Before we get to today’s article, I just want to mention that am writing from the perspective of a man that has experienced many of the challenges of which I write…. and those spiritual battles continue daily. The articles are implications of what it means to obey the commandment to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. They require some reflection and are particularly for Christians who, as Peter would say, are diligently seeking to confirm their calling and are making every effort to supplement their faith. Said more succinctly, serious Christians. If you know other believers who desire to walk more faithfully with the Lord, please forward an article to them and tell them to sign up for future articles. Thanks so much!
Before we get into this week’s article, I want to go back to the subject of last week’s article for a moment. As you know, many of us knew a young man who took his life recently and we were all shaken by such a tragedy. Often, death comes suddenly and without warning, leaving us scrambling to think rightly about our God and the world in which we live. In God’s good providence, I came across a book this past week that I think will be helpful for anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one. It is by well-known author Tim Challies, and it is called, “Seasons Of Sorrow.” Tim’s 20 year old son was attending Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and participating in a school activity when he fell unconscious and collapsed to the ground. No one was able to revive him. Through this book, Tim shares real time reflections of the first year of grief which he is calling the “ministry of sorrow.” Just Google it and you can see where you might purchase it from.
Now, if we can pivot to a topic that is very different, let’s talk about the Lion’s den. Most Christians are somewhat familiar with the Biblical story of Daniel. Throughout the life of Daniel, we see a man who refused to compromise his obedience to the One and Only God and was miraculously protected by God from the deadly ordeals commanded by pagan kings. By the way, Alistair Begg’s ministry is doing a free e-book download on the life of Daniel and how Daniel’s challenges are becoming more like what American Christian’s will experience in the not too distant future. It’s a good read, or should I say listen, and you can download it by clicking here: https://info.truthforlife.org/brave?src=23WPHC1
Listening to Begg’s teaching and application for us today, my mind drifted to wondering how Daniel had the courage to willingly face what appeared to be a horrible death, especially in light of the fact that he could have made a minor change in his life and averted the whole thing. But as we think about Daniel’s unyielding motivation to obey God, it becomes clear that Daniel’s faith was not diluted by any attachment to this world nor fear of anyone but God alone. It seemed he was familiar with the words of Jesus in Mathew 10:28 where Jesus said, And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
I actually think that if we were to ask Daniel where he got his courage, he would say that courage was never the issue, he was simply doing what his God had commanded and would never choose to fear a man over fearing God. What about you and me? Are we ready to obey God and walk into a den of lions, or are we apt to make some minor changes in our lives and skip a date with death?
So, where am I going with this? I’m taking you to a different kind of lion’s den, one that I know Daniel faced as well, so you can be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election (2 Peter 1:10). Peter was referring to the Christian’s growth, or what we commonly call sanctification. His admonition in the previous five verses was, For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
I am going to follow up on something I started back in the July 14th post- “The S-Word That May Be The most Despised Word In the Bible.” The word was “striving” and here is a just a reminder of where I was going-
So, I’m taking the same tack from the Master to say that either we love to strive to be like Him, or we hate it. We either embrace and welcome striving in our Christian lives or we hate the thought of it, evidenced by us refusing to do it. And the lack of striving is the reason why I am not seeing the victories over the same sins that I have been committing for many years.
In fact, I think the lack of true striving (not weak, perfunctory efforts) has placed a glass ceiling on my desire to get closer to God. I think a lack of true striving against sin has resulted in me becoming satisfied with some of my sins. Why are my prayers not answered? Well, will God be mocked by my self-defined Christianity, a type of Christianity that is without striving? Can I sow to the flesh and reap the things that are spiritual? Is it possible that my refusal to give all of my life to Christ is leading to a hardening and a belief that my Christianity, even though I don’t strive, is pleasing to God? Will the continued lack of striving for holiness result in a hardening of my heart that blinds me to the hardening?
Having stated the need to strive against sin, I did not say anything about the HOW to actually kill sin. Frankly, there is so much to say about it, I don’t know where to start. But, let’s go back to Daniel for a minute. Do you think Daniel’s faith was a faith that he received over the period of a day or two? I suppose that God could give Daniel a gift of a great, deep faith, but that is not how the New Testament tells us faith is grown. In fact, Daniel 1:3-4 tells us that Daniel was a young highly educated Jew, and he would have known the teachings of the God of Israel before he ever set foot in the Babylonian king’s palace.
Following that early education and training, Daniel’ faith grew as he battled his own flesh to obey God and as he did, he was as Paul says, filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy (Colossians 1:9-11).
You see, I believe that Daniel was ready to face the lion’s den because he had metaphorically faced a lion’s den every day of his life and fought to win. Like Paul in Romans 7:22-23, Daniel could say, For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
Yes, as Begg eloquently says in his book, Christians in America are facing a future of growing hostility in a land that was once at least amenable to Christianity. While you may be able to imagine how difficult it may become in the next twenty years; can you imagine the challenges that your children will face in 50 years? Therefore, the necessity for parents to be willing to enter that lion’s den and fight to gain victory over sin will become the foundation of a faith that stands firm when confronted with a physical lion’s den- or whatever the 21st century equivalent will be.
In our daily lion’s den, we are faced with the reality that we will either choose to obey God and fight this lion (the flesh) or slink away and avoid the massive confrontation. This is what Paul is referring to in Philippians when he says he is pressing on to make Christ his own and for us to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling and he expects the Christian to make it his daily lot in life. God does not exclude your unwillingness to fight the big sins, the medium sins, or the tiny sins. He demands all of your heart if you are claiming the blood of His Son for your salvation.
So, what’s your response? Am I droning on once again about our lack of concern for holiness or a lackluster effort in battling sin? Yes. And fair warning, I’ll be talking about it again in the future.
Because being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29) is not a pipe dream. It will happen to those who are truly predestined to it, and without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
And know this- the person who claims to be a Christian but is not willing to fight the good fight at the level that God demands may be fooled about what it means to be a Christian and if you don’t know what it means to be a Christian, you’re probably not a Christian. So, I am pleading with you- enter the fight.
For those of you who are still reading or listening to this, you may be willing to fight against remaining sin in your life, but you don’t know how. Pray about it? Yes, but that is only part of the toolkit. Try harder? Yes, but that is only another part. What you must do is KNOW all of the aspects of successfully engaging this lion called the flesh and the way to do that is to listen to the most renown expert on the topic since the time of the apostles. That would be John Owen.
And guess what? This will require your attention and demand you to think deeply about this topic. Why? Because fighting sin is a complicated endeavor, but it is an endeavor that pleases our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and is necessary for our sanctification!
Now, here is the good news: In the past, the writings of John Owen on this incredibly important topic have been hard to understand, but recently they have been updated to modern English, so they are a much easier read. In addition, I am so excited to tell you that I have recorded the book allowing you to listen in chapters anywhere and you can pause it, rewind it, and so on.
Here is what the publisher says about the book:
“The Mortification of Sin” by John Owen is a profound and timeless Christian work that explores the necessity of recognizing, understanding, and actively combating the sinful nature within oneself. We have updated this timeless classic into modern, updated English so you can understand exactly what John Owen wrote nearly 400 years ago!
Drawing from scriptural teachings, Owen guides readers through the process of identifying and mortifying their sins, emphasizing the importance of self-examination and reliance on the Holy Spirit to achieve victory over sin and grow in their relationship with God.
In this insightful treatise, Owen not only presents the theological foundations for mortification, but also offers practical advice on how believers can cultivate the discipline and self-awareness required to fight against sin and temptation in their daily lives. Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to seek God’s grace and mercy while acknowledging their own weaknesses, ultimately leading to a deeper, more authentic relationship with the Creator and a life marked by spiritual growth and transformation.
So, here are your options to listen or read for free:
LISTEN: If you have an Apple device, open the podcast app and do a search for Cherish Ephesians 6:4 and you will see, “The Mortification of Sin.” Or, you can click on the link below or the link in the weekly email. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherish-ephesians-6-4-presents-the-mortification-of/id1696454280
LISTEN: Or you can listen to the book on YouTube by clicking here: https://youtu.be/CZ8KYwaBYCM
READ: https://www.modernpuritans.com/mortification-of-sin-john-owen/
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Last modified: August 11, 2023
