The ‘church of nice’ wants us to be nicer people, but God wants righteous people and that is what “Christ [living] in you” produces over time.

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 (KJV)
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

To try to suppress “the flesh” will only lead to hopeless despair... you just can’t do it. Only “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” is able change or transform us from the inside:

“For the law [the spontaneous automatic operation] of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath [already] made me free from the law [automatic operation] of sin and death [in the flesh]. Romans 8:2 (KJV)

Walking in the spirit is the only hope we have for righteous living. Paul says we can by the Spirit “mortify the deeds of the flesh.”

    ¹³  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live [enjoy the victory of the spirit-life]. Romans 8:13 (KJV).

The flesh is ever with us while on earth, but we are equipped by the Spirit to put to death the wanton “deeds of the flesh.” But how do we do this by the Spirit?

We must occupy ourselves with the things of the spirit. To try to crucify the flesh ourselves is futile. The work of Christ has already done that for us… for our flesh was ‘Rendered Powerless’ when we died with Him. We cannot reform or improve “the flesh,” for there is no degree of reformation that would make the flesh holy to meet the demands of a holy God. So, we must leave it all up to Him. His work is not reformation, but regeneration and renewal by His life in us as a “new creature.”

⁵ Not by [our futile] works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved [Gk. sozo, completed completed] us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Titus 3:5 (KJV)

¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

We need to know that we still will live in these sin-laden flesh bodies so long as we live in this earth, that is until our Rapture to dwell “eternal in the heavens” 2 Cor. 5:1b.

1)  we have been delivered of the penalty for our sins, and

2) from the dominion and power of “Sin in the flesh”;

3) we await “the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23), being delivered from the very presence of Sin.

²⁰  For our conversation [home] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ²¹ Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious [resurrection] body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:20-21 (KJV)

We need to know and also believe that our flesh, though yet alive, has been rendered powerless since we have “been crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20) … he that is dead is free from the power of Sin in the flesh.

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, [so] that the body of sin might be destroyed [Gk. kartargeo, rendered powerless), [so] that henceforth we should not serve sin.

⁷ For he that is dead is freed from [the dominion of] sin. Romans 6:6-7 (KJV)

Now here is where BURIAL comes into the picture. Burial is the evidence and the absolute assurance that a person is REALLY dead. Before burial there may be a slim hope that a person would rise up and come out of a coma or something like that, but when person is buried, then all such hopes are given up. Our Lord was not only pronounced dead, but He was in the tomb three days and three nights with a Roman seal on the door showing that He was inside helpless and lifeless. Even the disciples and the women thought it was all over. They were resigned to His death. It was the end to all their hopes.

So, it must be with the believer, we also must believe we are dead and buried with Christ, leaving no hope for the flesh. No reformation of the Old Man of the soul can be accomplished by us. If one is dead and buried, then the next move is up to God. The flesh is at an end. Burial is the confession that there no longer is hope for our self, but a reliance upon God.

The Spirit in us alone brings us to the revelation of Scripture… that we are Alive with Him by His resurrection life within us ... the life of our ‘new man’ in Christ… thus we walk in Union with him.

 ⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism [being engulfed] into death: [so] that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should Walk in Newness of Life. Romans 6:4