When Paul describes his life or the life of the Christian disciple he always uses language realistically, though of course not always literally. When he says, for example, that “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24, RSV), he does not mean that the flesh is literally fastened to a cross. But he does refer to a real and definite action or type of action by believers through which the claims of normal feelings and desires are suspended and removed from control of their lives. It is the same as what Jesus calls the denial of one’s self
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