Not in Your Own Strength

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” — Zechariah 4:6 (KJV)

So how do we kill sin? Most people’s first answer is: try harder. Make a resolution. Grit your teeth. Owen says that will never work on its own.

“A man may easier see without eyes, speak without a tongue, than truly mortify one sin without the Spirit.”

Remember the verse: “if ye through the Spirit do mortify”. Owen says killing sin is the Holy Spirit’s work. He uses our effort, but the power is his. Without him, all our attempts are empty.

Owen goes even further. He says trying to beat sin in your own strength, by your own invented methods, so that you can feel good about yourself, is the heart of all false religion:

“Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world.”

In Owen’s day some people tried to defeat sin with harsh rules and painful practices: special vows, endless fasting, punishing their bodies. Owen thought these missed the point completely, because they tried to change the outside without the Spirit changing the heart.

This needs saying very clearly: killing sin never means hurting yourself. Not starving yourself, not cutting, not punishing your body. That is not what Owen meant and it is not what God wants. If you are hurting yourself, or feel you deserve to be hurt, please tell a trusted adult or a doctor today. God wants to heal you, not harm you.

Owen also says that killing sin is only for believers. No amount of pruning will make a thorn bush grow figs. First a person needs to be joined to Christ by faith and receive his Spirit. Then the fight against sin begins, with real power.

So if you have been trying to beat a sin on your own and failing, don’t just try harder. Ask for help: from the Holy Spirit first, and often from wise people too.

One thing to do this week: before you face your usual temptation this week, stop and pray a short prayer: “Holy Spirit, I can’t do this on my own. Give me your strength right now.” Notice what happens when you depend on him.