Dodson on mortification

In blogging through Jonathan K. Dodson's book on discipleship entitled Gospel Centered Discipleship, I have arrived at the section of the book which concerns itself with practical application of what it expounded and explained in earlier chapters. As the book discusses applying the Gospel, it engages with mortification in the Christian life. I love how Dodson defines mortification writing, "Mortification is that tenacious disposition of the heart that longs to defeat sin out of love for Jesus" (128, emphasis mine).

The motivation for mortification which the author notes in this definition is incredibly important. Over the ages many people have tried, both Christian and non-Chritian, to conform their actions and change their habits from a desire to meet some perceived standard, to "be all that you can be." But ultimately, being moral for morality's sake, or good for goodness' sake, gets you no further ahead than were you to remain as you were.

God is not looking for us to conform to some set of rules whether they be encoded or arbitrary. He is looking for us to be conformed to his Son. And thus, our motivation for conformity and mortification of those areas in our life which are not conformed, needs to be found in Christ.

Dodson continues with an encouraging passage on fighting sin in our life:

Sin is no lighthearted matter. It is crouching at our door and we must master it (Gen. 4:7). It is dangerous not to fight sin.It is a sobering fight we must not cease. Fight your sin means a habitual weakening of the flesh through constant fighting and contending in the Spirit for sweet victory over sin. It should be regular and progressive, not occasional and instant. Fighting is not an end in itself or a way to make us more presentable to God. We fight because we have been made presentable in Christ. We fight for belief in his gospel, the truest and best news on earth-that Jesus defeated our sin, death, and evil through his own death and resurrection, and he is making all things new, even us. Until all things are new, we will continue to fight the good fight of faith. (128-9)

Keep fighting!

Continues still

In his classic work on the sanctification of the believer, Walter Marshall emphasizes the fact that though we are new creatures in Christ not all vestiges of the old nature are eradicated from within us. We still must battle sin and its effect in our lives. We must war against the flesh and its devices. Their are benefits to affirming the fact that we still have some of the old state in us, and Marshall touches upon some of them is the following quote from The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification:


We must know that our old state, with its evil principles, continues still in a measure, or else we shall not be fit for the great duties of

confessing our sins,

loathing ourselves for them,

praying earnestly for the pardon of them,

a just sorrowing for them with a godly sorrow,

accepting the punishment of our sins and giving God the glory of His justice,

and offering to Him the sacrifice of a glory and contrite spirit, being poor in spirit, working out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Sinclair on John

From Sinclair Ferguson's John Owen on the Christian Life I came across these instructions that that the author, Ferguson, summarized from Owen's writings:

Duty is man’s responsibility to God, and there are 4 reasons Owen thinks it should be so:
1. Duties are consistent with the new nature – we have a disposition towards it
2. Duties cannot be performed without the Spirit’s help
3. Duties are defined in Scripture
4. Duties must be performed by faith

We have a duty to mortify sin, which consists of three things:
1. A cherishing and improving of the principle of grace
2. Frequent exercise in all God-given duties
3. Application of the principle, power and actings of grace in opposition to sin

The first summary, speaking of duties, undermines much of what we associate with duty; duty is not a great self-generated effort to do what is right. Rather, it is the working out of a God-generated disposition with a Spirit-fuelled ability in a faith-filled context.

The second summary is also an eye opener. The mortifying of sin begins with grace as a principle, and continues with the exercise of that grace in duties and in opposition to sin.

I read this book a few years ago and am enjoying re-reading the significant quotes I recorded.

Pleasure as a foil for sin

If the primary thing keeping you from sinning is the fear of getting caught or the prospect of shame or of being exposed as immoral, you don't stand much of a chance. Oh, these might work for a while. You might find enough strength to resist for the time being. But the relentless assault of temptation will eventually wear you down and the power of resistance will gradually erode until you give in, tired, frustrated, bitter, angry with God, doubting if a life of obedience will ever bring the satisfaction your soul so deeply craves ... in the final analysis, something more is needed to energize our hearts to recognize their truth and find joy in obedience to the direction in which they point us ... the only way for us to successfully resist sin is by maximizing our pleasure in God. (Storms, C. Samuel. Pleasures Evermore: the Life-changing Power of Enjoying God. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2000. Print. 25-27, emphasis mine)

Mortify That!

You who were one slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart. —Romans 6:17

You cannot mortify a specific lust that is troubling you, unless you are seeking to obey the Lord from the heart in all areas. If a man finds a particular lust that is powerful and violent and it takes away his peace and troubles him, and if he sets himself against it, prays against it, groans under it, and sighs to be delivered; but in the meantime, perhaps, in other duties and in other ways he is loose and negligent, he will not be able to gain the victory over the troubling lust. This is a common condition among sons of men in their pilgrimage. If we seek to correct a coarse or filthy outbreak of sin in the soul, but neglect the basic duties that promote our spirituality, we labour in vain, for it has a bad foundation. We must hate all sin, as sin, and not only because it troubles us. Love for Christ because he went to the cross, and hate for sin that sent him there, is a solid foundation for true spiritual mortification. To seek mortification only because a sin troubles us proceeds from self-love. Why do you seek to mortify this sin?—Because it troubles you and takes away your peace. Yes, but you have neglected prayer and reading. Neglect of these are just as sinful. Chris bled for these also. If you hate sin as sin, you will be watchful against everything that grieves the Spirit. Do you think God will help you in such a hypocritical effort? Do you think he will free you from this so you can commit another sin that grieves him? 'No', says God, 'If I free him from this lust, I will not hear from him anymore, and he will be content in his failure.' We must not be concerned only with that which troubles us, but with all that troubles God. God's work is to have full victory, and universal obedience, not just the sins that trouble your soul.

Mortify This!!

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

We need to be intimately acquainted with the ways, wiles, methods, advantages, and occasions in which lust has victory. This is the way that men deal with their enemies. They search out their plans, ponder their goals, and consider how and by what means they have prevailed in the past. Then, they can be defeated.

If you do not utilize this great strategy, your warfare is very primitive. We need to know how sin uses occasions, opportunities, and temptations to gain advantage.

We need to trace this serpent in all of its windings, and to recognize its most secret tricks: 'This is your usual way and course; I know what you aim at.' Even when one thinks that a lust is dead because it is quiet, we must labour to give it new wounds and new blows everyday.

When the heart recognizes at any time sin and temptation at work, seducing and forming sinful imaginations to get you to fulfill its lusts, the heart must immediately see it for what it is, bring it to the law of God and love of Christ, condemn it, and follow it to execute it to the uttermost.

The Old Man? The Sinful nature?

Here is a question from an interview that I came across on Alex Chediak's blog: when discussing the believer's ongoing struggle, should we use the word "flesh" or "old man" to refer to what John Owen called our "remaining corruptions"? Is there a difference? The question was directed towards Dr. Andy Naselli and I found his answer, below, helpful.

The best article I've read on this is William W. Combs, “Does the Believer Have One Nature or Two?” Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 2 (Fall 1997): 81–103.

Those who affirm the Reformed view of sanctification use different terminology to describe the same phenomenon. Some describe Christians as having only one nature, and others as having two. The one-nature and two-nature views are practically identical because both acknowledge a conflict between what Combs calls “two opposing somethings—principles, desires, urgings, etc.” in the believer.

* Two-nature advocates call them natures: (1) the old/sinful/ depraved nature of a regenerate person, i.e., "the flesh" and (2) the new nature of a regenerate person.

* One-nature advocates describe these two aspects of the believer’s one nature as “two struggling principles” (Gerster), “two opposed sorts of desire” (Packer), or “contrary urgings” (Packer).

The "old man" or "old self," on the other hand, refers to the whole unregenerate person:

* Sin reigns as his master (Rom. 6).

* He is totally depraved.

* He is characterized by sin.

* At conversion a Christian puts off "the old man" (Col 3:9; Eph 4:22), who was crucified with Christ (Rom 6:6).

A Christian, thus, is a "new man" or "new self." This refers to the whole regenerate person:

* Though he still struggles with sin (Gal 5:16–26; 1 Pet 2:11), Jesus the Messiah (not sin) reigns as his Master (Rom. 6).

* He is still depraved but not totally depraved; he is genuinely new but not totally new.

* He is characterized by righteousness.

* A Christian puts on the "new man" at conversion (Col 3:10; Eph 4:24).

Kill Sin

There are a couple of sermon series I have really enjoyed over the past couple of weeks. They are series I have come across on the internet and have been able to download and listen to. This, to me, is one of the wonderful, edifying benefits of the internet; access to sound biblical teaching and preaching that would otherwise be unknown. One series that I have just finished is by John Piper and is focused on sanctification in general, and on mortification of sin in particular. I highly recommend it and encourage all to follow the links below and have a listen. Remember, as Pastor Piper brings to our attention the famous John Owen quote, "Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you."

How to Kill Sin, Part 1
How to Kill Sin, Part 2
How to Kill Sin, Part 3

Along with those sermons, here is a short article by John Piper on tips for killing sin in our lives.

Practical Steps to Kill Sin

November 9, 1987

Relief: All true believers have sin remaining in them in this life. Romans 7:23 - “I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.”

Therefore we are commanded to constantly kill this sin (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5).

How Is This to Be Done?

1) Take heart from the truth that the old sinful you is decisively already dead (Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:3; Galatians 5:24). This means three things:

1. the mortal blow to our “old man” has been struck;
2. he will not succeed in domination now;
3. his final obliteration is certain.

2) Consciously reckon the old man dead; that is, believe the truth of Scripture about the old man’s death, and seek to live in that freedom (Romans 6:11).

3) Cultivate enmity with sin! You don’t kill friends (Romans 8:13). Ponder how it killed your best friend, dishonors your Father, and aims to destroy you for ever.

4) Rebel against sin’s coup. Refuse to be bullied by his deceits and manipulations (Romans 6:12). Fight your sinful impulses with all your might like a boxer fights an opponent and like a marathon runner fights fatigue (1 Corinthians 9:27; 2 Timothy 4:8).

5) Declare radical allegiance to the other side—God—and consciously put all your mind and heart and body at his disposal for righteousness and purity (Romans 6:13).

6) Don’t make any plans that open the door for sin’s entry (Romans 13:14). Don’t prove your purity in a pornography shop.

7) Develop mental habits that continually renew the mind in God-centeredness (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:16). Fix attention daily on “the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5), “things that are above” (Colossians 3:2), “whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent, praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8).

8) Admit failure and confess all known sin every day (1 John 1:9). Ask for forgiveness (Matthew 6:12).

9) Ask for the Spirit’s help and power in all these things (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:17, 22; Ezekiel 36:27; Isaiah 26:12).

10) Be part of a larger and smaller fellowship where you are exhorted often to beware of the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13).

11) Beware of “works of law”; but let all your warfare be “the work of faith” (2 Thessalonians 1:11). That is, let your fight against sin spring from your confidence in the superior pleasures of closeness to Christ.

Pastor John

Reading the Classics with Challies - Redemption Accomplished and Applied

In chapter VII of Murray's classic work entitled Redemption Accomplished and Applied(Murray, John. Redemption Accomplished and Applied. Boston: Wm. B. Eerdmans Company, 1984), the author presents a study of sanctification. As clear and concise as ever, Murray considers this doctrinal issue under several headings; the presuppositions, the concern of sanctification, the agent of sanctification, and the means of sanctification. I have opted to focus on the concern of sanctification.

Murray ably defines exactly what sanctification is concerned with.

This deliverance from the power of sin secured by union with Christ and from the defilement of sin secured by regeneration does not eliminate all sin from the heart and life of the believer. There is still indwelling sin (cf. Rom. 6:20; 7:14-25; 1 John 1:8; 2:1). The believer is not yet so conformed to the image of Christ that he is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. Sanctification is concerned precisely with this fact and it has as its aim the elimination of all sin and complete conformation to the image of God's own Son, to be holy as the Lord is holy. (143, emphasis mine)

If we take this idea seriously, as we should, we must recognize that our entire sanctification "...will not be realized until the body of our humiliation will be transformed into the likeness of the body of Christ's glory..." (144) Murray, through his handling of the subject, implores us to take seriously the gravity of this doctrine. This is evidenced by his few points.

Murray states that we must appreciate the gravity of that with which sanctification concerns itself.We do so, according to Murray, by viewing a few things:

1. All sin in the believer is the contradiction of God's holiness; "But the sin which resides in the believer and which he commits is of such character that it deserves the wrath of God and the fatherly displeasure of God is evoked by this sin. Remaining indwelling sin is therefore the contradiction of all that he is as a regenerate person and son of God. It is the contradiction of God himself, after whose image he has been recreated." (144)
2. The presence of sin in the believer involves conflict in his heart and life; "The deeper his apprehension of the majesty of God, the greater the intensity of his love for God, the more persistent his yearning for the attainment of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the more concious will he be of the gravity of the sin which remains and the more poignant willbe his detestation of it." (145)
3. There must be a constant and increasing appreciation that though sin still remains it does not have the mastery; "It is one thing for sin to live in us; it is another for us to live in sin." (145)

Realizing that, for the believer, Christ has been formed in him and he is the habitation of God is "...equivalent to saying that he must reckon himself to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Christ Jesus his Lord." (146)

Murray sums this section up succinctly, "It is the concern of sanctification that sin be more mortified and holiness ingenerated and cultivated." (146)

John Owen on The Need for Mortification

The Need for Mortification

"The promise of life and vigor in our spiritual life depends much upon our mortification of sin. To gain spiritual strength, we must weaken sin, disentangle our hearts from false ambitions, and cleanse our thoughts. We must also mortify our affections so that we become more engaged in the worship of God than in the worship of our own idols. Mortification prunes indwelling sin and allows the graces of God to grow with vigor in our life." (201)

"Mortification robs sin of its debilitating, inharmonious, and emotionally distracting influences. Without mortification, sin darkens the mind, while the lusts of the flesh grow like weeds. Mortificati9on is the soul's vigorous opposition to the fruit-less self-life." (201)

The Daily Mortification of Sin

The most saintly believers, who appear free from the condemning power of sin, make it their duty every day to mortify the indwelling power of sin." (202)

"Since indwelling sin always abides in the believer, we always need to mortify it." (202)

"Sin is always acting, always conceiving, always seducing and tempting. To dare and stand still is to lose the battle." (202)

"It is our duty to "grow in grace" (2 Peter 2:18), to be "perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1) by "renewing the inward man day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). We cannot do this without daily mortifying sin. Sin sets its strength against every act of holiness and against every step of faith. Thus in spite of the mortification exhibited in the cross of Christ for each and every sin, we must apply its efficacy by our daily mortification of the flesh." (203)

"Every professor of faith who fails to mortify sin daily exhibits two evil characteristics. First, he has little regard for the reality of sin in his own life. The cause of this indifference is his ability to adsorb and digest sins daily, without bitterness or repentance...Second, he deceives others in his unmortified state. He appears alright in comparison to others. He seems to walk separated from the world, yet he still lives in its ways. He talks spiritually, but he lives in vanity. He mentions his communion with God, but he in every way conformed to the world. He boasts of the forgiveness of God, but he never forgives others. He actually deceives himself into thinking he is a partaker of eternal life." (203, emphasis mine)

Quotes from Triumph Over Temptation (Houston, John M. Triumph Over Temptation. Colorado Springs: Victor, 2005)

A Biblical Definition of Mortification

Part III of Triumph Over Temptation(Houston, John M. Triumph Over Temptation. Colorado Springs: Victor, 2005) focuses on the work of practical theology by John Owen originally entitled Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers (1656).

Owen, via the editor James Houston, wants the reader to understand mortification before he begins to consider the need to practice the duty. He starts by refuting several false notions about it.

1. "The first thing to remember is that the mortification of sin never means the death and final elimination of sin. This cannot be expected in this life." (195)
2. "Second, mortification does not consist of pretending sin is removed. That would only add hypocrisy to iniquity." (195)
3. "In addition, mortification does not mean the improvement of a quiet, controlled temperament." (195)
4. "Moreover, sin is not mortified when it is only diverted...To change pride for worldliness, sensuality for Pharisaism, or vanity for contempt is not mortification of sin." (195)
5. "Furthermore. occasional conquests of sin do not count as mortification." (195-6)

Following these considerations, Owen ventures the questions "What then is mortification? What does it mean to mortify sin?" (196) To which he answers that mortification consists in three things:

1. Mortification is the habitual weakening of sin. "Now the primary task of mortification is to weaken this habit of sin so that its power to express itself-in violence, frequency, tumult, provocation, and unrest-is quelled...The first expression of mortification is to weaken these lusts." (196-7)
2. Mortification is a constant fight and contention against sin. "First, it is necessary to recognize the enemy you face. Take sin seriously-most seriously indeed.When people view sin superficially, they have no sense of need or motivation to mortify sin...Second, it is important to learn the wiles and the tactics of sin before engaging in spiritual warfare...Third, severely attack it, loading against sin all the firepower most destructive to its survival." (197-8 emphasis mine)
3. Mortification is evidenced by frequent success against sin. "By success, I do not mean the frustration of sin, but the pursuit of it for a complete conquest. When sin no longer hinders our duty or interrupts our peace of mind, then mortification has succeeded to some extent." (198)

The Character of Mortification

Mortification, or reckoning ourselves dead to sin, is a topic that I need to learn more about. Jerry Bridges address the topic in The Pursuit of Holiness in a very helpful manner. This topic was clearly one of significance to the Puritans, and in particular, one of John Owen's focuses. The following quotes are taken from Triumph Over Temptation (Houston, John M. Triumph Over Temptation. Colorado Springs: Victor, 2005) which is a compiling of three John Owen works.

"Because they remain unacquainted with the mystery of the gospel and the efficacy of the death of Christ, they impose unnecessary yokes upon their disciples. Their view of mortification is unrelated to the nature of the gospel and not subject to its means and effects. This results in superstition, self-righteousness, and anxiety of conscience in those who submit to these false forms of discipline." (191)

"Even the choicest saints who seek to remain free from the condemning power of sin need to make it their business, as long as they live, to mortify the indwelling power of sin." (192)

"Mortification is only accomplished "through the Spirit."...Mortification based on human strength, carried out with man-made schemes, always ends in self-righteousness. This is the essence and substance of all false religion in the world." (193)

"To mortify is literally to put to death. "If you put to death," argues the apostle, "you kill." Indwelling sin in the believer is the old man who must be killed, with all his faculties, properties, wisdom, craft, subtlety, and strength. Its power, life, vigor, and strength must be destroyed and slain by the cross of Christ. The old man must be "crucified with Christ" (Rom. 6:6), if we would experience regeneration (see Rom. 6:3-5). But this whole work is gradual and requires all the days of our life for its accomplishment. God has designed this mortification of the indwelling sin that remains in our mortal bodies in order to eliminate the life and power of our flesh." (194)