Mortifying

Romans 8: Heirs with Christ

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

I want to share this quote in reflection of John Piper’s address to the Passion07 conference delegates titled “How to Deal with the Guilt of Sexual Failure for the Glory of Christ and His global Cause“. I was not at Passion07 nor have I personally talked to anybody who did… so I cannot tell you how it went. But I have been watching to some of the main sessions online and can say from my personal experience of hearing those messages & having attended Passion06 that the word of God is being sown into the soil of my life by the Spirit’s working. The following quote is from John Owen’s “Overcoming Sin and Temptation“, Part 2: The Nature of Mortification, Chapter 5, pg.69 (emphasis Owen’s). Owen here expresses in good detail how I feel about Piper’s talk:

Mortification Is Not the Utter Destruction and Death of Sin

To mortify a sin is not utterly to kill, root it out, and destroy it, that it should have no more hold at all nor residence in our hearts. It is true this is that which is aimed at; but this not in this life to be accomplished. There is no man that truly sets himself to mortifying any sin, but he aims at, intends, desires its utter destruction, that it should leave neither root nor fruit in the heart or life. He would so kill it that it should never move nor stir anymore, cry or call, seduce or tempt, to eternity. Its not-being is the thing aimed at. Now, though doubtless there may, by the Spirit and grace of Christ, a wonderful success and eminency of victory against any sin be attained, so that a man may have almost constant triumph over it, yet an utter killing and destruction of it, that it should not be, is not in this life to be expected. This Paul assures us of: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect” (Phil. 3:12). He was a choice saint, a pattern for believers, who, in faitha nd love, and all the fruits of the Spirit, had not his fellow in the world, and on that account ascribes perfection to himself in comparison of others (v.15); yet he had not “attained,” he was not “perfect,” but was “following after” (v.12): still a vile body he had, and we have, that we must be changed by the great power of Christ at last (v.21). This we would have; but God sees it best for us that we should be complete in nothing in ourselves, that in all things we must be complete in Christ,” which is best for us (Col. 2:10).

–I invite you all to read Piper’s sermon transcript, to understand where this is all coming from. It is a page turner; you won’t regret it!