Be Killing Sin, Or It Will be Killing You

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12-13)

by Josh Liu

Are you living according to the flesh? Or, are you putting it to death? This is the difference between life and death.

The Apostle Paul uses the word “flesh” in a variety of ways. He has used it to mean the physical body (cf. 1 Cor. 15:39; Rom. 2:28); all of humanity (cf. 1 Cor. 1:29; Gal. 2:16); in reference to heritage (cf. Rom. 4:1); to contrast with the spiritual (Gal. 4:23; Rom. 9:8); and to encapsulate evil, corrupt, fallen nature of unregenerate man (cf. Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 2:3).

In the context of Romans 8:13, Paul is speaking of the sinful flesh as that which encompasses unregenerate man–all that opposes the Holy Spirit. He warns that those living according to the flesh must die. In other words, those who engage in habitual ongoing unrepented sin, characterized by a life consistent of an unregenerate person, a life without faith and submission to Christ as Lord and Savior, will die. Paul is not describing the loss of salvation or even threatening believers. He is simply stating that those who do not have (and, as a result, walk by) the Holy Spirit will die (the second death in hell; cf. Rev. 20:14)–the life of unconfessed and unrepented sin identifies an unregenerate person. This is not to say that salvation or eternal life can be earned by obedience; or, a genuinely saved person can never sin. Rather, disobedience–a life opposed to the Holy Spirit, a fleshly life–is characteristic of one who is spiritually dead, and one who will (certainly, in the future) experience eternal death. By contrast, a truly regenerate person will be characterized by obedience–a life opposed to the sinful flesh. So, Paul goes on and teaches that a life that puts to death all that is reminiscent of the life before regeneration is characteristic of one who is spiritually alive, and one who will experience eternal life (cf. John 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:50-57; Rev. 2:7, 11). In preaching on Romans 8:13, John Piper offers a helpful summary:

If you are living according to the flesh – if you are not making war on the flesh, and not making a practice out of killing sin in your life, then there is no compelling reason for thinking that you are united to Christ by faith or that you are therefore justified. In other words, putting to death the deeds of the body is not the way we get justified, it’s one of the ways God shows that we are justified. And so Paul commands us to do it – be killing sin – because if we don’t – if we don’t make war on the flesh and put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit – if growth in grace and holiness mean nothing to us – then we show that we are probably false in our profession of faith, and that our church membership is a sham and our baptism is a fraud, and we are probably not Christians after all and never were. (“How to Kill Sin, Part 1”)

When the Apostle Paul says “putting to death the deeds of the body,” he is saying kill, destroy, slaughter, put an end to any sign of life, mortify, totally obliterate any deed, thought, attitude, speech that stems from the remaining sin principle in believers. Do not nurture, engage in, or practice sin. Kill it. John Owen says, “…the choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business, all their days, to mortify the indwelling power 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” (The Mortification of Sin, 25-26).

Fellow children of God, you cannot afford to be passive about sin. You have an enemy who opposes you, like a roaring lion seeking to devour his prey; you are surrounded by the world, whose tide is always seeking to sweep you away; you have the flesh within you, which is always seeking to deceive you with its sinful passions and lusts.

Yet take hope. Victory is won through Christ’s death and resurrection! The Holy Spirit has been given, empowering believers to overcome sin.

Sin is more evil than we realize, for we forget how holy God is. Our consciences are prone to excuse actions, attitudes, words, and thoughts that are abominations before God. The purpose of this article has been to exhort you to actively confront sin. Jerry Bridges’ book, Respectable Sins, helpful exposes sins that many believers are guilty of nurturing, of neglecting to mortify. Below is a list of sins that Bridges addresses, with my personal annotations. Look through the list and prayerfully examine yourself.

Ungodliness

  • Living one’s everyday life with little/no thought of God, God’s will, God’s glory, or dependence on God. God is essentially irrelevant to your life. Cf. Col. 2:33-34.
  • Check: How are you actively developing a more intimate relationship with God?

Anxiety & Frustration

  • Anxiety = distrust of God’s providence; usually involves fear and contributes to sinful actions, thoughts, attitudes. Frustration = attitude built upon sinful expectations that are not met; involves anger. Cf. Matt. 6:25-34; Phil. 4:6-8; 1 Peter 5:7.
  • Check: Do you tend to become anxious or frustrated when things don’t go as you planned? (My plans vs. God’s apparent plans).

Discontentment

  • Sinful discontentment is a response to unwanted circumstances (e.g. unfulfilling job, singleness, health, friends, appearance). Cf. Job 1:21.
  • Check: Can you genuinely say, “Lord, I am willing to: Receive what You give, Lack what You withhold, Relinquish what You take.” What is your attitude toward your circumstances? Do you submit, accept, and embrace it?

Thanklessness

  • A heart of thanklessness does not treasure God (Who is the greatest possession) and does not recognized all that He has abundantly provided. (Cf. Luke 17:11-19; Deut. 8:11-14; Rom. 1:21; Eph. 1:3ff). It is against God’s will (Cf. Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 5:18).
  • Check: What is the content or direction of your thanks in prayer? Is it centered on who God is and what He has done in salvation history?

Pride

  • Subtle areas of pride: – Moral self-righteousness (cf. Luke 18:11), Correct doctrine (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1), Pride of achievement (i.e. desire for recognition), Independent spirit (resistance to authority & unteachability).
  • Check: Are you easily offended? Are you quick to defend yourself? Do you humbly honor others’ interests before your own?

Selfishness

  • Common areas of selfishness: Interests, Time, Money. One can selfishly guard time, and selfishly impose on others’ time. Cf. Phil. 2:4; 1 John 3:17; James 2:14.
  • Check: Examine your conversations: how much time is spent talking about your interests vs. asking about the other person?

Anger

  • Anger = intense discontentment; hatred/murder from the heart. It is never right to be angry with God. Cf. Matt. 5:22; James 4:1-2; Eph. 4:26.
  • David Powlison: “I want my way and not God’s, and because I can’t have my way, I rage.”
  • Check: How often do you choose to respond with anger, rather than overlook or presume the best about another?

Weeds of Anger (Long term results of nurtured anger)

  • Resentment = anger held onto
  • Bitterness = ongoing animosity
  • Enmity/hostility = openly expressed bitterness
  • Grudge = hatred; taking revenge
  • Strife = open conflict/turmoil
  • Anger is never static; it will grow and feed the above sins
  • Check: Do you nurture anger, not allowing it to die out? Do you seek to love and honor others in your own thought life?

Worldliness

  • Worldliness = being attached to, engrossed in, pursuing for refuge, satisfaction, or ultimate value, or preoccupied with things of this temporal life. Cf. 1 John 2:15-16; Col 3:2; 1 Cor. 7:31b.
  • Check: Do you pursue looking like the surrounding culture?

Lack of Self-Control

  • Lack of self-control = indulging in desires, cravings, impulses, emotions, passions such that they control us, instead of controlling those desires. Common areas: Eating and drinking, Temper (cf. Prov. 14:17; 26:32), Personal finances. Cf. Prov. 25:28.
  • Check: Do you live as you please without any regard to God and others? Do you depend on the Holy Spirit for control?

Impatience & Irritability

  • Impatience = strong annoyance at (usually) unintentional faults/failures of others. Cf. 1 Cor. 13:4a. Irritability = frequency of impatience. When you are the object of impatience, respond like Christ (1 Pet. 2:23), or consider confronting (Matt. 7:5; 8:15)
  • Check: Does it seem like people are “walking on eggshells” around you?

Judgmentalism

  • Includes presumption on a person’s heart motives. Occurs when preference/opinion is elevated to absolute truth. Cf. Rom. 14:1ff.
  • Check: Are you known for a critical spirit? Do you respond with giving the benefit of the doubt? Do you seek to understand/ask questions first or jump to conclusions?

Envy, Jealousy, and Related Sins

  • Envy = resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another. Envy often leads to covetousness. We often envy those we are closely identified with (peers) and in areas we value most.
  • Jealousy = intolerance of rivalry. Results in unloving competitiveness and desires to control. Cf. Acts 5:17-18; 13:44-45.
  • Check: Do you tend to focus on self when others succeed?

Sins of the Tongue

  • Gossip, slander, critical speech, lie, critical speech. Cf. Eph. 4:29.
  • Check: Do you actively encourage others?

Let us confront sin as an act of worship and love for our Lord and Savior, who paid the penalty for our sin and liberated us from its dominion to be slaves of righteousness. The war is won, but there is a war nonetheless, and God has sounded forth the rallying cry. Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.