The mortification of sin in one's life does not necessarily lead to peace and strength in the Christian life. Instead, John Owen aptly notes that strength and peace are aspects of our spiritual life which we are given by virtue of our adoption in Jesus Christ. In other words, because we are saved and in Him, the Spirit blesses us with peace and strength. Thus, during periods when we feel weak or a lack of peace, it may not be necessarily because of some sin in our lives.
However, Owen does point out how the mortification from sin can produce positive effects on our spiritual life. He says that sin does one of two things: it will weaken the soul or it will darken the soul. Nothing else in the world will directly weaken or darken the regenerate soul in Christ. Even during trial and temptation, the person that abides faithfully in the Son will continue to walk in strength and peace. It may be more difficult to do so than at other times, and we may grow weary, but our perseverance and hope will persist. Therefore, the mortification of sin may be viewed as the process of removing weakness and darkness from our souls.
Owen writes that mortification prunes all the graces of God and makes room for them in our hearts to grow. In other words, this process of killing sin is then not only a destruction of that which hinders us, but it is the lifelong process where we surrender ourselves more and more to glory of Christ and the indwelling of His Spirit.
May both our lives become abundant, fertile fields for the harvest of God!
No comments:
Post a Comment