Killing Sin with St. Owen (pt. 1)

Chapters 1 - 4

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Basis for Mortifying Sin

3. General Principles for Mortification

   1. The Necessity and Duty of Mortification

   2. The Means of Mortification is by the Spirit

   3. Mortification Bears Genuine Good Fruit

4. Conclusion

Introduction

Last week, I had the pleasure of delving into the fantastic work The Mortification of Sin by St. John Owen, a classic treatise of the Most Learned Puritan Divine on putting to death (mortifying) sin in the body of believers. It is a work that I urge all believers to read and put into practice in their lives for both the theological and practical wisdom that St. Owen puts forward in this work. However, recognizing that older English may be harder for modern readers, I hope to put forward a summary of his work in these articles. This by no means sufficiently covers his work and I urge readers to read and meditate on St. Owen’s work, however, given how necessary the practice of mortifying sin is, I hope that this series of articles will be able to provide practical wisdom from St. Owen on killing sin in your life.

This first part of this series on St. Owen’s work pertains to the foundational basis for mortifying sin and then three general principles to lay a foundation for the rest of his discourse.

The Basis for Mortifying Sin

The basis for St. Owen’s treatise is Romans 8:13, the Apostle writes, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death [mortify] the deeds of the body, you will live.” It is from this teaching by the Apostle that St. Owen lays a foundation for his whole work. St. Owen makes five observations on this text:

1. It is a conditional statement, “if you do this, you will live.” Putting to death sin is a means that God ordained for one to obtain eternal life. St. Owen writes, “The intent of this condition, then, is to make a certain and infallible connection between true mortification and eternal life: if you use this means, you will obtain that end; if you mortify, you will live.”¹

2. It is a duty that is ordered to certain people. The Apostle notes that “you” put sin to death, and in this case, the “you” are those in Christ, for whom there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). Putting sin to death is a duty of believers.

3. Mortification is “by the Spirit,” it is not something in ourselves or in our own power, but rather, it is by the Holy Spirit working in us.

4. The duty that the Apostle puts to our hearts is for the mortification, or putting to death, the “deeds of the body,” which includes our sin and carnal desire, by taking away the power it has over us. 

5. The promise of the duty is eternal life. 

This is the foundation from which St. Owen builds upon for his whole discourse.

General Principles for Mortification

Now, St. Owen lays forward three general principles for mortifying sin.

The Necessity and Duty of Mortification

St. Owen then, in chapter 2, discusses the necessity of mortifying sin. He notes that the corruption of flesh, the original stain from Adam’s fall, still remains in believers, as the 1689 says, “The corruption of nature, during this life, does remain in those that are regenerated” (1689 6.1). As a result, our daily task is to be killing it, as St. Owen notes, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”²

As the corruption of flesh still remains, so too does it act. It rebels against righteousness, it attempts to gain a foothold, reign, brings about terrible sins, and crushes the soul unto despair. Sin is something that continues to corrupt, sin begets more sin, from the original sin of disobedience, the next great sin was murder, and then in the time of Noah, all of mankind was corrupt in heart such that all of their ways were vile, destructive, evil sins. Therefore, we must put it to death. St. Owen writes:

And herein lies no small share of the deceitfulness of sin, by which it prevails to the hardening of men, and so to their ruin (Heb 3:13), it is modest, as it were, in its first motions and proposals, but having once got footing in the heart by them, it constantly makes good its ground, and presseth on to some farther degrees in the same kind. This new acting and pressing forward makes the soul take little notice of what an entrance to a falling off from God is already made; it thinks all is indifferent well if there be no farther progress; and so far as the soul is made insensible of any sin, — that is, as to such a sense as the gospel requireth, — so far it is hardened: but sin is still pressing forward, and that because it hath no bounds but utter relinquishment of God and opposition to him; that it proceeds towards its height by degrees, making good the ground it hath got by hardness, is not from its nature, but its deceitfulness. 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 any did of his kind.³

Finally, it is our duty to be growing in perfection and Holiness, this is why the Spirit was given to us, this is why Christ died for us; Christ did not perish on the cross for us to stay as we are, His grace did not abound that we are to continue in sin. Rather He sought His Sheep that they may be reconciled fully to Him, He is Holy, and in Him no blemish or spot can remain. So we are to mortify that we can be sanctified. 

This is the first general principle that St. Owen sets forward, we must constantly be mortifying sin all the days of our life till glorified by Christ.

The Means of Mortification is by the Spirit

Next, St. Owen discusses the second general principle of his discourse, that mortification is done solely by the Holy Spirit. He is the only way to put to death your sins. 

St. Owen is critical of Papists who, in vain, attempt other remedies through things like “vows, orders, [rigorous] fasting, penance” etc., means not set apart by the Spirit for mortification. Rather instead, since God is the one who saves us, we are to use the means and ways that God appointed us. Prayer, fasting, meditating, are “streams” to and affect and accomplish the end, but only as subordinate to Faith and the Spirit. No matter how much you pray, no matter how much you fast, no matter how many harsh penances you take, none of these will put to death your sin if it is not in the Spirit. 

Not only do the Papists prescribe these means of mortification, but so do us in what St. Owen calls “natural popery” where we promise upon falling into sin to never fall into sin ever again. And for a time we are watchful and seemingly we have put to death this sin, yet “this heat waxes cold and the sense of sin is worn off”⁴ and we go right back to your old ways. We have nothing in our own power to kill sin, the only means by which it can be done is in the Spirit, which is what God promises to us. 

And so, how does the Spirit mortify sin? In three ways:

1. By causing our hearts to abound in grace, in fruit, and in love. By growing us in virtue against vice, by cultivating the fruits of the Spirit in opposition to the fruits of the flesh.

2. By a real weakening of the flesh in the hearts of the regenerate, such that no longer are we totally lost and controlled by our carnal desires; for the Spirit is in us, working in us and weakening the flesh.

3. By bringing the cross to our hearts and bringing us into full communion with Christ, who is ever interceding for us and who loves us dearly. 

Yet, despite it being the Spirit’s work, we are still called to mortify sin for two reasons. First, just as things like faith are gifts and works of the Spirit, yet we are called to faith and repentance. Secondly, the Spirit works “upon our understandings, wills, consciences, and affections, agreeably to their own natures; he works in us and with us, not against us or without us.”⁵

Mortification Bears Genuine Good Fruit

The third and final general principle that St. Owen discusses is that mortification is a useful thing for believers, practically. It genuinely grows us and our spiritual lives. Now this doesn’t mean we are suddenly free from suffering if we mortify sin, one can constantly mortify sin and yet still suffer. It is also not the immediate cause of nourishment and comfort, for that is immediately caused by Adoption where we “have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him as by a Father” (1689 12.1). 

However, mortification in an ordinary walking with God is a key place of growth, comfort, and vigor in your walk. Mortification keeps sin from depriving us and darkening the soul. Sin weakens our soul, breaks us down, deprives us of strength. It diverts our heart from God and unto ourselves. It sets a dark cloud between the warm and bright rays of light that is God’s love for us, depriving us of that light. Mortification prevents this, and is the only recourse we have of removing the darkness that light may shine through. Secondly, mortification, by removing sin in your life, makes room for virtue to grow. One cannot put on Christ if they are not putting off themselves. Finally, mortification provides us evidence of sincerity of our Christian convictions and our election, which the Apostle exhorts us to confirm (2 Peter 1:10). This sincerity is a foundation of our peace.

Conclusion

In the next article, we set ourselves to see how St. Owen actually defines mortifying sin and general rules that he sets forward for mortification.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

1. The Mortification of Sin, St. John Owen, p. 21

2. Ibid, p. 27

3. Ibid, p. 31-32

4. Ibid, p. 42

5. Ibid, p. 45