that which is already dead? It is done by faith in the promise that you are already dead, past tense; then your old man who exists in your body of death will be mortified presently and progressively. Now will you understand that you will go to hell if you walk in the works of the flesh instead of the works of the Spirit?
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“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. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 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.” -Gal 5:19-25
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Present progressive mortification causes a man to avoid “the works of the flesh” that are described in Galatians 5:19-20, and so, these individuals will be finally recognized as Christ’s people. Why? “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:24)! Will you be recognizable by God when He comes to the earth, even a God that judges according to works? Do you remember how that the word of God said, “by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24)? Even so, are you one of those that will be set aside on the right hand of Christ by recognition, one of those men of the company that “are Christ’s” according to Galatians 5:24? In other words, are you one who has turned from “dead works” (Heb. 6:1) to the Living God, into the grace of the new creation of God’s “workmanship” (Eph. 2:10), the walk that Christ calls “My works” (Rev. 2:26), the wisdom that is recognizable by “works with meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13), enveloped in the Light which expels the “works of darkness” (Eph. 5:11, Rom. 13:12), even so, the life that is evidently crucified to “the works of the flesh” in their manifestations, because the very “affections and lusts” of your body are presently and progressively killed (Gal. 5:19, 24)!? Then you will be finally saved.