I have been reading the classic work, The Mortification of Sin, by John Owen. Owen famously challenges us to “be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” He strongly states, “The vigor, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh.”
It is our duty, as believers, to “be perfecting holiness in the fear of God, to be growing in grace every day, to be renewing our inward man day by day, and this cannot be done without the daily mortifying of sin.” Owen also emphasizes that the killing of sin is a work of the Spirit, not something we can accomplish in our own merit or might. “The Spirit is the only author of this work.”
Only the Spirit is sufficient for the work of sanctification.
Because only the Spirit can mature us and empower us to be killing sin, Owen devotes a chapter to defining what mortification of sin is not. I find his thoughts extremely challenging and helpful so that we do not equate temporary behavior tweaking with true Spirit-induced transformation.
Mortification of sin is not.... Keep reading
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