A Fight Worth Picking (Week 4)

The following blog entry is part 4 in a series of blog posts entitled “A Fight Worth Picking,” in which I’m writing about John’s Owen’s Biblical principles for fighting sin in ‘The Mortification of Sin.’  I’ll be referencing Banner of Truth’s 2004 edition, abridged by Richard Rushing.

(If you’d like a detailed outline of Owen’s work, click here.)

So what is the mortification of sin?  For the first 5 chapters, John Owen has offered general principles and negative definitions, but now he sets out to actually define the necessary work ahead.  It’s three things:

1. A habitual weakening of the lust (or sinful desire).
2. A constant fight and contention against sin.
3. A degree of success in the battle.

So the mortification of sin is a deep, constant, and fruitful battle.  First, it’s a deep battle.  Slapping ourselves on the wrist or simply taking a cursory look at our sin won’t cut it.  If our sin is going to be mortified, it will involve a scalpel and a magnifying glass.  We’ll have to discover our deep sinful desires and deal with them aggressively.  (Romans 13:14; 1 Peter 2:11; Galatians 5:24)

“[Some men] set themselves with all earnestness and diligence against the breaking out of a lust, but they leave the principle and root untouched.  They will make little or no progress in this work of true mortification.” (page 36).

Second, true mortification takes no holidays.  This deep battle is constant.  So it will be an exhausting war that will require strength from God.  (Colossians 3:5; Psalm 40:12)

Third, if we’re truly mortifying our sin, we will experience victory.  We won’t be “spinning our wheels;” but rather, we’ll be bearing fruit.  To be sure, the war won’t end until we are with Jesus in heaven.  But until then, battles can be won.  We may end up bloody and bruised, but we mustn’t raise a white flag.

Remember, a battle begins with temptation and our sinful desire.  And a battle is won when we resist temptation, stand firm, and find our satisfaction in Jesus – not the luring sin. (1 Corinthains 10:13)

Understanding these principles, in Owen’s opinion, is an essential foundation to fighting sin.  So girded with these truths we’ll look next week to engage the battle.