Killing Sin Habits
Today’s post is sponsored by BJU Seminary and written by Stuart Scott, professor of biblical counseling and ACBC Fellow. BJU Seminary equips Christian leaders through an educational and ministry experience that is biblically shaped, theologically rich, historically significant, and evangelistically robust.
Ever since Adam ate of the tree in the garden, every man and woman has inherited a nature of sin. Running its course, sin leads to hopeless slavery. However, if we are believers, sin no longer holds us hopelessly captive because God has justified us, has broken that slavery, and is progressively sanctifying us. But we can still become temporarily and routinely entangled in sin—a sign that something is very wrong or missing in our Christian walk.
Scripture is clear that sin habits are incongruous with a redeemed lifestyle: “we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die” (Rom. 8:12–13a). In other words, a person who continues a life of sin without any real desire or efforts to change has no legitimate claim of redemption.
Consequently, God calls us to mortify the sin in our lives: “but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13b). As we pursue holiness and rest on Christ’s finished work on the cross, by grace we aggressively strive against sin in our lives. Pursuing holiness Christ’s way will weaken a sin habit, until its power and predominance is subdued and practically destroyed.
But mortifying our sin is not accomplished by our own efforts to break sinful habits. To mortify sin, we must aggressively strive toward a growing walk of faith with Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So, the call to mortify our sin is really a call to vivify our faith in Christ and His gospel, first of all and ongoing. To vivify something, we endue it with life and effectuate it. Vivifying is not just about doing something; it is about possessing or personally embracing something from the inside out—for the glory it brings to God and the eternal life it expresses in us.
To vivify our faith in Christ, we must vivify true worship of Christ alone. Turning from competing pursuits and truly seeing Christ and His radical love for what it is will breed radical love, trust, and obedience (with delight) in us.
This vivifying of our faith in Christ includes vivifying faith in the gospel truths of Christ, daily. Turning to the power of Christ in us, His forgiveness, our hope of heaven, and all God’s promises will greatly impact our thinking and our actions. We must especially vivify or exercise our faith in the moments of trial and battle. Specifically in times of temptation, choosing to put faith in what we need to will empower us to resist sin and then grow our faith even more.
Vivifying faith effectually vivifies a walk in the Spirit. As we turn and submit to the truth of God and depend on the Spirit who dwells in us, through prayer, God and His Word can influence us. God’s Word, active faith, and the indwelling Spirit combined, in tandem with other saints, assures a walk in the Spirit.
With the vivification of our faith, we must then focus not on our habit of sin, but on Christ’s specific, righteous alternatives to our sin. Aggressively pursuing the Christlike characteristic corresponding to sin with real faith and dependence effectively works to mortify sin habits.
Replacing our sin habits with the help of the Holy Spirit is necessarily an intensive practice. It involves addressing personal hindrances such as laziness, apathy, and misplaced priorities. It involves personal, periodic examination with confession, and it involves any needed radical amputation of facilitators—all in response to Christ’s radical love.
This vivifying of our faith in the practical putting off sin and putting on righteousness is an ongoing Christian endeavor with Christ. Everything about our Christian walk and mortifying sin is inextricably linked to exercising our faith in a worthy and sacrificial Savior.
A fuller treatment of the cycle of sin habits, and of hope to mortify them, can be found in the book Killing Sin Habits: Conquering Sin with Radical Faith, written by Stuart Scott with Zondra Scott.
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Announcing The Missionary Conference
This week the blog is sponsored by The Missionary Conference (October 2024, Jacksonville, FL). Plan to attend it to hear from John Piper, Sinclair Ferguson, Kevin DeYoung, Conrad Mbewe, and many others.
There are many, many Christian conferences, all with varying values. Why another conference? And why put missions front and center? Here are four reasons why the Missionary Conference is worth attending:
1. This conference celebrates the 500-year anniversary of William Tyndale translating the Scriptures into English.
In 1524, William Tyndale began the task of bringing the word of God into his native tongue, and in the process changed the world. Good missions have always been rooted in the Scriptures no matter the day and age. For English speakers, this achievement is worth remembering, pondering, and celebrating.
2. It is united by missions and speaks pointedly and practically.
While we remember and celebrate the work of Tyndale, the burning question remains, what of those who still have no gospel, no church, and no translation in their language? Sponsors like Desiring God, Crossway, Radius International, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and many more are united by the spread of the gospel to tongues that still live in darkness. This conference will speak to that task and how churches and individuals can be tangibly involved inthe Commission that still is binding on the church today.
3. It has a strong group of speakers who are passionate about biblical missions.
Hear from renowned preachers and teachers including John Piper, Sinclair Ferguson, Steven Lawson, Kevin DeYoung, Conrad Mbewe, Brooks Buser, Harshit Singh, and many others.
4. It features the premiere of the documentary film Missionary: Obeying the Great Commission.
The Missionary Project is a 5-year in-the-making film that focuses on six pioneer missionaries and a timeless theme exemplified in each of their lives. Each lesson is 35-45 minutes and will feature a study guide for Sunday Schools, Small Groups, and any group interested in diving deeper into missions. Each clip is shot on location where they grew up, went to church, where they served overseas, and many where their bodies were laid to rest.
The six missionaries are:William Tyndale—The Primacy of Scripture
William Carey—Perseverance
Amy Carmichael—Singleness and the Sufficiency of God
Adoniram Judson—Suffering and the Sufficiency of God
Hudson Taylor—Culture and Language Fluency
John Paton—The Primacy of the ChurchJoin us for this remarkable one-time conference that will bring together hearts of thankfulness for what our God has done, and if He tarries, hopefulness in what He will do—even to the ends of the earth.
Register for the conference today: https://missionary.net/conference
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A La Carte (September 1)
The beginning of a new month is a great time to take a few moments to ponder this: Right now, at this very moment, God is reigning from his throne.
ChurchSource is having its semi-annual sale which means books like Seasons of Sorrow are deeply discounted. It’s also a good time to place a bulk order for any of the books they offer.
Richard Dawkins asks an important question and here is my answer
Murray Campbell takes on an important question from Richard Dawkins.
David Livingstone, Slavery Abolitionist
Vance Christie, who has just written a fantastic biography of David Livingstone, tells how Livingstone made a substantial contribution to the abolition of slavery.
Systematic Theology from Every Perspective
Petrus Van Mastricht’s four-part theological method—exegetical, dogmatic, elenctic (apologetic), and practical—helps pastors and laymen alike understand the deep things of God. (Sponsored Link)
Mercy on Maui: Hawaiian Churches Lament and Serve
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra asked pastors on Maui how they responded to the Lahaina fire, what they preached, and what spiritual response they have witnessed.
Death of the Innocents
“Three different women. Three very different public responses.” Matthew Hosier looks at three recent cases of infanticide and considers the different responses to them.
We need encouragement in sermons, not only challenge
This is a timely word about a “danger we [preachers] must avoid: always being negative and telling people how they are doing everything wrong. Some preachers fall into a pattern of constantly pointing out the sin of those listening and failing to encourage those who need encouraging.”
Are You Overlooking Christ’s Worth?
“In 20 years of pastoral ministry, I’ve noticed a regularly overlooked emphasis for many Christians. And this emphasis is so important, so valuable, that if adopted, I think it could drastically affect your life. I know this firsthand. I’ve seen it happen and watched it in many others walking that narrow path toward Immanuel’s land. Intrigued?”
Flashback: Moments With My Father (and My Son)
The delight that flashed in his eyes, the smile that broke over his face, the tears that glimmered in his eyes, all point me to a time in the future when what is broken will be made whole, when what is sorrowful will be soothed, when what has been torn apart will be stitched back together, a time when son and father and father and son will be reunited, never more to part, never more to grieve.I have a great need for Christ: I have a great Christ for my need. —Charles Spurgeon
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A La Carte (December 17)
May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
Can You Stand for Truth without Being Offensive?
“I often speak on controversial subjects: abortion, homosexuality, Islam, transgenderism, bioethics. These aren’t topics that are casually brought up over Christmas dinner and calmly discussed with out-of-town family. That’s why believers often ask me how they can stand for truth on controversial topics without being offensive. Here are three quick things I tell them…”
Too Busy to Read? Read More, Not Less
If you find you’re too busy to read, then maybe you’re thinking about things wrongly…
Questioning God
“Sometimes people act like you can’t ask questions in church life, as though you just have to ‘have faith’, which is true but not in the way that people who usually say it mean. I think they act like this because well-meaning people have told them so.”
WATCH KEITH & KRISTYN GETTY’S IRISH CHRISTMAS CONCERT FREE
Join Ireland’s own Keith & Kristyn Getty for a one-night-only livestream of Sing! An Irish Christmas—live from the Museum of the Bible! Gather your family and sing the songs of Christmas together again through soaring melodies and foot-stomping Irish-American renditions of your favorite Christmas hymns. RSVP today and receive a FREE digital download of our keepsake hymnal and program book featuring new songs from the Gettys, devotional material and advent readings, and more! (Sponsored Link)
‘Tis the Season for Regret?
Stephen Roberts: “Christmas is often filled with regret, especially when we compare the Hallmark ideal with the realities of life in a broken world. It shines a bright light on pasts that are often filled with trauma, the gaping wounds where love once was or should’ve been, and the hardships nibbling at us in the present. Before you drown yourself in mugs of warm eggnog, here are a few reminders for how to recover the reason for the season…”
Baby Jesus: Our High Priest and Sympathizer
“The Christmas season becomes more profound when we grasp this gift of Christ’s birth. We have a God who wanted to identify with our suffering to comfort us and give us strength in time of need. Hebrew 4:16 says, ‘Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’”
Norway’s Shoddy Christmas Tree And The Nature Of Biblical Typology
Here’s the connection between a shoddy Christmas tree and the nature of biblical typology.
Flashback: Please Don’t Give Them Porn for Christmas
This Christmas a lot of children will receive porn from under the tree. It’s not what they wanted, and not what their parents intended for them to have. But they will get it anyway.We can’t separate the Bible’s commands to do justice from its commands to be discerning. The oppressed deserve more than our good intentions. We must love them not merely with our hearts and hands but with our heads too. —Thaddeus Williams
