I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
— Galatians 2:20
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
— Romans 8:3
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
— Romans 6:12
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
— Romans 6:22-23
The Guilt, the Danger, and the Evil of Sin Understanding the Guilt of Sin, by John Owen. The following contains Chapter Ten of his work, “Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers, The Necessity, Nature and Means of It: With a Resolution of Sundry Cases of Conscience Thereunto Belonging” — Abridged and Simplified.
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
— Romans 8:13
If you desire to mortify sin, you must first develop a deep and lasting awareness of its guilt, its danger, and its inherent evil. Sin has a deceptive way of minimizing its own seriousness, convincing us that it is only a “small” offense or that others have done far worse. It blinds the mind, darkens the understanding, and persuades the heart to dismiss its true guilt before God. The Bible warns that when sin gains power, it dulls spiritual sensitivity—leaving the heart in a state of dangerous ignorance.
Sin’s deceit is evident in how it operates. Consider the foolish young man in Proverbs 7, who was enticed into sin because he “lacked understanding” and did not realize it would cost him his very life. Or think of King David—had he truly grasped the gravity of his sin, could he have remained in it for so long? Sin clouds the conscience, allowing a person to justify what should be condemned. Therefore, the first step toward victory is to see sin as God sees it—not as something to be excused, but as something that must be put to death.
How to Develop a Right View of Sin’s Guilt
1. Recognize that sin is more grievous in believers than in others. The presence of God’s grace in a Christian’s life does not make sin less serious—it actually makes it worse. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!” (Romans 6:1-2). When those who have received grace fall into sin, they do so against greater knowledge, greater love, and greater mercy.
2. Understand that even secret sins are deeply offensive to God. God sees both the desires of the heart and the outward actions of men. He values the longings of the righteous more than the grandest works of unbelievers—but likewise, He sees the deepest evil in the secret sins of His children, even more than in the open rebellion of the ungodly. Christ’s words to the lukewarm church in Revelation 3 were cutting: “I know you— what you truly are—and I find you abominable.” If we truly grasped how sin appears in the eyes of a holy God, we would not take it lightly.
Let these truths settle deeply in your heart. Do not minimize sin or excuse it. The more clearly you see its guilt, the more powerfully you will fight against it.
Understanding the Danger of Sin
If you are serious about overcoming sin, you must not only recognize its guilt but also its grave dangers. Sin is not something that can be controlled or managed—it is a force that seeks to harden your heart, bring God’s discipline upon your life, rob you of peace and strength, and ultimately, if left unchecked, lead to eternal destruction. Consider carefully what sin is working to accomplish in your life and the devastating consequences that follow when it is not mortified.
1. Sin Hardens the Heart
Sin is deceitful. It dulls your conscience, making what once convicted you seem less serious. At first, you may feel sorrow over sin, but over time, without vigilance, you may grow “sermon-proof” and “sickness-proof”—unmoved by the Word of God or even personal affliction. You may go through the motions of prayer, hearing sermons, and reading Scripture, yet remain unaffected. The fear of God that once sobered you will fade, and with it, a sense of the weight of sin, the beauty of grace, and even concern for heaven or hell. This is the terrifying process of spiritual hardening. If you do not fight against sin, you will lose your sensitivity to it, and that is a far greater danger than any affliction in this world.
2. Sin Brings God’s Discipline
Even if God does not utterly cast you off, He may allow painful discipline to come upon you. Scripture is filled with warnings that God “visits the sins” of His children with chastisement. Consider David: the man after God’s own heart endured bitter consequences— fleeing for his life, public shame, and the loss of his child—because of his sin. The Lord may bring loss, suffering, or public reproach as a wake-up call. This is not to say that every hardship is because of sin, but if your conscience testifies that your rebellion has provoked God, you will feel the bitterness of His hand upon you. Do not take this lightly.
3. Sin Steals Peace and Strength
One of the greatest blessings of the Christian life is peace with God and the strength to walk in joyful obedience. Yet an unmortified sin will rob you of both. David cried out that his bones were broken and his soul was disquieted when he remained in unrepentant sin. Many believers have gone through seasons where prayer becomes empty, worship becomes dull, and their joy in Christ disappears—all because of a sin they refuse to surrender. If you have ever known true communion with God, you should fear nothing more than losing it. What if tomorrow you find yourself unable to pray with any sense of God’s presence? What if sin so dulls your heart that Scripture no longer speaks to you? This is a loss greater than any earthly suffering.
4. Sin Ultimately Leads to Destruction
The most sobering reality is that sin and eternal destruction are inseparably connected. If a person continues in sin without repentance, the warning is clear: “The one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction” (Galatians 6:8). While God graciously delivers His children from sin so that they will not perish, He never delivers those who continue in sin. If you are trapped in sin, you cannot have full assurance of salvation in that moment, for sin clouds the evidence of true faith. This is not a call to despair, but a wake-up call. A believer may have assurance in Christ, but he must never make peace with sin. If you do not fight your sin, you are on a path that leads to ruin—and you must feel the weight of that reality.
Let This Warning Move You to Action
You may be tempted to ignore these warnings, to reassure yourself that “grace will abound” despite your sin. But let Scripture’s warnings pierce through any false security. God calls you to turn from sin now, while He gives you the grace to do so. Do not let your heart grow cold. Do not wait for God’s discipline to wake you up. Do not risk losing the joy of His presence. Make war against your sin today.
Understanding the Present Evils of Sin
It is not enough to consider the future dangers of sin; we must also recognize its present evils. Sin is not merely something that may bring judgment one day—it is already wreaking havoc in your life, right now. The longer it remains unmortified, the more damage it does. Here are three ways that sin actively harms you in the present.
1. Sin Grieves the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit dwells within believers, sealing them for the day of redemption, strengthening them, and guiding them into holiness. Yet sin grieves Him. The apostle Paul warns,”Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Think of a loving friend who has done nothing but good for you—how painful it is to betray or wound such a friend! And yet, sin does precisely this to the Spirit who dwells within you. When you entertain sin, you welcome the very thing He came to destroy. If there is any true love for God in your heart, this thought should humble you deeply. The Spirit takes joy in a holy heart, and He is grieved when that heart is polluted by sin.
2. Sin Wounds Christ Anew
Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, to cleanse you from sin, and to renew you in holiness. When you willingly harbor sin, you side with His enemies against Him. The book of Hebrews warns that those who “fall away” through sin and unbelief are guilty of “crucifying once again the Son of God and holding Him up to contempt” (Hebrews 6:6). While this verse primarily warns of apostasy, every sin, in a lesser sense, wounds Christ and resists His work in you. He has loved you, suffered for you, and given His life for you—how grievous, then, that His love should be so repaid!
3. Sin Makes You Spiritually Barren and Useless
Sin does not only affect your own soul; it affects your usefulness in God’s kingdom. A person who allows sin to take root will find that their efforts for God are powerless and fruitless. Whether a preacher, a teacher, a parent, or a friend, the influence of a person tolerating sin is weakened. God often withdraws His blessing from their labor. The church today is filled with weak, ineffective Christians who lack spiritual vigor, and one major reason is that secret sins have been allowed to fester. Sin is like a worm at the root of a tree—eating away at its strength and preventing fruit from growing.
Do Not Let Your Heart Grow Dull
This is why you must keep these truths alive in your heart. Do not let sin numb you to its dangers. Meditate on its guilt, its dangers, and its evils until your soul trembles under its weight. Until you hate sin for what it is, you will never truly overcome it. Let these realities stir your heart to fight with renewed zeal, that sin may no longer grieve the Spirit, dishonor Christ, or rob you of your fruitfulness.
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