Some thoughts on dying to the flesh...

Mortification, plucking out one's eye, cutting off one's own hand, dying to the flesh, being dead to sin. These are all ways of describing what should be happening in the believer's life as they progress down the Pilgrim's way. We all have unique struggles and weaknesses in the flesh that we deal with from day to day. The idea that one is crucified with Christ and is now dead to sin, and alive by the power of the resurrection is an amazing truth to rest our hope on. However, there is practical trouble living out our lives in resurrection power. It is tough to live in the Spirit according to the commands of Christ, and sometimes we get bogged down in the mire of our own sin.

The Puritan John Owen had a great number of things to say about what sin does to the believer as well as how one should fight sin. For example, he says “The vigor and power and comfort of our spiritual life depends on our mortification of deeds of the flesh.” This means that more we die to our fleshly desires the greater our Spiritual vitality; the two things are directly correlated.

Elsewhere he says “The custom of sinning takes away the sense of it, the course of the world takes away the shame of it.” Sinning is like a downward spiral in the sense that the more we do it without putting it to death the easier it becomes to live in it. I find this to be true in my own life. The less seriously I take an area of sin in my life the less shame I have about it, and it ends up eating away at me, stealing my joy in the Lord.

The daily mortification of sin is something I have never taken very seriously and it has been to my detriment. My character has suffered because I have not taken time to pull up the weeds of sin that so easily take root in my life. Doug Wilson says that a man must take time to weed out sin and the lusts of the flesh every day so that they will not take root. Much in the same way we see that we must catch the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard.

Here is another helpful quote from John Owen that illustrates the importance of this daily practice. “Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.” We know that our hearts our exceedingly sinful and wicked and we are so easily convinced into thinking that all is well in our hearts. The good news is that Jesus Christ loved us even while we were sinners and gave himself for us so that we might have eternal life. He has also given us His Spirit and it is that very Spirit, the Holy Spirit, which enables us to live according to the commands of our Captain and Savior.

So as you live your life in Christ do not forget to die...do not forget to catch the little foxes in your vineyard that so easily ruin the fruits that God is working in your life. Put your faith in Christ; that the work which he began in you he will bring to fruition. Cast off the hindrances of your life and run the race with endurance. Fight sin daily remembering that we have been crucified with our Savior and now live in the power of his resurrection.