Chapter 6: What Mortification Is

Mortification Consists in a Habitual Weakening of Sin
An individual is only truly mortified once he lusts no more, for “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). Even when Christians try to serve others he is nonetheless moved towards selfishness. It is because of our sinful nature that men’s “hearts are set upon evil” (Eccles. 8:11) and they try to “make provision for the flesh” (Rom. 13:14). By not mortifying sin, the believer gives heed to everything that distorts his original state of being—his convictions, his reason, etc. There are, however, two limitations to sin’s complete corruption of the believer:

One lust, or a lust in one man, may receive many accidental [non-essential, incidental] improvements, heightenings, and strengthenings, which may give it life, power, and vigor, exceedingly above what another lust has, or the same lust (that is, of the same kind and nature). It is when our lusts have been either captured by our natural inclination to sin or by Satan’s hand that the lust is multiplied in strength. The believer’s capability is then minimized and he is then stirred by corrupt emotions. Most of lust’s strength comes from temptation by which is it invigorated and empowered.
Some lusts are far more sensible and discernible in their violent actions than others.

Gospel-Driven Sanctification, by Jerry Bridges

The Bible is not just to be read for knowledge, but also to be obeyed (James 1:22). Jerry Bridges relates some personal experiences in “the pursuit of holiness.” From an understanding that we must not just be hearers, but also doers of the Word, we should seek to apply what we read. But Bridges lays out two common mistakes in this pursuit.

1) People may view the Bible as a rulebook and thus one must learn the rules and obey them. This ignores the need for dependence on the Spirit.

2) People may view God’s acceptance and blessing as dependent on moral conduct. Note that the person may still know that one is saved by grace through faith alone, assured that he will go to heaven, but may still mistaken think that God’s blessing is dependent on discipline in our spiritual lives. This type of thinking shapes our attitude toward Christian living.

Does Assurance Belong to the Essence of Faith?, by Joel R. Beeke

Joel R. Beeke starts the article with a description of the contemporary discussion of the doctrine of personal assurance, which is minimal. Today, many people believe it irrelevant to discuss this question of personal assurance of salvation because people believe that Christians have such assurance to a satisfactory degree. Beeke argues that contemporary Christians tend to live in minimal assurance.

Personal assurance of salvation is manifest in a Christian’s fruit such as:

1. Close fellowship with God

2. Relationship with God of childlike obedience

3. Desiring God and spiritual exercises that bring Him glory

4. Wanting to fulfill the Great Commission to glorify God

5. Other attributes in 2 Timothy 4:6-8

How I Distinguish Between the Gospel and Fake Gospels, by John Piper

¹Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ²and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ³For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

1 Corinthians 15:1-5

From this passage, Piper takes six aspects of the Gospel which are essential to its integrity. He goes through each aspect, affirming what is believed about that element and then discusses the distortions that are being imposed on the Gospel in modern circles.

2008 Resolved, Gospel Video

I found this on The Shepherd’s Scrapbook and thought I should share it. Not very often do you find good, artistic videos that convey the Gospel with clarity–point-blank and straight-forward.

Chapter 5: What Mortification Is Not

John Owen now comes to the primary concern in mortification of sin—how to mortify in practical ways and real circumstances. Owen provides an example that is the overarching example or at least where problems of mortifying sin can usually be reduced to. Suppose that a man is a true believer, but finds himself to have great indwelling sin. It still leads him to feel under the condemnation of the law and he cannot find peace of mind. He feels as if there are just so many duties to fulfill and feels himself hardening through the deceitfulness of sin. What will he do? What steps should he take to mortify this sin, not to utterly destroy it, but to be able to stay strong and find peace with God.

A Biblical Understanding of Sleep, by C.J. Mahaney

This message by C.J. Mahaney is the first of four in a series titled “Sanctifying the Ordinary.” The basis of the entire series is on Psalm 24:1

¹The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,

This verse shows the sovereignty of God over all of life. God is always present and active in all of life. All mundane events are opportunities to praise God. When we see a work of art, we should not just give praise to the artist, but to our “wildly generous” God who has willingly bestowed the artist a gift and also that He has given it for us to enjoy. Glorifying God in all of life is the desire of genuine Christians and a command clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 10:31. The New Testament as a whole paints this view of Christian living. The whole of life is a service to God and we must be good stewards of our lives.

Chapter 4: The Life, Vigor, and Comfort of Our Spiritual Life Depend Much on Our Mortification of Sin

When asked what a believer desires or what he is lacking and is in need of, the believer should answer that he desires either spiritual strength, vigor, and life in his walk with Christ, or peace and comfort in these things.

Life, Vigor, and Comfort Are Not Necessarily Connected to Mortification
These three ideas of peace do not necessarily follow mortification. As we see with Heman (Psalm 88), believers can continually mortify the deeds of the flesh but still face the terrors of the world. However, we (Christians) must realize that we should be mortifying sin just as Heman did—especially because we do have comfort from the terrors of the world. Heman, a hard-working man of God, loved to serve God and believers should also do this just as vigorously. Isaiah 57:18-19 should give us this comfort. God says that He will lead and He will comfort (vs. 18) for He is the healer (vs.19). Therefore, according to Owen, it is evident that although we have the means for obtaining life, vigor, and comfort, it God’s right to grant it to us.

Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers by John Owen (Blog Index)

John Owen’s “Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers” is a Christian Puritan classic. We started this book late May 2008 and used the unabridge edition, which God has blessed us with through Crossway publishers. The updated edition (an excellent one at that) was edited by Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic and compiled three of John Owen’s works on sin, including “Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers,” “On Temptation: The Nature and Power of It,” and “Indwelling Sin.”

Spiritual Depression in the Psalms: Psalm 42, by John Piper

Here, John Piper preaches on the emotional exhaustion and spiritual depression of the Psalmist in chapter forty-two.  Out of this, he gleans the reactions to such state of being and the focus of the Psalmist in distress.  (Note: You really must listen to the sermon.  Piper’s sermons are very difficult to put into words.)