So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 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.
Pastor John Piper had a two-part sermon about (10) years ago that hit me hard. Often times I find myself traveling back to those sermon to listen to it again and remind myself of one of the things that I believe Christians should constantly be working towards, namely killing the sin that still lurks in our hearts and lives. (If you are interested you can find the sermons -- HERE)
Here are some of the take-aways that I've been thinking about over the past week.
What Is This Putting to Death of Sin?
The answer is that you suffocate the sinful deeds of the body. You cut off the life-line, the blood flow. Deeds of the body come from somewhere. Jesus said, "The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. (19) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. (20) These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man" (Matthew 15:18-20). Sinful deeds have a life line that must be cut.
In other words, there is a condition of the heart that gives rise to the "deeds of the body." It's a heart issue. We must cut off the hands and gouge out the eyes, not literally – that would do no good – but with that kind of violent heart-work. You kill the bad fruit by severing the bad root.
What's the bad root of "the deeds of the body"? You can see it in Romans 8:7. "The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so." The root of "the deeds of the body" that have to be killed is the flesh that is hostile to God and unwilling and unable to submit to him. Verse 12: "If you live according to the flesh you will die." Flesh is the great enemy here. And it's an enemy because it is insubordinate and hostile to God. It doesn't like God and does not want to be told by him what to do.
So to kill "the deeds of the body" that this enmity produces, you have to cut the life-line. Pinch the air pipe. Stop the blood flow. Deeds must be killed before they happen by severing the root of hostility and insubordination that rejects God.
If you try to survive as a Christian in any other way than "by the Spirit," you will not survive. You will die. Until you believe that life and fighting sin is war – that the stakes are your soul – you will probably just play at Christianity with no blood-earnestness, no vigilance, no passion no wartime mindset. (HERE)
We may learn hence, that we are never secure from the greatest sins, till we guard against those which are thought the least; nor, indeed, till we think no sin is little, since every one is a step toward hell. | John Wesley
Paul tells us again in Romans:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. | Romans 12:2 (ESV)
These are not passive words from Paul. This is a call to action. "Be transformed by the renewal of your mind". But how does this really happen? The answer is wrapped into the source of the command. Christians are transformed by the renewal of their minds which takes by living and abiding in the word. With the Holy Spirit's help, it is the responsibility of every Christian to be Holy (1 Peter 1:16). Sin, therefore, for Christians is a choice and we are responsible and accountable for avoiding sin.
Obedience is the pathway to holiness, and the Holy Spirit gives us the ability and capacity to be obedient.
God's word must be so strongly ingrained into our hearts and our minds that it becomes the dominating force behind the choices that we make. If we are not filling our minds with the truth (the Bible) how can we expect to make good decisions when the moments of temptation come? If the word of God is the sword of truth how will we be able to use it as it's intended (an offensive weapon) if we don't keep it close to our hearts and meditate on it day and night?
For His Glory,
Jason
Jason
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