The latter Rain-Sinless Perfection-The Crucified Flesh
Posted by appolus on October 16, 2025
The Latter Rain, Sinless Perfection, and the Crucified Flesh (part of our small home-group study)
- The Latter Rain and Sinless Perfection
The idea of a “latter rain” greater than Pentecost has no footing in Scripture. Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost — Peter said, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16).
There is no promise of another outpouring that will eclipse it. To claim the Spirit withdrew for 1900 years and will return only at the end denies Christ’s own words: “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).
Likewise, Scripture never promises sinless perfection in this life. Paul said, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on” (Phil. 3:12). John warns: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Victory is real, but it is lived daily in dependence on Christ — not by declaring the battle finished.
- The Spirit Wars Against the Flesh
Paul wrote: “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh” (Gal. 5:17). If the flesh were already silenced, Paul’s warnings would be pointless. Why command us, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16), if there were no struggle?
Romans 6 shows our union with Christ. Romans 7 shows Paul wrestling still: “I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good” (Rom. 7:21). Deliverance comes not by denying the conflict, but through Christ: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:25).
- The Crucified Flesh: Decisive, Yet Lingering
Paul declared: “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh” (Gal. 5:24). Crucifixion was decisive — but it was not instant death. It was slow, agonizing.
A crucified man’s fate was sealed once nailed, yet he still lingered in pain until death. Spiritually, our flesh has been nailed to the cross, its fate sealed — but it still struggles.
This is why Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31), and urged believers, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (Col. 3:5). The cross was applied once, but its execution unfolds daily until glory.
Jesus said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily” (Luke 9:23). If the flesh were fully dead, why would He command us to do this?
- Walking According to the Spirit
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1).
To be in the Spirit is our position (Rom. 8:9). To walk according to the Spirit is our practice.
The flesh condemns: “You are weak, defeated, guilty.”
The Spirit builds up: “You are sons and daughters, more than conquerors.”
Gideon heard two reports: his flesh said he was the least (Judg. 6:15). God’s Spirit called him a mighty man of valor (Judg. 6:12). The question was: whose report would he believe?
Conclusion
The Bible does not teach sinless perfection now, nor that the flesh has vanished, nor that a greater “latter rain” revival is coming. It teaches this:
The flesh has been crucified with Christ.
Its death is certain, though it lingers.
We must deny ourselves, take up the cross daily, and walk according to the Spirit.
To collapse this tension is to miss the biblical balance. Christ’s cross guarantees victory — but discipleship requires daily cross-bearing until the war is over.
Let the Word close the matter:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
A Call To The Remnant 
Anonymous said
Another timely piece of Truth, thank you brother Frank. The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus “…. shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Philippians 3:21.
How wonderful it will be to have a new and glorious body, a spirit body, like our Lord’s body is now. Such will be glorious, making them so clothed like unto the angels. Mark 12:25). And which will enable those ones who are Christ’s, live forever in the state of perfection at last. “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.” 2 Cor 5:2
Blessings,
Jen
appolus said
How wonderful indeed sister! What a dat that will be!……bro Frank
Anonymous said
Frank- My name is Robert Halton. My brother Allan ( A Mending feast) often spoke of you , im sure you remembe him .He is gone now! I found this post hard to read and even harder to believe!
appolus said
Hi Robert, I loved Allan dearly. I miss him very much, he was a dear man of God…………….Frank
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Anonymous said
Once again you’ve brought out the Truth of the matter – there will be no latter rain. The Scriptures are clear on this as you’ve so clearly shown brother Frank.
It’s just wonderful to find a voice going out into the world that speaks the Truth of God’s Word, and so uplifting to know there are a few precious souls panting with thirst to find refreshment for their souls that they might be strengthened to fight the good fight. Put on your battle armour beloved, and stand firm in the faith of Jesus.
Blessings,
Jen
appolus said
God bless you sister Jen…….bro Frank
cajdunlap said
Thank you for this clear presentation. The truth is that in having crucified the flesh, we must stand firm in the understanding that it IS finished, through Jesus our Victor. His Spirit gives us that victory in practice, and any discrepancy we see between that total victory and our daily lives is, as Jesus put it, the smallness of our faith. If we will but believe, we WILL walk in that victory by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We must believe, not just in His victory over sin on the cross, but in the sacrificial love that accomplished it, making it our own. John 3:16 asserts that “whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” That little word “in” is the Greek word “eis.” It means literally INTO, as in, moving to or through a point of entry. So our belief must be more than “about” Jesus and what He did. It must enter into the fullness of both what He did and WHY He did it.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us that it was “for the joy set (or laid out) before Him” that Jesus “endured the cross, despising the shame” – the joy of being infinitely useful to His Father in bringing mankind back into fellowship with Him, restoring all things, and setting us free from sin, from the selfishness that is the opposite of sacrificial love. So believing into Jesus involves dying to the selfish mindset of sin and taking on His sacrificial love. We must choose it by faith, but it is only the Holy Spirit who is able to form the image of Jesus within us and to bring us into walking daily in that love. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
The chief way He does this is through our own suffering (including self-denial in the face of temptation but also ridicule and reproach and worse from His and our Enemy), shaking off the old ways and coming into the new way of love by faith, hope and experience. Paul’s cry was “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death; so that I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.”
Like Paul, we must press on, but let’s do it by faith that our victory is real, not a pretense, and with the clear understanding that our Enemy also is real, that he hates us with insane jealousy, and that he will try a million ways to cause us to stumble and fall. We must walk in sincere surrender of all that we are and have to Christ’s loving lordship over us, depending on the power of the Holy Spirit to sustain, teach and keep us.
“
appolus said
Amen, our pwn flesh hates us kust as mu h as tge enemy does, let us grew to despise its voice…….bro Frank