How to Kill Sin in Your Life

Pulpit Magazine has a three-part series by John MacArthur on killing sin. He shares helpful, timeless advice that, while not new, is something we need to be reminded of often.

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. —Romans 8:13

Here are the five things that MacArthur sees as essential to killing sin in your life:

1. Recognize the Presence of Sin in Your Flesh.
   Do you know why most Christians are most commonly defeated by sin? I believe it is because their sin has so totally deceived them, that they never really get to the point where they honestly evaluate its reality. They are not dealing with the issue.
2. A Heart Fixed on God.
   In order to gain victory over sin, you must have a heart fixed on God. You must love Him more than you love your sin.
3. Meditate on the Word.
   The way to kill sin in your life is to feed it Scripture. Scripture is a spiritual weed-killer. It will poison sin. Whatever really controls your mind, controls your behavior; so keep out the garbage (of worldly thinking) and saturate the soil of your mind with a steady diet of God’s glorious truth.
4. Commune with God in Prayer.
   True prayer gives the heart a sense of its own vile character and renews the hatred of sin. It agrees with God about what sin is, recognizing that any violation of God’s law is a direct affront to Him. John Owen said, “He who pleads with God for the remission of sin also pleads with his own heart to detest it.”
5. Cultivate Obedience.
   A life that puts the flesh to death must set itself on a course of obedience. Paul said, “I haven’t attained,” I love this, “but,” he said, “I press towards the mark” (cf. Php. 3:14). He had not yet reached the goal but he was on the path. What path was he on? The path of obedience.

What would you add to this, if anything?

Read the three posts:

• How to Kill Sin in Your Life (Part 1)
• How to Kill Sin in Your Life (Part 2)
• How to Kill Sin in Your Life (Part 3)

See also John Piper’s sermon series “How to Kill Sin”:

• How to Kill Sin, Part 1
• How to Kill Sin, Part 2
• How to Kill Sin, Part 3

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