Mortifying Sin
Maculate Conception

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Teaching Ministries

November 17, 2002
Adult Sunday School
Class #10

Key Points:

The consent of the will completes the flesh's seduction of the soul. The mind is dragged away from its duty as watchman, the affections are enticed, the will says "I do," and sin is conceived.

When we determine to perform some sinful deed, we have already committed sin by that very determination.

Unless God in His providence aborts the embryonic sin, it will be born into the world and bear its deadly fruit.

When believers consent to sin, there is always a degree of hesitation (because the Spirit in us wars against the flesh, Galatians 5:17). Also, see chapter 9, footnote 3, on p. 156—"he committed a deed which he was no longer capable").

The wisdom of the believer is to learn to listen to the voice of the Spirit's resistance, no matter how faintly it may echo in his conscience.

If we do not mortify sin, we passively have given sin consent—we have given consent to it by disregarding the means God has given us to put an end to it (prayer and meditation). This is why we get to "conceived sin" (even, acted upon sin) without awareness—we got there because we have already granted it permission by refusing to mortify it.

After exposing the flesh's hatred of God and strategy to bring us down, do you still see mortification of sin as optional (leave it for "super Christians")?