And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
And - Greek, 'But.' There is no law against love, etc. But Christians crucify the flesh, which is contrary to the Spirit, whose fruit love is; therefore they are led by the Spirit, and yield its fruit, and are not under the law. A B C 'Aleph (') read 'They that are of Christ Jesus' - i:e., belong to Christ Jesus: 'led by (His) Spirit' (Galatians 5:18).
Have crucified, [aorist, estaurosan (G4717 ), 'crucified'] the flesh. They nailed it to the cross once for all when they became Christ's (Romans 6:3-4). They keep it now in a state of crucifixion (Romans 6:6); so that the Spirit can produce in them, comparatively uninterrupted by it, "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22). 'Man, by faith, is dead to the former standing-point of sin, and rises to a new life of communion with Christ (Colossians 3:3). The act by which they crucified the flesh with its lust is already accomplished in principle; but the outward confirmation of the life must harmonize with the tendency given to the inward life' (Galatians 5:25) (Neander). We are to be executioners of the body of sin, which caused the acting of all cruelties on Christ's body.
With the affections, х tois (G3588) patheemasin (G3804)] - 'with its passions.' Thus they are dead to the law's condemning power, which is only for the fleshly and their lusts (Galatians 5:23).