Are you killing sin?
The men in my accountability group started reading Temptation and Sin by John Owen together. I’ve found it extremely helpful in remembering that we are at war with sin. Oftentimes I forget this reality when everything seems to be going well in my life. But Dr. Owen exhorts us: "…be killing sin or it will be killing you." Sin is always active and always opposed to the desires of the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). If we’re not active in mortifying or killing sin, it will destroy us. He says:
It, then, sin will be always acting, if we be not always mortifying, we are lost creatures. He that stands still and suffers his enemies to double blows upoon him without resistance, will undoubtedly be conquered in the issue. If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish, in proceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a comfortable event? There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be so whilst we live in this world.
Are you killing sin? Let’s keep at it, trusting our faithful Savior who has broken the power of sin and will sustain us until the end!
“Don’t provoke your flesh, but choke to death,
the sin in your heart, until there’s no more breath,
and be militant and diligent when killing sin by the spirit,
let’s kill sin.”
- Timothy Brindle on his album Let’s Kill Sin!