But why should the devil be at work in the un-crucified flesh?
Gal_2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Gal_5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal_5:24. ἐσταύρωσαν. The Apostle has already traced back his own spiritual life to the fellowship with the crucifixion of Christ, which he had undergone at his conversion (Gal_2:20).
He assumes that his converts have likewise crucified the will of the flesh—not, however (as the previous context shows), that that will is already dead, but that the spirit has by one decisive victory asserted its complete supremacy in all true Christians, and so given an earnest of its entire triumph in the end.—παθήμασιν. This word departs here from its usual meaning, sufferings, and expresses inward emotions, as in Rom_7:5. Greek philosophers applied πάθος in like manner to denote active impulses of passion.
To make it even more clearer--
Crucified the flesh (tēn sarka estaurōsan).
Definite event, first aorist active indicative of stauroō as in Gal_2:19 (mystical union with Christ).
Paul uses sarx here in the same sense as in Gal_5:16, Gal_5:17, Gal_5:19, “the force in men that makes for evil” (Burton).
With (sun). “Together with,” emphasizing “the completeness of the extermination of this evil force” and the guarantee of victory over one’s passions and dispositions toward evil.
Robertson
have crucified the flesh—They nailed it to the cross once for all when they became Christ’s, on believing and being baptized (Ro 6:3, 4): they keep it now in a state of crucifixion (Ro 6:6): so that the Spirit can produce in them, comparatively uninterrupted by it, “the fruit of the Spirit” (Ga 5:22). “Man, by faith, is dead to the former standing point of a sinful life, and rises to a new life (Ga 5:25) of communion with Christ (Col 3:3). The act by which they have crucified the flesh with its lust, is already accomplished ideally in principle. But the practice, or outward conformation of the life, must harmonize with the tendency given to the inward life” (Ga 5:25) [Neander]. We are to be executioners, dealing cruelly with the body of sin, which has caused the acting of all cruelties on Christ’s body.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 338.
5:24 "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh"
This is AORIST ACTIVE INDICATIVE which speaks of completed action in past time. This passage, and others which imply mystical union, can be interpreted within theological categories (cf. Rom. 6:6). Throughout the book of Galatians, particularly 2:20, "crucify" is used to characterize our relationship to the Law. Once we accept God's free offer of grace in Christ as our only means of salvation, we decisively cut ourselves off from the evil of our fallen nature and the fallen world system. This personal decision of cutting ourselves off is the biblical metaphor of "crucifixion" as seen in Gal. 2:20; 5:24 and 6:14.
This is often characterized as "death to self." God has made us individually (cf. Psalm 139) to serve Him and not ourselves (cf. Rom. 6). This new life in Christ means death to the fallen, self-centered lifestyle of rebellious mankind (cf. Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; 1 John 3:16).
Would you agree @Episkopos?
We have died with Christ-now look at this verse-
Rom_6:6 Knowing this, that our old man
is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom_6:6. All this can be asserted, knowing as we do that “our old man” = our old self, what we were before we became Christians—was crucified with Him. Paul says συνεσταυρώθη simply because Christ died on the cross, and we are baptised into that death, not because “our old man” is the basest of criminals for whom crucifixion is the proper penalty. The object of this crucifixion of the old man was “that the body of sin might be brought to nought”. τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας is the body in which we live: apart from the crucifixion of the old self it can be characterised as “a body of sin”. It may be wrong to say that it is necessarily and essentially sinful—the body, as such, can have no moral predicate attached to it; it would be as wrong to deny that it is invariably and persistently a seat and source of sin. The genitive is perhaps qualitative rather than possessive, though “the body of which sin has taken possession” (S. and H.) is a good paraphrase. See Winer, p. 235, 768. This body is to be reduced to impotence τοῦ μηκέτι δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς κ.τ.λ. “that we may no longer be slaves to sin”. The body is the instrument we use in the service of sin, and if it is disabled the service must cease. For the gen inf, see Burton, § 397.
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
συνεσταυρώθη
Transliteration: synestaurōthē
Morphology: V-AIP-3S
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's no.: G4957 (συσταυρόω)
Meaning: To crucify together with.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Crucified the flesh (tēn sarka estaurōsan). Definite event, first aorist active indicative of stauroō as in Gal_2:19 (mystical union with Christ).
Paul uses sarx here in the same sense as in Gal_5:16, Gal_5:17, Gal_5:19, “the force in men that makes for evil” (Burton).
With (sun). “Together with,” emphasizing “the completeness of the extermination of this evil force” and the guarantee of victory over one’s passions and dispositions toward evil.
Robertson
So how can you say "the devil is at work in the un-crucified flesh?"
Johann.