"They That Are Christ's"

"they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Gal. v. 24)

Here is another passage to add to the list of scripture texts that prove to be insurmountable to overcome for promoters and defenders of the leading tenets of Hardshellism. Let us see why. Let us analyze the words of the apostle by using the rhetorical or Socratic method.

Let us ask the text, and ourselves, some questions.

First, do not the words "they who belong to Christ" equate with "they who are saved"?

Answer: yes. It could mean "all the elect who belong to Christ via the everlasting covenant" or "all elect who have been regenerated or born again via conversion." The latter, however, is the obvious choice here, because this act of crucifying the flesh is something that "they who are Christ's" personally do, and therefore not something done for them in eternity past.

Second, is the predicate "have crucified the flesh..." a universal or limited categorical proposition?

Answer: It is clearly a universal proposition. All s is p. In other words, all "they" have "crucified the flesh." Paul does not say "some who belong to Christ have crucified..."

Third, to what point in time does the apostle point, in the experience of "they who belong to Christ," when they crucify the flesh? Is it conversion? Regeneration?

Will our Hardshell brethren gives us their answer to these questions on this text?

Possessed By Christ

Means that Christ has taken possession of the person, that he comes into the very heart and soul of a person, and "takes over." When men speak of "demon possession" they interpret that as meaning that a demon spirit has entered into the psyche and takes control. So, when we speak of "Christ possession," we mean that Christ enters into the psyche and takes control. That is what Paul is talking about when he speaks of "they who are Christ's."

To whom do you belong?

Have you experienced Christ's crucifixion? You cannot experience his resurrection without experiencing his death. If you have not crucified the flesh, then you cannot be among those who belong to Christ. That is against Hardshellism.

In other passages Paul refers to the believer's crucifixion.

"knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin." (Rom. 6: 6)

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." (Gal 2: 20)

Does this not refer to conversion and make conversion necessary for being one who belongs to Christ?