This verse is closely connected with the previous verses, the point being that those who are in Christ can no longer indulge in the “works of the flesh” which were previously mentioned.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus translates a possessive genitive (literally “those of Christ Jesus”), the meaning of which is synonymous with “in Christ” or “those who are led by the Spirit” in verse 16. One may also render those who belong to Christ Jesus as “those who are the people of Christ Jesus,” or “those who are Christ Jesus’ followers.”

Have put to death is literally “crucified.” It is, of course, a figurative expression, suggesting a connection between this action of the believer and the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The verb is in the aorist tense, suggesting either that the action took place in the past (at conversion or baptism), or that the action resulted in a complete and decisive change. Since this action is presently reflected in the experience of every believer, it is better to translate it in the perfect tense, as in Good News Translation and most other translations. In many languages it is quite misleading to say have put to death their human nature, since this would be equivalent to “they killed themselves.” It is sometimes possible to employ a simile, for example, “they have, as it were, put to death their human nature,” but even this can be misleading and it is often quite meaningless. An equivalent in some languages is “have caused their own selves not to control them,” “have not given themselves over to be ruled by their own human nature,” or “have caused their human nature no longer to command them.”

What is put to death is human nature with all its passions and desires. “Passion” is used to mean “suffering,” in a good sense, or “disposition,” in a bad sense. Here it is almost synonymous with “desires.” It is even possible to translate passions and desires as “passionate desires.” The two taken together should be understood to refer to “the works of the flesh” which Paul has just previously enumerated. The final phrase in this verse, with all its passions and desires, must often be rendered as a complete sentence, for example, “This includes all that their human nature wants so much to do,” or “Their human nature has all of these strong and evil desires.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .