“It is the duty of every person, whoever hears the gospel or law preached, to mortify sin. It is his duty! But it is not his immediate duty; he must do it in God’s way. A servant who is directed to pay a bill must first collect the money at the bank. It is his duty to pay the bill, but he must first collect the money before he obeys this injunction. So it is in this case; sin is to be mortified, but something is to be done in the first place that enables us carry it out.”- John Owen, Chapter 7 of The Mortification of Sin, “Only Believers Can Mortify Sin”

 

I actually really enjoyed reading Owen’s book (thanks to Richard Rushing for his abridged version and “translation”), so it was difficult to select just one quote to expound upon. However, I chose the aforementioned paragraph because I believe it addresses a misconception that many “new” Christians (and probably lots of “old” ones too) possess- the notion that our first task is to extinguish every fire of sin in our lives. 

 

As Owen would argue, of course we have a responsibility to live “godly” lives, in which we actively seek goodness and thwart sinfulness, BUT…none of this can be done without first being in communion and union with Christ. Too often, we try to roll up our own proverbial sleeves and do all of the “work,” believing that it is we who are the mortifiers of sin rather than Christ in us- that if we just read a few more verses, pray a few more minutes, attend a few more services, we will be victors. Well, clearly this is a foolish plan that will inevitably end in disaster- not only the failure to “conquer sin” but, more than likely, the development of self-loathing (at the inability to succeed), hopelessness (at the prospect of succeeding in the future) and/or resentment (at God for “abandonment”). Therefore, the greatest tragic consequence of any of these responses is the likelihood of giving up altogether and allowing sin to triumph.

 

So the question remains: why do we insist upon doing it ourselves even though we always fail to mortify sin when we attempt to circumvent Christ’s involvement? I suppose I cannot speak for all believers (or non-believers at that); however, I am fairly certain that many engage in the same foolishness that I have (and still do)- I am resolute to leave Christ out of my sanctification because, quite frankly, I still wish to be my own savior…I want to be “perfect,” thus removing my need for Christ’s atonement. Sure, I rarely, if ever, am consciously saying this to myself, but clearly my actions reveal an underlying unbelief- my unbelief in who God says I am (a sinner), my unbelief in who God says He is (my perfect creator/father/judge),my unbelief in who God says Christ is (my perfect savior) and my unbelief in who God says the Holy Spirit is (my perfect empowerment/enabler). This is an ugly truth and a difficult one to admit; nevertheless, if I don’t, I will never be able to do what Owen reminds us is the critical first step- opening up my heart and inviting the Holy Spirit to enter (which, yes, we paradoxically know can only happen if God wills it so), then allowing him to mortify that which I (and we), in vain, cannot.