Dangerous Symptoms

I'm pasting one of Owen's six "dangerous symptoms that accompany a sin" below for further reflection:

Dangerous symptom #3: Correcting sin only because of punishment due unto it (i.e, reverting to a law-based system of morality as opposed to a gospel-centered mortification of sin).

Owen: “If a man be so under the power of his lust that he has nothing but law to oppose it with, if he cannot fight against it with gospel weapons, but deals with it altogether with hell and judgment, which are the proper arms of the law, it is most evident that sin has possessed itself of his will and affections to a very great prevalency and conquest.” (Owen, p. 94)

Owen: "If your contendings against sin be all on legal accounts, from legal principles and motives, what assurance can you attain unto that sin shall not have dominion over you, which will be your ruin?...If your lust has driven you from stronger gospel forts, it will speedily prevail against this also. Do not suppose that such considerations will deliver you, when you have voluntarily given up to your enemy those helps and means of preservation which have a thousand times their strength. Rest assuredly in this, that unless you recover yourself with speed from this condition, the thing that you fear will come upon you.” (Owen, p. 94)

Fight with gospel-weapons and stay strong in gospel-forts! Don’t give up such a great weapon we have “in Christ” to fight sin with! If you find that you have slipped into a law-based way of thinking and are trying in your own strength to stop sinning through fear of judgment/hell, come back to Jesus and the gospel that formerly freed you, and re-embrace that freedom!

"Arm yourselves" (1 Peter 4:1) with a gospel-way of thinking!

Chris