If we can cease from sin in this life, then why send Jesus to come and shed his blood and be crucified? Just give us the Spirit because we already have the law. What in the world would I need grace for if I can keep the law.
I think that having a desire to cease from sin is having a desire for the righteousness of God and in order to live righteously in this present evil world we are going to need the grace of God through the Spirit to do it. To suffer in the flesh is to resist the sin that dominates the members (or cells) of our flesh. When we do so by grace, we cease from having the flesh dominate the members of our body of flesh. Christ is the one who has crucified the affections and lusts of the flesh through death and has raised us up so that sin does not have to have dominion over us. We have to appropriate that by faith and if we fail we receive grace and go on, not excusing our sin but knowing that it was crucified so that we don't live in any condemnation of it. We are free from the sin and its condemnation because of the cross. Christ was crucified in our stead and was condemned for our sin through death, even the sin we commit after we are saved by grace and receive his imputed righteousness.
Rom 8:31-34
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.