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[edit] What mortification is

While we live in this world, we will be sinful, our duty is to stop sinning and to put our sin to death. According to John Owen,

'The old man,' with his faculties, and properties, his wisdom, craft, subtlety, strength; this, says the apostle, must be killed, put to death, mortified, that is, have its power, life, vigor, and strength, to produce its effects, taken away by the Spirit. . . be always at it [mortification] whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.

What makes this worse, is the deceitfulness and depth of our sin. Again according to Owen,

Every lust aims at the height in its kind. . . . Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could; every covetous desire would be oppression, every thought of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head. . . . It proceeds toward its height by degrees, making good the ground it hath got by hardness. . . . Now nothing can prevent this but mortification; that withers the root and strikes at the head of sin every hour, so that whatever it aims at it is crossed in. There is not the best saint in the world but, if he should give over this duty, would fall into as many cursed sins as ever did any of his kind.

To further define this mortification, consider Saul's orders to destroy the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15:

2Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt.3Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction* all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

However, Saul spared the Amalekite king as well as the choicest spoils of war:

7And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.8And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.9But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves* and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

As a result of this disobedience, Saul lost his kingship and the nation of Amalek still existed.

As it was, the battle intended to exterminate the Amalekites forever ended before the goal was reached. Scripture records that only a few years later, the reinvigorated tribe raided the southern territory and took all the women and children captive including David's family (1 Sam 30:1-5).
When David found the marauding Amalekites, "behold, they were spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah" (v. 16). He slaughtered them from twilight until the next evening, killing all but four hundred who escaped on camels (v. 17).
The Amalekites are a perfect illustration of the sin that remains in the believer's life. That sin`already utterly defeated at the cross must be dealt with ruthlessly and hacked to pieces, or it will revive and continue to plunder and pillage his heart and sap his spiritual strength. He cannot be merciful with his Agag, or indwelling sin will turn and try to devour him. In fact, the sin remaining in Christians often becomes more fiercely determined after the gospel initially overthrows it. Scripture commands believers to deal with their sin by putting it to death.
-John MacArthur Mortification of Sin

[edit] Verse Support
  • Matthew 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
  • Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
  • Romans 8:10-17 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – 13 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. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
  • 2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body* and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
  • Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:* sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.6On account of these the wrath of God is coming.*
  • 1 John 3:3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

[edit] What mortification is not

Some have confused proper biblical mortification of the sinful nature of man with putting to death the literal body of man. This is understandable as the scriptures use the terms body and flesh to denote man's pre-regenerate evil nature. However inocent though, this mistake often leads to extream behaviour as is depicted here mortification of the flesh. The Roman Catholics for example got this exactly wrong with their self flagellation, this is not what Romans 8:13 intends and may very well be attributed to the ascetic influence of Gnosticism in the early church.

[edit] Why put sin to death?

[edit] Mortify as our duty to god (See 1st section)

[edit] Mortify in order to avoid spiritual sickness and to maintain usefulness to the kingdom

[edit] The vigor and peace of our spiritual lives depend much on it.

Every unmortified sin will certainly do two things: 1. It wil weaken the soul, and deprive it of its vigor. 2. It will darken the soul, and deprive it of its comfort and peace. . . . To have peace with God, to have strength to walk before God, is the sum of the great promises of the covenant of grace. In these things is the life of our souls. . . . Strength and comfort, and power and peace, in our walking with God, are the things of our desires. Were any of us asked seriously, what it is that troubles us, we must refer it to one of these heads:— either we want strength or power, vigour and life, in our obedience, in our walking with God; or we want peace, comfort, and consolation therein. Whatever it is that may befall a believer that doth not belong to one of these two heads, doth not deserve to be mentioned in the days of our complaints. Now, all these do much depend on a constant course of mortification. . . . Mortification prunes all the graces of God, and makes room for them in our hearts to grow.
- John Owen Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers

[edit] Verse Support
  • Psalm 31:10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.
  • Psalm 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,

[edit] Mortify to avoid grieving God, wounding Christ afresh, and uniting the body of God to sin

[edit] Mortify to avoid spiritual death and eternal damnation

[edit] How to mortify sin?

[edit] How not to mortify sin

[edit] Miscellaneous Quotes

Note: This page is heavily indebted to John Owen's Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers and John MacArthur's Mortification of Sin