In Colossians 3:8-15, the Apostle Paul encouraged the saints to apply the reality of their identity in Christ by putting to death or as John Owen notes, mortify all that is earthly. This idea of mortifying the flesh is something that Owen wrote about in his work dubbed, you guessed it, The Mortification of Sin. One of the lines that is often cited from it and is particularly punchy and excellent, is he remarks: “Be killing in sin or it will be killing you!” Instead of using Colossians 3:5, Owen takes as his Romans 8:13, where Paul writes:
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
What I want to do in this post is encourage you to read it and give you just a taste of what is offered in it. Owen begins by acknowledging this as the responsibility of all christians and that it must be done in the power of the Holy Spirit. After working through the basics, in chapter 9, he gets more to the “practical.” Below are key takeaways from chapters 9 through 12 in terms of the mortification process:
- Diagnose the severity of your sin
- Understand the evil and guilt which accompanies your sin
- Comprehend your guilt before the Lord
- Sincerely long to be delivered
- Consider your sin and your personality
- Avoid all incitements towards sin
- React quickly to the first hint of sin
- Consider the glory of God
- Do not be in a hurry to comfort yourself
There is much more to Owen’s treatise, but for now, I hope that I have incited you towards mortifying the flesh and to take up Owen’s work in the service of that goal.
The original sermon connected to this post can be listened to here: https://www.wordmp3.com/details.aspx?id=51218