by Ryan Marquardt
Let me begin by saying that this is a difficult book in more ways than one. It is short, but it is dense, requiring slow reading and re-reading section by section, sentence by sentence, and sometimes word by word. The structure is not always clear, and the flow of topics is not always easy to follow. Secondly, it is uncomfortable to honestly confront our weakness and brokenness. Owen makes us look squarely at our own hearts. In his desire to be faithful to biblical truth and provide help that goes more than skin deep, Owen pulls no punches when it comes to prompting self-examination and reflection on the holiness of God. Prospective readers beware. You should read this book, but you should not expect it to be quick or comfortable. You also should not stop in the middle and remain stuck in unhealthy introspection.
Owen breaks down his analysis into three parts: the necessity, the nature, and the means of mortification. The first thing that sticks out is the relative length of the sections.
Necessity: 20 pages
Nature: 59 pages
Means: 9 pages
Owen spends the most time carefully defining what mortification is and what it is not. I think reason is that if we get this wrong, that’s the ball game. Having the right understanding of and approach to killing sin has fundamental gospel implications. Still, let’s start at the beginning where Owen starts, with the necessity of mortification.
“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 8:13, ESV). This verse is the foundational biblical basis for what follows. Owen goes on to outline the who, the how, the what, and the outcome. Mortification is for believers, it is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, it involves putting to death indwelling sin and corruption, and it results in the promise of life, both eternally and now. It is here we encounter perhaps the most well known quote from the entire book.
“Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it while you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you” (Chapter 2).
The major point to take away is that while we remain in this life, sin remains in the fleshly nature of the believer. It is active, it seeks to destroy the soul (Romans 7, Galatians 5), and it will cause even the best of saints to fall if not actively, vigilantly, and repeatedly killed by the Spirit. Specifically this is done by waging war with the new nature all believers possess in him. Owen is clear that the Spirit is the only one with the power to accomplish this, but it is also the duty of every believer to practice it.
“He works in us and with us, not against us or without us” (Chapter 3).
From the outset, we need to understand clearly that the process of mortification is required, it takes work, and it is dependent on the Spirit.
Finally, we are warned that if we do not engage in the process of mortification, it will end in anxiety, despair, wrongly directed affections, and distractions from active obedience and worship. As Owen states it,
“The heart is like a sluggard’s field—so overgrown with weeds that you can scarce see the good corn” (Chapter 4).
The rooting out of sin is the essential preparatory work for bearing the fruit of godly living; it is the constant clearing of weeds to make room for the flourishing garden.
This is the meat of the book.
First, Owen is intent that we must understand what mortification is not. He says it is not the complete absence of sin (though that is the aim), the learning to hide outward sin, the diverting of sin to a new outlet, or the temporary beating back of a particular sin for as only long as attention is directed toward it. If we mistake any of these for the true process of killing of sin, we deceive ourselves and can end up in a worse and more dangerous position than where we started.
Instead, Owen clarifies that real mortification consists of three processes:
1. the habitual weakening of sin, both the obvious and the hidden sins which must be diligently uncovered to the root;
2. the constant battle against sin without self-justification, voicing of excuses, or even a day of negligence;
3. frequent success over sin through replacing it with the fruit of the Spirit, which directly oppose it.
There are also at least seven important warnings here.
1. As stated at the outset, this is a process for regenerate followers of Christ and is impossible unless you first respond to his call and go to him for justification and new life.
2. There is significant danger in pacifying the conscience and being content to stop there while never looking to Christ. Comfort with ourselves cannot be the goal.
3. Mortification that focuses on killing only one particular sin will never succeed. Our loving Father may permit continued wrestling with a particular sin if, in removing the struggle, he would never hear from us again due to our underlying pride and perceived self-sufficiency.
4. If we continually look first for the evidence of good in ourselves as a way to ignore and excuse sin, we will never apply ourselves to destroying it.
5. If we claim God’s grace for ourselves without ever sincerely seeking to end the sin, we deceive ourselves and allow the flesh to prevail over the true heart of the gospel.
6. To be negligent in battling sin is to choose carelessness, which is an additional sin, not an excuse for slipping into sin inadvertently.
7. If we attack merely the obvious outward aspect of sin without examining it back to the root, we engage in a futile game without hope of sustained success.
We need to start here, prayerfully examining our hearts to ensure we are not deceived in any of these ways.
With self-deception cast aside, Owen calls us to look squarely at the ugliness and danger of the evil that plagues us in light of the perfection of God’s law and the wounds borne by Christ on our behalf. We must understand the heinousness of wickedness so that our hearts will not be hardened and our consciences seared. In his words, we must daily say to our souls in the face of our sin,
“What have I done? What love, what mercy, what blood, what grace have I despised and trampled on! Is this the return I make to the Father for his love, to the Son for his blood, to the Holy Ghost for his grace?” (Chapter 11).
Admittedly, this section can at times seem like a lot of law and not much grace. And it can also perhaps tip the scales toward too much morbid introspection. However, I don’t think that is the intent. What I understand the heart of Owen’s message to be is that once we clearly see the weight of our sin against a holy God, we can truly embrace a deep and sincere longing for deliverance and desire to be conformed to Christ. We have to grieve over sin as he does. Only then will we see clearly enough to take practical steps toward turning away from sin based on our particular dispositions and circumstances. When we truly long for obedience, we will seek and find steps we can take to alter our daily habits and courses away from what we know would lead us back into sin. We can start to recognize the first inclinations of the flesh toward evil and run from it immediately. We can consistently meditate on the truths of who God is and who we are, seeking to act in faith rather than simply know facts in our minds passively. We can recognize the voice of Christ and hear when he speaks peace and forgiveness, knowing that we do not speak it to ourselves falsely.
After the painful, sometimes repetitive, but essential central section of the book, Owen finally turns to the shortest and sweetest part. Put simply, the actual work of the mortification of sin is accomplished by setting our faith in Christ to work, as if we were aiming an already-loaded gun at the evil remaining within us. His blood is the remedy. We just need to apply it to the sin that plagues us and walk in the victory he has already won. This is the cure for the morbid introspection we might fall into if we stop in the middle of this book. We abide in him and draw on his strength rather than looking to our own weakness. We look to Christ with confident expectation of relief, with hope that trusts his promises. We remember that any effort made or action taken that does not point to Christ and seek his help will not succeed against sin. We consider his merciful and tender character toward us as his people and his chosen and earned roles as our great high priest and advocate before the Father. We prayerfully pursue union with Christ, killing sin through his death and walking in the new life of his resurrection. We do this daily, trusting the Spirit to accomplish the work in us, to convict of remaining sin, and to supply the words for the prayer we need to prevail. Owen puts it beautifully,
“I plainly see, that without some eminent succor and assistance, I am lost, and shall be prevailed on to an utter relinquishment of God. But yet, though this be my state and condition, let the hands that hang down be lifted up, and the feeble knees be strengthened. Behold, the Lord Christ, that has all fullness of grace in his heart [John 1:16], all fullness of power in his hand [Matt. 28:18], he is able to slay all these his enemies. There is sufficient provision in him for my relief and assistance. He can take my drooping, dying soul and make me more than a conqueror [Rom. 8:37]” (Chapter 14).
Owen’s writing is rich, rewarding, and thoroughly biblical. It is also not for the faint of heart. It requires work, and it must be read thoroughly and prayerfully in order to avoid taking away unintended, unbiblical conclusions. It is worth wrestling with Owen’s words, examining them in the light of scripture, and in the end, looking to Christ and him alone. I recommend it for all believers both as a knife to cut through a numb heart and as a medicine to bring it to health by pointing to the Great Healer.
Note: I read the edition published by Crossway (2006) titled Overcoming Sin and Temptation, which places Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers into a single volume with two of Owen’s other works, Of Temptation: The Nature and Power of It and Indwelling Sin. I found the Introduction by Kelly Kapic and the Preface and Overview by Justin Taylor in this volume to be very helpful. There are also many footnotes that aid in understanding Owen’s difficult vocabulary.
