A gospel-centered mortification of sin

Chapters 7 & 8 lay out "general directions" for the mortification (killing) of sin, most important of which is the distinction between believer and non-believer, mortification and conversion. Christianity is not a system of morality. It's the good news that Jesus Christ has wrought a great salvation for us on the cross...something we couldn't do on our own. Christ, then, is our righteousness and he gives us good works through the Spirit. We used the example of a bird in flight to help illustrate this: birds don't fly in order to become birds, but because they're birds. In the same way believers mortify sin because they're believers and because God is at work in them, not in order to be made right before God (as is the case for every other world religion, philosophy, or worldview). Owen used another analogy that helps us see how belief in the gospel is the great predecessor to killing sin:

“He that has a running sore upon him, arising from an ill habit of body, contracted by indulgence and ill diet, let him apply himself with what diligence and skill he can to the cure of his sore, if he leave the general habit of his body under distempers, his labor and travail will be in vain. So will his attempts be that shall endeavor to stop a bloody issue of sin and filth in his soul, and is not equally careful of his universal spiritual temperature and health.” (Owen, p. 87)

Striking at the core issue of inner corruption in our lives through belief in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (as opposed to just trying harder to not sin by our own strength) is central to everything we'll be talking about in this series. Mortification of sin is only achievable by those who have been spiritually healed by Christ. Conversion is the first necessary work of the non-believer. After that, mortification of sin will ensue, by God's grace. Without Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Like I said in my last post, we'd love to hear from you guys...any thoughts you have about the current week's material, this posting, or any experiences/scripture that it makes you think of!

Chris

John Owen

Dear Hiawatha Church, and others,
For those of you who weren’t aware, we’re about to embark on an 8-week study on the Puritan John Owen’s “The Mortification of Sin”! We're calling the series "Be Killing Sin or it will be Killing You!" Michael led us off with some introductory information on John Owen himself, plus a biblical theology of sin, last week. And this Sunday we’re going to dive right in to the book itself, and especially the scripture it points us to! Woo hoo!

We’d love for as many of you as possible to buy the book so you can read along with us, or at least have it as a reference to look at after the sermons. You can buy it online at amazon.com for pretty cheap. The book we’re using is actually called “Overcoming Sin and Temptation” as it’s a collection of three of Owen’s works, one of which is “Mortification" (see picture). *We highly recommend getting this version, mostly because it’s been translated from “old English” and is much easier to read than other versions out there. If you’d like the book, but can’t afford it, let us know—we’d be happy to buy it for you!

Our plan right now is to cover the book in this order, though this is subject to change:

4.27.08, chapters, 7 & 8 The Mortification of Sin in Believers
5.4.08, chapters, 5 & 6 What is the Mortification of Sin?
5.11.08, chapters 2 & 3 Why is the Mortification of Sin critical? Part I
5.18.08, chapters 1 & 4 Why is the Mortification of Sin critical? Part II
5.25.08, chapter 9 How to mortify sin, Part I
6.1.08, chapters 10 & 11 How to mortify sin, Part II
6.8.08, chapters 12 & 13, How to mortify sin, Part III
6.15.08, chapter 14, How to mortify sin, Part IV

So if you want to follow along, that’d be great! Be prepared for some “tough sleddin’” as you read it. It’s one of those books you need to read slowly and even over and over a few times before it sinks in. So enjoy the ride!

Also, we’ll be posting an Owen “passage” every week—something we will have looked at together on that previous Sunday—for the sake of further reflection and to ask you guys your thoughts on that particular idea. So check back weekly. We’d love to hear from you!

May the Lord lead us all to a greater grounding in the gospel of Jesus Christ through these next 8 weeks, to the end that we’d find more success in the killing of sin through the Spirit in our lives!

Romans 8:13-14, "...for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."

Chris