Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. – Colossians 3:5

If we find evil in us, then we should kill it mercilessly without prejudice. If we found out we had cancer (as many of us have!), we would not simply ignore it, or treat it with candy. We would pursue radical measures in order to kill the cancer. If we found out we had covid-19, we would quarantine and seek treatment. So it should be when those who are alive in Christ discover they have sin remaining. Sin is our enemy. Sin is our death. Give it no room to live!

In Colossians 3:5, Paul speaks to all who have “risen with Christ, (Colossians 3:1). They once were dead (v3) as Jesus really was dead. These same people united to Christ will “appear with him in glory,” verse 4.

John Owen in his little book, The Mortification of Sin, Chapter 2 asks,

“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. Your being dead with Christ virtually, your being quickened with him, will not excuse you from this work. And our Savior tells us how his Father deals with every branch in him that beareth fruit, every true and living branch. “He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit,” John 15:2. He prunes it, and that not for a day or two, but while it is a branch in this world. And the apostle tells you what was his practice, 1 Corinthians 9:27, “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.” “I do it,” says he, “daily; it is the work of my life: I omit it not; this is my business.”

Very early in the bible, Genesis 4:8, God tells Cain that sin is crouching at his door looking to devour him, but he must master it. God’s eternal word never changes. Sin is still our deadliest enemy. We must seek to master sin or it will master us. Check out this new post on Tri-Pres Daily.This is God’s will for your life: sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Tune in for more as we’ll talk about killing sin more on the Tri Pres Daily. Comment below with questions and/or best practices and spiritual disciplines you’d like to share.