This past Lord’s Day we were given a call to arms by recognizing the battle is the Lord’s and He is our banner. Exodus 17:8-16, “The Battle is the LORD’S”, gave us a convicting reminder that though Christ has brought the victory for believers, our weakness in flesh is still a present battle we have a responsibility continue in.
“When we [believers] are delivered from bondage, although it is God’s work to help us, we must be active in our cause.” – Pastor Zad Tomberlin
We have written previously about the puritan John Owen, and his conviction on killing sin daily. He wrote in The Mortification of Sin,
“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.”
Owen did not give a call to a one time event, or even a moment of crisis that we must kill sin daily, it is the long rang, ongoing profession of the Christian.
Practically, what should we know about killing sin to be successful in battle? We must know our enemy, know the battle plans and fight from victory.
We Must Know Our Enemy
We will not be able to “kill” sin if we do not understand it and recognize it. Scripture does not present sin as a mistaken enemy that we squabble with, but a hostile enemy that seeks to rule us.
Genesis 4:7 (ESV)
“Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
Romans 7:21–23 (ESV)
“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.”
Sin seeks to wage a war against you from the place of fleshly desires that are contrary to God. Since this is the case, we must see it rightly.
“Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind.” – Owen
Jeremiah Burroughs would show why that matters:
“There is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest affliction.”
John Flavel where sin grows and takes root:
“The heart is the seed-plot of all sin.”
If this be the case, then fighting sin isn’t isolated to one external incident. We are fighting an insurgence that begins internally.
“The Christian life is a battle, and the main battle is not outside us but within us.” – Lloyd Jones
What is our call to action?
- We must stop calling sin “personality” or “that’s just how I am.” Each excuse for not calling sin what it is, allows the enemy to dig a trench.
- Recognize sinful patterns as warfare.
- Expect the battle to be waged within you: Galatians 5:17 (ESV) “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh.”
Recognize the Battle Plan: Mortification Is the Normal Christian Life
An impactful question we should all ask ourselves: Do we manage sin, or make war on it?
Colossians 3:5 (ESV)
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim’s Progress illustrates the danger:
“One leak will sink a ship, and one sin will destroy a sinner.”
That means repentance is part of the battle plan God has given us.
Romans 8:13 (ESV)
“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.”
Take a close look at what Paul is saying:
- We must kill sin.
- This is ONLY accomplished by the spirit’s empowerment.
“All other ways of mortification are vain, it must be done by the Spirit.” – Owen
What does the battle plan look like for us?
- Don’t delay repentance, rush to it immediately.
- Guard and remove the “occasion” for sin (Matthew 5:29–30)
- Utilize the weapons to fight given by God’s Word and His Spirit for obedience. Ephesians 6:10-20 is a great resource to get started on this.
- Confession before we become hardened (Hebrews 3:13)
Fight From Victory Not To Victory
Praise the name of Jesus that victory was won at Calvary. Because Christ has won the war on sin, we fight daily battles. Not for victory, but from victory.
Romans 6:11–12 (ESV)
“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.”
“A Christian is not a man who is trying to be delivered from sin; he is a man who has been delivered and therefore fights.” – Lloyd Jones
The cross is what dethroned sin.
Galatians 5:24 (ESV)
“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
“Set faith at work on Christ for the killing of thy sin, His blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls.” – Owen
Thomas Watson explains that a heart change is needed to recognize sin:
“Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.”
Sin is not defeated by just changing your habits, it is defeated by faith and trust the Jesus won the war on your behalf. Knowing that he has brought victory, and knowing that in Him, you can overcome.
Closing Thoughts
What confidence do we have to fight from victory? How can we possibly overcome what seems to be such a pervasive enemy within us and in the world? The Apostle John tells us in God’s Word:
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Stay in the fight by preaching the truth to yourself:
- I am united to Christ
- This no longer rules me
- I belong to another Master
This is a call to holiness. This is a call to see that your identity is no longer a defeated sinner. Your new identity is a redeemed saint and child of God by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Know your enemy and recognize that sin is a battle. This battle is to be fought daily, and we fight and stand in victory because of our union with Christ.