🕊️ Crucifixion in the Believer’s Life — Part 2: Common Misunderstandings

(THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS)

Introduction

Having explored the three-fold framework of crucifixion in the believer’s life — Spiritual/Actual (Knowing), Positional/Legal (Reckoning), and Practical/Metaphorical (Yielding) — we now turn to address the common misunderstandings that often cloud these truths. Many sincere believers live in confusion or frustration because they misinterpret the nature of their co-crucifixion with Christ.

This follow-up clarifies these misconceptions and contrasts them with the liberating truths of the gospel. When we interpret crucifixion rightly, we experience the rest and power of walking in the Spirit rather than striving in the flesh.

1. ❌ Misunderstanding: "I must crucify my old man daily."

✅ Truth: The old man was crucified once-for-all at salvation.

• Romans 6:6 – "Our old self was crucified with Him..."

• Galatians 2:20 – "I have been crucified with Christ..."

The old man is not the same as the flesh. The "old man" refers to the unregenerate self in Adam. He died when you were placed in Christ. To try to crucify him again is to deny what God has already done.

2. ❌ Misunderstanding: "Taking up my cross daily means self-crucifixion."

✅ Truth: Daily cross-bearing is about yielding to Christ’s indwelling life — not re-crucifying anything.

• Luke 9:23 – "Take up his cross daily and follow Me..."

• Romans 12:1 – "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice..."

Jesus was pointing to the daily surrender of the will, not the literal re-enactment of crucifixion. The cross is not your burden — it is His instrument of finished victory.

3. ❌ Misunderstanding: "I have to crucify my flesh."

✅ Truth: The flesh has already been crucified in principle at salvation.

• Galatians 5:24 – "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

The verb here, estaurōsan, is in the aorist active indicative — indicating a completed act. Paul is not issuing a command for the future; he is declaring what has already occurred for every believer.

While the flesh (sarx) remains present as a source of temptation, its dominion has been judged and broken. You are not instructed to crucify the flesh repeatedly — you are called to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), trusting that the flesh's rule was decisively condemned in Christ. The key is not to kill it again, but to yield to the One who already rendered it powerless.

4. ❌ Misunderstanding: "My flesh can be crucified through effort, fasting, or discipline."

✅ Truth: The flesh is not eradicated — it is bypassed by walking in the Spirit.

• Galatians 5:16 – "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

• Romans 8:13 – "If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body..."

The "flesh" (sarx) is not the body itself, but the fallen operating principle of self-effort. It cannot be reformed, only rendered inactive by not feeding it.

5. ❌ Misunderstanding: "If I still sin, then my old man must still be alive."

✅ Truth: The presence of sin does not mean the reign of sin.

• Romans 6:12–14 – "Let not sin therefore reign... for sin will have no dominion over you."

• 1 John 1:8 – "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves..."

You may feel the tug of temptation, but that does not change your identity. Sin is no longer your master, even if it still knocks at your door.

6. ❌ Misunderstanding: "The goal is to kill sin through my willpower."

✅ Truth: The goal is to yield to Christ’s life — He overcomes sin.

• Galatians 5:25 – "Since we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

• Philippians 2:13 – "It is God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

Effort without dependence is legalism. The Spirit produces holiness as we rest in Christ, not strive apart from Him.

Final Reflection

Misunderstanding crucifixion in the believer’s life leads to striving, guilt, and discouragement. But truth sets us free. You are not trying to crucify what God already buried. You are not called to defeat sin in your own strength. You are invited to walk in the Spirit — trusting that your old man is gone, your new life is Christ, and the Spirit leads you moment by moment.

Let go of the burden to "die daily" in the wrong sense. Embrace instead the daily privilege of abiding in the One who already died and rose on your behalf.