Be Killing Sin

“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.” — Colossians 3:5 (KJV)

Owen’s book starts from one Bible verse, Romans 8:13: “if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Notice two things. Killing sin is linked to life. And it is done “through the Spirit”.

Owen says this is a job for every Christian, including the very best ones. Some people think that once they become a Christian, they can relax. Owen says no. Paul wrote “Mortify therefore” to people who had already been raised with Christ. Then comes the famous passage:

“Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

Why every day? Because sin is still in us, even after we trust Jesus, and it doesn’t take days off. Owen says: “When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone.” But sin never really lets us alone. In fact, he says, it is never less quiet than when it seems most quiet, like deep water that looks still on the surface.

He uses a picture from Jesus too. Jesus said his Father prunes every fruitful branch so that it will bear more fruit. A gardener doesn’t prune a plant once and then stop. He keeps at it, season after season, because healthy growth depends on it.

Owen also says this: “He that is appointed to kill an enemy, if he leave striking before the other ceases living, doth but half his work.” If you only fight sin until it stops bothering you, you have only done half the job.

This can sound exhausting. But Owen is not saying you need to be anxious and grim all the time. He is saying that sin is serious, because it can wreck your life and your friendship with God, and that it is worth fighting steadily, every day, the way an athlete trains every day.

And remember the second part of the verse: “ye shall live”. Killing sin is not about losing life. It is about finding it.

One thing to do this week: each evening this week, take two minutes to look back over your day with God. Where did sin show up? Thank God for any victories, confess any failures, and ask for his help tomorrow.