Engaging the Battle: Mortifying Sin in Christ
Summary
In our journey through Colossians 3, we explore the profound truth that the Christian life is a battleground where new life in Christ coexists with ongoing struggles against sin. This battle is not a sign of failure but evidence of our new life in Christ. As Christians, we are not passive participants but active warriors called to mortify, or put to death, the sins that arise from our earthly nature. This relentless warfare is a testament to our faith and the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.
Paul's teachings in Colossians 3 highlight various sins that Christians may face, such as sexual immorality, greed, anger, and deceit. These temptations are persistent, and as we gain victory over one, another may arise. The key is to engage in this battle with intentionality and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Mortification is not merely about behavior modification; it is about a deep, spiritual transformation that leads to growth in faith, hope, love, and godliness.
To effectively engage in this battle, we must first ensure that we are in Christ. This foundational relationship empowers us to confront sin with the knowledge of God's love and the strength of the Holy Spirit. We must take responsibility for our role in this fight, actively putting to death the misdeeds of the body. Winning some battles in this ongoing war strengthens our position and weakens sin's hold on us.
Furthermore, we are called to cultivate virtues that counteract the sins we seek to mortify. This involves pursuing qualities like compassion, kindness, and humility, which are contrary to the sins of the flesh. Finally, a life of full devotion and obedience to Christ in all areas is essential. We cannot isolate one sin for mortification while indulging others. Our pursuit of holiness must be comprehensive, involving worship, fellowship, and service.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Battle of the Christian Life: The ongoing struggle against sin is not a sign of failure but evidence of new life in Christ. This battle is a normal part of the Christian experience, demonstrating that we are alive in Christ and engaged in spiritual warfare. [01:27]
2. Mortification of Sin: Mortification, or putting sin to death, is a crucial aspect of the Christian life. It involves actively confronting and overcoming sin through the power of the Holy Spirit, leading to spiritual growth and transformation. [04:21]
3. Foundation in Christ: Being in Christ is essential for true mortification. It is not merely about changing behavior but about experiencing a deep spiritual transformation that leads to growth in faith, hope, and love. [09:53]
4. Active Engagement: Christians are called to actively engage in the battle against sin, taking responsibility for their role in mortification. This involves being honest about where the battle is and using the power of the Holy Spirit to fight. [17:34]
5. Comprehensive Devotion: Mortification is most effective when pursued within a life of full devotion and obedience to Christ. This involves targeting specific sins, cultivating contrary virtues, and engaging in worship, fellowship, and service. [34:13]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Introduction to the Christian Battle
- [00:55] - Encouragement in the Struggle
- [01:42] - Evidence of New Life
- [02:09] - Sins Christians Face
- [04:21] - Understanding Mortification
- [05:29] - Daily Battle Against Sin
- [06:21] - Always Be Killing Sin
- [07:35] - Strategies for Killing Sin
- [09:53] - Importance of Being in Christ
- [16:48] - Taking Responsibility
- [20:53] - Winning Battles Against the Flesh
- [26:40] - Cultivating Virtues
- [32:36] - Pursuing Obedience in All Areas
- [38:39] - Worship as a Weapon Against Sin
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Colossians 3
Bible Reading:
- Colossians 3:1-17
- Romans 8:13
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Observation Questions:
1. What are some of the specific sins Paul lists in Colossians 3:5-9 that Christians are called to put to death? How do these sins manifest in daily life? [02:09]
2. According to the sermon, what does the term "mortification" mean, and how is it applied in the context of Colossians 3:5? [04:21]
3. How does the sermon describe the relationship between being "in Christ" and the ability to mortify sin? [09:53]
4. What are the virtues mentioned in Colossians 3:12-14 that Christians are encouraged to cultivate, and how do they counteract the sins listed earlier? [27:14]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the ongoing battle against sin serve as evidence of new life in Christ, according to the sermon? [01:27]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that mortification is more than just behavior modification? How does it lead to spiritual transformation? [11:44]
3. What role does the Holy Spirit play in the process of mortification, as explained in the sermon? [09:53]
4. How does the sermon suggest that cultivating virtues can help in the mortification of sin? What practical steps are recommended? [26:40]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a specific sin you struggle with. How can you actively engage in the battle against it this week, using the power of the Holy Spirit? [17:34]
2. Consider the virtues listed in Colossians 3:12-14. Which one do you feel most challenged to cultivate in your life, and what practical steps can you take to develop it? [27:14]
3. The sermon emphasizes the importance of being "in Christ" for true mortification. How can you deepen your relationship with Christ to empower your fight against sin? [09:53]
4. Think about a recent victory over sin in your life. How did it strengthen your position in your spiritual battle, and how can you build on that victory? [21:31]
5. Identify a specific area in your life where you need to take more responsibility in the battle against sin. What changes can you make to actively engage in this fight? [17:34]
6. How can you incorporate worship, fellowship, and service into your life as tools to combat sin and grow in holiness? [38:39]
7. Reflect on a time when you felt distant from God due to sin. How can you use the strategies discussed in the sermon to draw closer to Him and experience His peace? [36:41]
Devotional
Day 1: The Christian Life as a Battleground
The Christian life is a dynamic journey marked by the coexistence of new life in Christ and the ongoing struggle against sin. This battle is not indicative of failure but is evidence of being alive in Christ and engaged in spiritual warfare. Christians are called to be active participants in this struggle, recognizing that the presence of this battle is a testament to their faith and the work of the Holy Spirit within them. The struggle against sin is a normal part of the Christian experience, and it is through this struggle that believers grow in their faith and reliance on God. [01:27]
"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10:3-4, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel the tension between your new life in Christ and the struggle against sin? How can you actively engage in this battle today with the help of the Holy Spirit?
Day 2: Mortification as Spiritual Transformation
Mortification, or putting sin to death, is a crucial aspect of the Christian life. It involves actively confronting and overcoming sin through the power of the Holy Spirit, leading to spiritual growth and transformation. This process is not merely about changing behavior but about experiencing a deep spiritual transformation that results in growth in faith, hope, love, and godliness. Christians are called to engage in this battle with intentionality, relying on the Holy Spirit to guide and empower them in their pursuit of holiness. [04:21]
"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5, ESV)
Reflection: Identify a specific sin that you struggle with. What steps can you take today to actively confront and overcome this sin through the power of the Holy Spirit?
Day 3: Foundation in Christ
Being in Christ is essential for true mortification. It is not merely about changing behavior but about experiencing a deep spiritual transformation that leads to growth in faith, hope, and love. This foundational relationship with Christ empowers believers to confront sin with the knowledge of God's love and the strength of the Holy Spirit. It is through this relationship that Christians find the power and motivation to engage in the battle against sin and pursue a life of holiness. [09:53]
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on your relationship with Christ. How does being in Christ empower you to confront sin and pursue spiritual transformation in your daily life?
Day 4: Active Engagement in the Battle Against Sin
Christians are called to actively engage in the battle against sin, taking responsibility for their role in mortification. This involves being honest about where the battle is and using the power of the Holy Spirit to fight. Winning some battles in this ongoing war strengthens the believer's position and weakens sin's hold on them. It is through active engagement in this battle that Christians grow in their faith and reliance on God. [17:34]
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:12, ESV)
Reflection: What is one specific area where you need to take responsibility in your battle against sin? How can you actively engage in this battle today with the help of the Holy Spirit?
Day 5: Comprehensive Devotion to Christ
Mortification is most effective when pursued within a life of full devotion and obedience to Christ. This involves targeting specific sins, cultivating contrary virtues, and engaging in worship, fellowship, and service. Christians are called to pursue holiness in all areas of their lives, not isolating one sin for mortification while indulging others. A life of full devotion to Christ involves a comprehensive pursuit of holiness, involving every aspect of the believer's life. [34:13]
"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:13, ESV)
Reflection: Consider your daily habits and routines. What changes can you make to ensure that your pursuit of holiness is comprehensive and involves every aspect of your life?
Quotes
Sure, here are 12 quotes from the transcript that align with the key takeaways:
1. "The experience of the battle of the Christian life is not a sign of your failure it is the normal experience of the Christian life let that encourage you the new life does not mean that the battle is ended the new life means that the battle is begun this is evidence that you really are a Christian you're not simply like a dead fish floating down with the stream of the river you have life in you and you're going in a different direction you're engaged in this battle you're alive as a Christian and the evidence of it is not only that you have peace with God but you have this experience of war with sin." [00:01:27]
2. "Now as we turn to another passage on the subject in Colossians 3 notice here that Paul lists some of the sins to which Christians can be tempted look at them verse five he talks about sexual sins like sexual immorality and impurity and lust are their sexual sins to which you are being tempted at this point in your life but that's not the only kind he talks about financial sins money greed he says verse five which is idolatry if you ever noticed that before that greed is idolatry he says because what it means is it you're taking money and you're putting it in the place that should belong to God alone you're going after this thing you're putting your confidence in the future in this thing and that is the very essence of idolatry." [00:02:09]
3. "So what we're learning here is that Christians then are called to this relentless warfare against sin in our own lives and the word that is used to describe this a word that's worth learning is mortification say that with me it's got a good R in it mortification okay mortification now it's the same word from which we get mortal which means subject to death or mortuary which is a place where dead people are taken mortify therefore means put to death and it's the word that's used in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 5 and also in Romans chapter 8 and verse 13 these are the two specific references to mortification putting sin to death in the New Testament and although there are only two they really get to the heart of what this battle against sin is really all about for a Christian." [00:04:21]
4. "Make sure that you are in Christ the first and the most important make sure that you are in Christ now notice what the Apostle says in verse five here he says put to death therefore and years ago back in Scotland I learned from my own posture wherever you see in the Bible the word therefore always ask the question what's it there for because therefore always refers backwards and so there's always a connection being made with what is said before and quite clearly in verse five though therefore is there for this purpose to help us to remember that what is commanded in verse five is only possible in the light of what is taught in verses one to four what is in the first four verses is essential essential to what we are being called to in verse five." [00:09:53]
5. "A person who is not in Christ a person who is not a Christian can change his or her behavior people who are not Christians can stop drinking they can stop swearing you don't need to become a Christian in order to gain control of your temper you can do this through willpower you can do it through accountability you can do it with some kind of support but there is evidence surely all over the world people change without becoming Christians habits that one's gripped people compulsively can be overcome without you being at risk everyone knows this to be true but what we're learning from the Bible is that only a Christian can mortify sin." [00:10:48]
6. "Therefore mortification in a believer leads to growing in faith growing in Hope growing in love growing in prayer growing in worship and growing in godliness none of these things will come from a self-help program all of them will come from mortification that is done within the part with the the power of the Holy Spirit so can you see that these are two different things here I mean outwardly you might say well this person has changed and this person has changed and therefore it seems to me to be exactly the same but if a person who is not a Christian has simply ceased from some compulsive behavior that is totally different from a person who is in Christ who has come to grow in faith and hope and love and joy in Christ and progress in the Christian life and to love Christ more because that person has experienced something that has arisen out of encounter with Jesus we're talking about two different things it's of huge importance to understand the difference." [00:11:19]
7. "Second take responsibility for the task to which God has called you look at verse 5 put to death therefore whatever belongs to the sinful nature now who is to do that the answer is we are paul is writing to these believers every Christian is called to mortify sin God gives us the Holy Spirit for this purpose but this work he has called us to do you are to do it you are given the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do it but the Holy Spirit is not given to do to do this for you the Holy Spirit is given to you to enable you to do this now I want you to see this is very important because there are so many Christians who have got into a completely passive a kind of an approach to the battle with sin you can't fight a battle passively you can't fight a battle by saying O Lord you do it and the language of the New Testament when you see it clearly is that the Spirit is given to you so that you are able to engage in this fight that's what mortification is all about." [00:17:34]
8. "Every time you say yes to a sin you increase its power in your life it takes a stronger position like the weeds that we thought about last time and they're becoming more pervasive and they're beginning to take over every time you say yes to a sin and you allow it a place in your life and you're indulgent you cherish it you increase its influence in your life and every time you say no to a sin you weaken its power in your life you cut it back you take something of the life out of it every time you said yes you made the next battle harder every time you've said no you put yourself in a stronger position next time the temptation comes." [00:20:53]
9. "Cultivate virtues that expel the sin that you are seeking to mortify cultivate virtues that expel the sin that you are seeking to mortify now this is very important because remember that unlike behavior modification in the secular world progress in the Christian life is not simply about sinning less it is about the fruit of the Holy Spirit growing more in our lives and that's why it's very significant that after listing examples of sins that we are to mortify Paul goes on to list some virtues that we are to pursue verse 12 clothe yourselves with compassion and kindness and humility and gentleness and patience bear with each other forgive whatever grievances you have against each other forgive as the Lord has forgiven you and over all these virtues notice the word put on love which binds them all together in a perfect unity." [00:26:40]
10. "Pursue obedience to Christ in all areas of your life strategy number five pursue obedience to Jesus Christ in all areas of your life some of you know a few years ago I went through the difficulty of a ruptured disc in my back and I am so grateful for the kind physiotherapists who persevered and worked with me with great patience indeed they had me and I know a number of you have an experience like this or similar they had me doing all kinds of exercises moving just about every part of the body and when it was all done after some months the physiotherapist said to me on the last occasion she said no crawl anew you need to keep doing these exercises you know this deal don't you so I said which are the ones that are especially for the back and she rolled her eyes she had heard this many times before she said you don't get it do you she said everything in your body is connected and you can't help you're back in isolation you can't help you're back in isolation." [00:34:13]
11. "You cannot mortify us in an isolation you can't in other words overcome lust while at the same time you're indulging laziness you can't overcome greed while at the same time you're indulging pry half-hearted Christians are never successful in mortifying sin and folks who want to come to God just to make one change in their life are rarely successful Oh God heal my marriage or God heal my marriage Oh God help me overcome this affliction Oh God do this one thing for me John Owen has a fascinating comment on this he says this person that comes to God not with a full devotion of life but just saying one thing I need your help with one thing do this for me he says do you not think that God would say well if I give this person what they ask I'll never hear from them again and then they'll be completely lost so why would God give you what you ask why there's more hope for you as you're wrestling with this at least you have some feeling of your need for him." [00:35:56]
12. "Victory is going to be gained in the context of a total devotion to Jesus Christ word worship fellowship service all these are the gifts of God to help you in this battle now use them and may it be for your great blessing and for the glory of Jesus Christ let's pray together show me father please encourage us and strengthen every Christian in the battle and for any who are not yet in Christ may today be the moment of sealing with the Savior in repentance and faith for we ask it in his name and everyone said." [00:38:39]
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