How to put to death the deeds of the body
How to put to death the deeds of the body
How to put to death the deeds of the body
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. ( Romans 8:12-13)
Many people have noticed that Paul, after making a strong statement about the need to put our sins to death, doesn't go on to tell us practically HOW to put our sins to death. He says it must be done by the Spirit. But is there anything more that we can glean from his words on how to do it?
I believe so. Here are five principles drawn from the assumptions behind Paul’s statement, and/or the surrounding context.
1. We need to believe that it is possible to put to death our sins.
Many believers think that because they have fallen many times in the past that it is inevitable they will continue to fall many times in the future. This is not true. Certainly, it is true that we will be sinners till the day we die, and that even those sins we believe are long dead are actually not completely dead and gone. They are only ever lying dormant, playing possum, or are in temporary remission, they are not gone. So we must remain ever vigilant. But it’s also true that you can put your sins into remission. You can weaken them so much that they become less of a daily problem.
2) You need to remember the sufferings of Christ.
Paul has just finished several chapters dealing with the sufferings of Christ for us, and has mentioned them as recently as vs 3 of chapter 8. For Paul the sufferings of Christ are clearly a motivation for holiness. John Owen famously said that we must learn to take our sins to the cross not just for comfort and forgiveness, but also for conviction! To learn to hate them more, because we are reminded what they cost our beloved Saviour!
3) We need to draw daily from the resources of the Holy Spirit.
It is by the Spirit that we put our sins to death. We need the grace and power of the Spirit daily. We need to draw from Him daily through the means of grace, through scripture study and prayer, and worship. We need to also guard the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is our own bodies, protecting them from defilement and sin.
4) We need to fight all our sins at once, not take them one at a time.
There is no point sitting in the mud to polish your shoes. We need to take a holistic approach to holiness.
5) We need to rely on other Christians and fight our sins in the community of saints.
Paul assumes this will be the case for those he is writing to. We should confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another.
Lastly I would just add, we must remember that in all of this “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Bible Text: Romans 8:12-13 | Preacher: Ian Goodman | Series: Romans—The Greatest Letter Ever Written | 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. ( Romans 8:12-13)
Many people have noticed that Paul, after making a strong statement about the need to put our sins to death, doesn’t go on to tell us practically HOW to put our sins to death. He says it must be done by the Spirit. But is there anything more that we can glean from his words on how to do it?
I believe so. Here are five principles drawn from the assumptions behind Paul’s statement, and/or the surrounding context.
1. We need to believe that it is possible to put to death our sins.
Many believers think that because they have fallen many times in the past that it is inevitable they will continue to fall many times in the future. This is not true. Certainly, it is true that we will be sinners till the day we die, and that even those sins we believe are long dead are actually not completely dead and gone. They are only ever lying dormant, playing possum, or are in temporary remission, they are not gone. So we must remain ever vigilant. But it’s also true that you can put your sins into remission. You can weaken them so much that they become less of a daily problem.
2) You need to remember the sufferings of Christ.
Paul has just finished several chapters dealing with the sufferings of Christ for us, and has mentioned them as recently as vs 3 of chapter 8. For Paul the sufferings of Christ are clearly a motivation for holiness. John Owen famously said that we must learn to take our sins to the cross not just for comfort and forgiveness, but also for conviction! To learn to hate them more, because we are reminded what they cost our beloved Saviour!
3) We need to draw daily from the resources of the Holy Spirit.
It is by the Spirit that we put our sins to death. We need the grace and power of the Spirit daily. We need to draw from Him daily through the means of grace, through scripture study and prayer, and worship. We need to also guard the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is our own bodies, protecting them from defilement and sin.
4) We need to fight all our sins at once, not take them one at a time.
There is no point sitting in the mud to polish your shoes. We need to take a holistic approach to holiness.
5) We need to rely on other Christians and fight our sins in the community of saints.
Paul assumes this will be the case for those he is writing to. We should confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another.
Lastly I would just add, we must remember that in all of this “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”