Galatians 5:24 - Crucified with Christ?

Gal.5:24; Crucified with Christ?

Gal 5:24 (NIV)  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified 
the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  

Those who belong to.Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with 
its passions and desires. Once we come to understand that natural 
moral excellence opposes or counteracts surrender to God, we bring our 
soul into the center of its greatest battle. The cost to your natural 
life is not just one or two things, but everything. Beware of 
refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence. [In His Time; My 
Utmost For His Highest] 

Although not biblical in nature this paragraph from Alcoholics 
Anonymous (fondly called the "Big Book" in our fellowship) is one of my 
favorites. It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest 
on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is 
a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have 
is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual 
condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will 
into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee - Thy will 
(not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us 
constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It 
is the proper use of the will.... As God becomes more real among us, 
even those who have not responded will be touched by His love. Edward 
LaLonde [ecl@cris.com] 

Every thought is to be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. 
All animal propensities are to be subjected to the higher powers of 
the soul. The love of God must reign supreme; Christ must occupy an 
undivided throne. AH127,8   

By faith in Christ a man becomes dead to a sinful life and rises 
to a new life of fellowship with Christ (Col. 3:3). [Jamieson, 
Fausset, And Brown Commentary] 

In order to accept Christ as Savior, we need to turn from our 
sins and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. This doesn't 
mean, however, that we will never see traces of its evil desires 
again. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but we have 
been set free from sin's power over us and no longer have to give in 
to it. We must daily commit our sinful tendencies to God's control, 
daily crucify them, and moment by moment draw on the Spirit's power to 
overcome them.  [Life Application SB]