The Mortification of Sin

John Owen’s The Mortification of Sin is a classic work on sanctification based on Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death [mortify-KJV] the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Published over 300 years ago, this small book is by no means an easy read but it continues to have a profound impact.

Jerry Bridges, a leading author on godliness and writer of The Pursuit of Holiness and The Discipline of Grace, said in his opinion Owen's Indwelling Sin in Believers and The Mortification of Sin are "the most helpful writings on personal holiness ever written.” Bible scholar J.I. Packer gives similar praise. “I owe more to John Owen than to any other theologian, ancient or modern; and I owe more to [The Mortification of Sin] than to anything else he wrote.”

Killing Sin

Today the word "mortify" seems strange but it simply means to kill sin. Owen urges in one place, "Be killing sin or sin will be killing you."

The killing of sin is one side of sanctification; the other is spiritual-mindedness (Romans 8:6). Paul used metaphors like “putting on” and “putting off” for these two daily duties of holy living. We are to "put on" the new--be increasingly focused on Christ and the new life--and "put off" the old--be increasingly disengaged from what remains of our old patterns of thought and conduct apart from Christ.

To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.  (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Put to death [mortify-KJ] therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry….But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator…..Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (see Colossians 3:5-12)

Aspiration & Mortification

John Stott in Men Made New (pp. 91-92) helpfully explains two theological terms for the two sides of sanctification.

Aspiration is the process of setting our mind on the things of the Spirit. “Those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit”(Romans 8:5). Aspiration, Stott writes, is:

a whole-hearted giving of ourselves, in thought and energy and ambition, to ‘whatever is true and honorable, just and pure, lovely and gracious’ (see Phil. 4:8). It will include a diligent use of the ‘means of grace,’ such as prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, worship, the Lord’s Supper, and so on.

Mortification means:

a ruthless rejection of all practices we know to be wrong; a daily repentance, turning from all known sins of habit, practice, association or thought; a plucking out of the eye, a cutting off of the hand or foot, if temptation comes to us through what we see or do or where we go. The only attitude to adopt towards the flesh is to kill it.

Stott says aspiration and mortification should both be viewed as life-giving processes:

Both hold the secret to life, in the fullest sense. There is no true life without the death called mortification, and there is no true life without the discipline called aspiration. It is while we put to death the deeds of the body that we shall live (vs 13); it is while we set our minds on the things of the Spirit that we find “life and peace” (vs 6).

Why Owen Wrote

Three things moved John Owen to write “The Mortification of Sin.” First, as a doctor of souls, he had discovered that most believers were not able to stand up against temptation. He said he had observed in the general condition of believers "a great disability” in the handling of temptations.

Second, Owen was moved by the “dangerous mistakes” of spiritual leaders who emphasized harsh bodily discipline as the path to holiness. Their teaching was not Christ-centered and grace-based; it was a man-focused, man-empowered attempt at holiness. Owen said such people were “unacquainted with the mystery of the gospel and the efficacy of the death of Christ.” These men had:

imposed the yoke of a self-wrought-out mortification on the necks of their disciples, which neither they nor their forefathers were ever able to bear. A mortification they cry up and press, suitable to that of the gospel neither in respect of nature, subject, causes, means, nor effects; which constantly produces the deplorable issues of superstition, self-righteousness, and anxiety of conscience in them who take up the burden which is so bound for them.

False mortification

The apostle Paul opposed fleshly asceticism in Colossians 2:16. “They have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (see 2:16-23).

Third, Owen wrote out of a desire to glorify God and adorn the gospel by being holy in his personal life and by fostering holiness in others.

I hope I may own in sincerity, that my heart’s desire unto God, and the chief design of my life in the station wherein the good providence of God hath placed me, are, that mortification and universal holiness may be promoted in my own and in the hearts and ways of others, to the glory of God; that so the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be adorned in all things.

Trample Sins in the Death of Christ--Brooks

From Thomas Brooks "The Crown and Glory of Christianity" (1662).

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" Colossians 3:5

While a darling sin lives and keeps the throne in the heart, grace and holiness will be kept exceeding weak and low. But when your darling sin is dethroned and slain by the power and the sword of the Spirit—grace and holiness will quickly grow stronger and stronger, and rise higher and higher.

When a man has eaten poison, nothing will make him thrive, until he has vomited up the poison. Beloved sins—they are the poison of the soul, and until these are vomited up, and cast out by sound repentance, and the exercise of faith in the blood of Christ, the soul will never thrive in grace and holiness!

If ever you would attain to higher degrees of holiness, then fall with all your might upon subduing and crucifying your most raging corruptions, and your most daring lusts!

Oh do not think that your golden and your silver idols will lay down their weapons, and yield the battle, and lie at your feet, and let you trample them to death—without striking a blow! Oh remember that besetting-sins will do all they can to keep their ground, and therefore you must arise with all your strength against them, and crush them to powder, and burn them to ashes!

Oh deal with your most enraged lusts, as the Philistines dealt with Samson—pluck out their eyes, and force them to grind in the mill of mortification, until their strength is utterly consumed and wasted.

I have read of five men, who being asked what was the best means to mortify sin, gave these answers. Said the first, "The best means to mortify sin, is to meditate on death."

Said the second, "The best means to mortify sin, is to meditate on the judgment day."

Said the third, "The best means to mortify sin, is to meditate on the joys of heaven."

Said the fourth, "The best means to mortify sin, is to meditate on the torments of hell."

Said the fifth, "The best means to mortify sin, is to meditate on the death and sufferings of Christ."

Doubtless the last man hit the nail on the head!

The daily sight of a bleeding, groaning, dying Savior—is the only thing which will subdue and mortify darling sins! O friends! Never leave looking up to a crucified Christ, until virtue flows from Him to the crucifying of those special besetting sins which do most obstruct and hinder the growth and increase of holiness.

Recognizing "Darling Sins"

"If I had cherished inquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" Psalm 66:18

In Puritan writings, “the sin which clings so closely” in Hebrews 12:1 is frequently called a darling sin. "While a darling sin lives and keeps the throne in the heart," wrote Thomas Brooks, "grace and holiness will be kept exceeding weak and low." 

Darling sins are cherished sins. Other sins we may abhor but we are fond of these and play with them and feed them and protect them.

Often darling sins are not viewed as sins at all; they are blind spots and may even appear virtuous to us. We may regard our pride as confidence, our lust as love, a hot temper as mere feistiness, unbelief and fear as cautiousness, a critical spirit as an analytical mind, coveting as admiring, defiance as independent thinking, presumption as boldness, and gossip as concern.

The devil insinuates thoughts into our minds to keep us in a darling sin by re-framing, covering over, minimizing, justifying, and excusing.

“It’s no big deal.

“Everybody does it.”

“It’s only a little one.”

“It’s not as bad as my other sins.”

“I don’t do it very often.”

“It doesn’t hurt anyone.”

“No one will even notice.”

“Most people do worse things.”

Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). To be among God's intimates, we must be pure and undivided in heart. Could it be we don't sense closeness with God because a darling sin has crowded Him out?

Reflection: What are my darling sins? Am I being honest with God about them?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, you know me through and through. Show me the sins I am cherishing. Do a mighty work in me by your Holy Spirit that I might repent and give myself completely to you. In Jesus name. Amen.

rev 1/17/12

Why Did God Allow Evil?

John MacArthur speculates on the question, "Why did God allow evil?" in "The Origin of Evil," a message given in 2000. MacArthur's answer is, essentially, that God allowed evil because he wanted to make himself known, he wanted to manifest his attributes, his grace and mercy and also his wrath, and because God wanted to eliminate the possibility of evil forever.

The audio version is posted on Youtube in three parts: Part One,  Part Two and Part Three. The passage below begins near the end of Part Two:

Now the question then comes up...why would God allow sin? There's no specific statement but I think you can make a fairly reasonable speculation beyond which I cannot go and don't find any value in tempting to go. And it is this...what did sin coming into the world bring about? Well it brought about, I would say, three things. And these are the three reasons why I believe God allowed evil.

Number one, it brought about the salvation of sinners, right? God had to allow sin; God had to decree sin in the plan though never the author of it, in order that He might save sinners. Well, why did God want to save sinners? To put on display attributes that otherwise never would have been manifest, right? 

How is God going to show grace if there aren't any sinners? How is God going to show mercy if there aren't any sinners? That was a part of God's nature that God wanted to display for His own glory throughout all eternity. So God provided a means by which He could demonstrate grace, demonstrate mercy. He also wanted to show love, love that is so far reaching that it can reach even His own enemies who hate Him. How is He going to show that if He doesn't have any enemies?

So God allows evil in order that He might demonstrate grace and mercy and forgiveness and salvation. Secondly, He allows evil in order that He might display His wrath...in order that He might put His wrath on display, His anger on display, His judgment on display. How would God ever reveal that part of His true and eternal nature if there were not an opportunity to judge sinners? And so, all you can do is look at redemptive history and you see the salvation of sinners and the damnation of sinners and that is what goes on and you see ultimately a place prepared for those who are damned and a place prepared for those who are saved and you must conclude then that the eternal purpose of God was to save some and judge some in order that He might demonstrate both His grace and His wrath.

And then I like to throw a third thought in there. I believe that God allowed sin in order that He might forever destroy it. As long as His creatures have any measure of freedom, as long as His creatures have intelligence, that is they can know and reason, that is they can process that knowledge toward behavior, and choice, that is they can choose what to do, as long as they have that capacity there is a potential for them to fall short of the standard. Right? To make the wrong choice. Well it didn't take long for them to do it. We don't know how long it was before Lucifer made the wrong choice before God. We don't know how long it was even in the Garden before Adam and Eve made the wrong choice, but it was certainly before they had any children. They had their children probably around the age of a hundred or a little more. 

So there is choice and the potential of a wrong choice is there. A measure of freedom is given to the creatures by which they can choose to honor God, by which they can choose to dishonor. As long as that is there, then the reality, the potential reality of evil exists when the wrong choice is made. And I believe that once the wrong choice is made, then God goes into action and one, He can demonstrate His grace and salvation; two, He can demonstrate His wrath in judgment; and three, He can then finally destroy evil. It's almost as if God wanted evil to come to the surface so that He could excise it. 

That's what's going to happen when the whole of redemptive history is complete, when all the saved are saved and all the lost are cast into the lake of fire, then death and hell are thrown into the lake of fire. What does that mean? No more death and no more hell and no more judgment. Why? Because there won't be anymore sin. And when you go to heaven, there's nothing there that smacks of a sinful world, right? There's no more sorrow, no more sadness, no more sin, no more dying, no more death.