Owen's first chapter addresses Romans 8:13, taking this Scripture as the foundational command to Christians to put sin to death. Paul writes, beginning with verse 12, "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. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." The English Standard Version translates verse 13 to say that if you live according to the flesh, you will die, as opposed to "must" from the NAS. The NAS to me seems to emphasize, thus, the guilt and condemnation that living according to the flesh brings, whereas the ESV (and Owen, too) emphasize the logical conclusion of death which results from living according to the flesh. Both, I believe, are correct ways to think about it in that obedience to the ways of the sinful world brings condemnation, however, death is also worth noting to be the absolute, unchangeable result of living according to the flesh. Perhaps, one's audience would influence which emphasis one makes. Owen writes to presumable believers, and therefore, is not as concerned with the penalty for sin, as for the negative consequences believers will face if they do not mortify the sins in their lives.
Either way, what struck me most in Chapter One is the emphasis Owen places on the role of the Holy Spirit in the mortification of sin. He argues that the Spirit is the "principal efficient cause" of putting sin to death, which, in other words means that believers are simply participants and executioners of that which the Spirit is carrying out in our lives. At first, a mature believer may say, "Well of course its the work of the Spirit," but I would counter, "Do our actions and the way we try to destroy sin in our lives really reflect this belief?" In other words, when you actively seek out to destroy some sinful habit in your life, is that process principally driven by the Holy Spirit or by your efforts?
There are numerous examples I could use to highlight this point from alcohol to internet pornography blockers. In particular, I think about my own journey with smoking. In 2006 I served with the International Mission Board as a short-term missionary in Ireland. According to IMB policies, I was asked not to smoke while serving. Whereas I had never smoked cigarettes, I did enjoy the habit of pipe smoking. After dinner at night, and often once more in the late evening, I had smoked a pipe since I was eighteen. However, in order to be an ethical Christian, I sought to not do it while serving with the IMB. Within a week I think I had gained 10 pounds already, because after dinner I found myself so craving something that I would order a big desert and then go eat probably four to five Snickers bars. I realized that I had not been addicted as much to smoking, as I was to having some sort of habit in and of itself. Not allowing me to smoke did not cease my addictive tendencies at all, as I simply placed them somewhere else. My wife can attest to how when I stopped drinking, I replaced it with chronic milk drinking.
As silly as it sounds, the sin in my life was not smoking (though I know a few of you would disagree with that) as it was that I was a slave to things apart from Christ. In my own endeavor I had not even threatened my sin with death, but rather disguised it. Such an example demonstrates the utter failings of a principal human cause to the mortification of sin as opposed to a Spirit-led approach. Do internet blockers help believers to cease looking at internet porn? Absolutely. Do they make that person stop lusting? I would argue no. Simply using an internet blocker treats the symptom without ever addressing the disease. Owen writes, "Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world."
We must recognize that though we are in Christ, our flesh is still weak and we are just as incapable of treating ourselves as we were at saving ourselves. God alone is mighty and capable to mortify the sin of our old corrupt lives. Does this mean that we shouldn't use internet blockers or milk to replace whiskey? I don't think so at all. God made us rational beings and calls us to flee from sin. Godly wisdom would dictate that we take practical steps to assist the endeavor of sin mortification. However, we must be intentional at ensuring that such man-driven endeavors are not our starting place. Instead, when you are convicted of sinful habits in your life, remember that the starting place lies in prayer and supplication of the Holy Spirit. Petitioning Him for strength, guidance, and power precedes all our other endeavors. Only through the Holy Spirit may we actually kill that sin as opposed to simply wounding it.
No comments:
Post a Comment