A Fight Worth Picking (week 2)

The following blog entry is part 2 in a series of blog posts entitled “A Fight Worth Picking,” in which I’m writing practically 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.

As stated last week, click here for a more detailed outline of Owen's work.

In Owen’s first four chapters he lays out 3 guiding principles that must overarch a Christian’s fight against sin.  As we battle our own sin, we need to meditate on these principles so that right thinking precedes right living.  They are:

1.     The Mortification of sin is essential to the Christian life.

2.     The Mortification of sin is the work of the Holy Spirit.

3.     The Mortification of sin is key to living an abundant life.

To summarize:  (1) We all must fight sin, (2) we can’t fight sin on our own, and (3) we won’t be joyful apart from fighting sin.

First, we must not view this fight, whatever it entails, as optional (Col 3:5).  “There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled” (p.7).  Mortifying sin is not for mature Christians only, or for those who ‘feel’ the weight of sin.  Each Christian has unmortified sin abiding and active (Phil 3:12; Gal 5:17; 2 Cor. 7:1) and must, therefore, continuously render death blows.  If we see this work as a maybe, and not as a must, we can expect spiritual decay.  (Rev 3:2; 2 Pet 3:18; Gal 5:19-20; Heb 3:13)

…even though there is in this generation a growing number of professors, a great noise of religion, religious duties in every corner, and preaching in abundance, there is little evidence of the fruit of true mortification…

…the number of true believers is not as multiplied as it appears from those who have made a mere profession.  Some speak and profess a spirituality that far exceeds the former days, but their lives give evidence of a miserable unmortified heart.” (p.11)

Second, we mustn’t view the mortification of sin as something we undertake, or accomplish, on our own strength.  In fact, though Owen will discuss ‘our role’ in mortifying sin, he makes this Biblical point clear – the Holy Spirit alone can destroy the sin that remains in us (Ez 11:19; Is 4:4).  Amazingly, and consistent with Scripture’s teaching on God’s sovereignty and our responsibility (Phil 2:13; Is 26:12), God’s work in us does not negate our own effort.  “He works in us and with us, not against us or without us.” (p.19).  Thus, this battle won’t be fought, (and certainly won’t be won), apart from prayer and deep reliance on the Holy Spirit of God.

And third, while the mortification of sin does not guarantee joy, don’t expect joy apart from it (Ps 38:3; Rev 3:2).  While it’s the common experience of many Christians to go through seasons of little joy, the joyless should still be quick to make certain there is no link between their unrest and unmortified sin.  As Owen says, “The soul and its affections, that should be full of God, cannot be full of Him, since it is entangled in worldly pursuits.” (p.23).  When joy is gone, are you standing firm in the ring, or lying spiritually unconscious on the mat? 

So, again, ponder these overarching principles:

We all must fight sin, we can’t fight sin on our own, and we won’t be joyful apart from fighting sin.

A Fight Worth Picking

In Judges 6 you can read about Gideon picking a fight with his neighbors.  As the newly appointed judge, he started his tenure by chopping down local alters built for false gods.  That didn’t go well with all the local Baal-worshipers who came to Gideon’s Dad’s house looking for blood.  But Gideon (and his Dad) stood their ground and; consequently, his name was changed to Jerubbaal, (“Baal-Fighter”), which became his new ring name.

Throughout the book of Judges you can read about God delivering his people from enemies without.  But God also makes it clear that the greatest enemy lies within.  In fact, right before God appoints Gideon, he sends a preacher to tell the people that their greatest enemy was not the Canaanites without, but sin within. (6:10).

It’s true today, sin is still the great enemy within.  We all sin (Romans 3:10,23; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Genesis 6:5).  Sin kills us physically (Genesis 3:19; Romans 6:23).  And sin will kill us spiritually (Hebrews 9:27; Romans 6:23).  Our only hope is to turn to the sin-killer, Jesus, and fight (Isaiah 45:22).

Many Christians have turned to Jesus, but few are fighters.  In the 17^th century, John Owen, expounding on Romans 8:13, said that “it is the constant duty of believers to render a death blow to the deeds of the flesh,” and he encouraged Christians to “not take a day off from this work; always be killing sin or it will be killing you.”  These quotes come from Owen’s treatise on The Mortification of Sin, which Jerry Bridges calls “the most helpful writing on personal holiness ever written.”

I wonder if we aren’t fighting like we should.  And I wonder if some of us are in greater danger than we realize.

It would be wise for many in our modern, evangelical, barely hooked-on-phonics, I black out when I read big words sub-culture to tread through The Mortification of Sin and take up this battle afresh.  Maybe this blog can help. 

For the next 8 weeks, through weekly blog posts, I’m going to summarize Owen’s work and write practically about his Biblical process for fighting sin.  If you think it would be helpful, I encourage you to follow along.  Click here if you’d like to look over a concise outline of Owen’s book (a more detailed outline to follow next week).