A Practical Perspective on Identification Truths
Orientation
Many Christians struggle because they rely on natural understanding and self-effort to grasp spiritual realities, leading to condemnation and failure.
- The flesh cannot comprehend or accept the things of the Spirit of God.
- Self-driven striving and legalism only increase sin and struggle.
- This struggle is not a flaw but a divine setup to bring us to the end of ourselves.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
— 1 Corinthians 2:14
Clarification
True Christian freedom is not a program of self-improvement but a restful faith in what Christ has already accomplished.
- The 'how-to' is to stop striving and rest in Christ's finished work.
- Reckoning yourself dead to sin is a faith response to God's declaration, not a mental exercise.
- Renewal comes from affirming gospel truths, not from introspection or new rules.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
— Romans 7:18
Structure
Biblical logic reveals we have two identities: the crucified old man (flesh) and the new man alive in Christ, with the Spirit enabling us to walk in this reality.
- The old man was crucified with Christ; the new man is raised and seated with Him.
- The flesh and the Spirit are opposed, but the believer's spirit is joined to Christ.
- Walking in the Spirit means reckoning with these identification truths by faith.
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.
— Galatians 2:20
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core assertion is that the believer’s old man—the flesh with its natural understanding and self-effort—was crucified with Christ. This is an identification truth, a spiritual reality declared by God in Romans 6 and Colossians 3. It is not accessible to natural reason (1 Cor 2:14) and is fiercely resisted by the flesh, which craves a law or program. The only proper response is faith, which is the end of works. This faith reckons with what is already true: the flesh is crucified, the law’s power is broken, and the believer’s spirit is alive in Christ and seated in heavenly places. Any attempt to improve the flesh or achieve transformation by effort is a return to legalism and multiplies sin. The Holy Spirit gives understanding in the heart, not to the natural mind. The Pauline categories are clear: the old man (negative, crucified), the new man (positive, alive in Christ), and the Spirit as the means of walking in this reality. Objections that this leads to passivity or license misunderstand that faith itself is the active reception of God’s work, and renewal comes from the mind being aligned with these gospel truths.
Integration
Your standing is secure in Christ’s finished work. When you fail, it is the flesh at work, not your new man. There is no condemnation. Acknowledge the sin, accept the forgiveness Christ has already secured, and return to resting in Him. He is your righteousness and your life. This is not about your effort but His accomplishment. Let the truth that you are crucified with Christ and alive in Him be your anchor. The pressure is off. Christ in you is the hope of glory, and He will conform you to His image as you trust in this reality. This is your landing place—a rest that remains, grounded in who He is and what He has done.