The Pursuit of Holiness: Death to Sin

Yes, We Are Responsible

Colossians 3:5 CSB

Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

Here is a sad reality: it’s easy to shift blame to God or to expect Him to do more because that postpones the inevitable — we need to face up to our own responsibility!

So, yes, we must put sin to death. But, that mortification isn’t carried out in our own strength. We’ve seen that throughout our study. Puritan John Owen well said, “Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness is the soul and substance of all false religion.” Yet, though this process of putting sin to death is done by the Spirit’s strength and direction, it is still a work we must do.

So, how to we do this? How do we destroy sin’s life in our daily living?

We must have CONVICTION

Do you have it? Do I have it? Are you unshakably convinced and motivated to pursue a life of holiness and righteousness?

Are we convinced of the truth of Heb.12:14 “Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord.”?

For conviction to set it, we must be students of God’s Word. (See Rom.12:2 “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”)

How many voices proclaim “truth” in our daily lives? Is it difficult to sift through the competing voices? How do we discern which one is true?

“God’s Word must be so strongly fixed in our minds that it becomes the dominant influence over our thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions.” — Jerry Bridges

So, let’s consider five ways to have God’s Word firmly fixed in our lives:

Intake of God’s Word isn’t enough. It must move from understanding to application. Here’s a quick run-down of an easy-to-use method for Bible study:

Observation: What does the Biblical text say?

Basic observations of the text

What is the context of the passage (in the paragraph, in the book, in the Testament, in the Bible)

How the thoughts flow together

Commands

Teachings about God/man

Sins that are addressed

Interpretation: What does the Biblical text mean?

Use a good study Bible

Do a word study on a key word (define the word, look for alternate uses of the word, describe it in context)

Is there a new teaching or a thought that it is corrected

Is there a commendable action or a behavior that needs correcting

Application: How do I obey the Biblical text?

What should I do to rightly respond to God and His Word

How can I respond practically

Conviction involves bringing God’s Word to bear on our lives.

Many of these issues are pretty cut and dry. What are some things that Scripture addresses that don’t need much interpretation?

However, if we are of the persuasion that Scripture is sufficient for all of life’s circumstances, what about the issues that aren’t addressed specifically as sin? Here’s Bridges’ suggestion:

“How to Know Right from Wrong”

I Cor. 6:12a ““Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. First, ask, “Is it helpful physically, spiritually, and mentally?”

I Cor. 6:12b ““Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.” Second, ask, “Does it bring me under its power?”

I Cor. 8:13 “Therefore, if food causes my brother or sister to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother or sister to fall.” Third, ask, “Does it hurt others?”

I Cor. 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” Finally, ask, “Does it glorify God?”

This still leaves the question of what to do with differing convictions on matters that aren’t black-and-white in Scripture. How should we respond when our convictions concerning certain biblical freedoms clash with someone else’s freedoms? Paul takes up this concern in a few different spots when writing to the churches. Let’s consider here Romans 14.

First, we should not judge those whose convictions differ from ours (Rom.14:1-4 “Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters. One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables. One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him. Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand.”)

Second, whatever our convictions, the must be “to the Lord” (Rom.14:5-8 “One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”)

Third, whatever convictions we have developed, we must keep, for to us it is sin (Rom.14:23 “But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin.”)

Here’s the question that must weigh heavy on our hearts: Are we “willing to develop convictions from the Scriptures, and to live by these convictions?”

With this question in mind, we come to our second needed quality when it comes to putting sin to death:

We must be COMMITTED

Luke 14:33 CSB

In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

Are we willing to forsake it all in order to follow Jesus and pursue holiness?

What things are “off the table?” How do we respond to convictions we are unwilling to deal with? How we answer this question may be the biggest key to spiritual maturity in our lives. It directly addresses the matter of being “filled with the Spirit” (Eph.5:18 “And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:”) and mirrors the commands in I Thes. 5:19 “Don’t stifle the Spirit.” and Eph. 4:30 “And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.”