How to Kill Sin

John Owen once preached, based on Romans 8:13, "Be killing sin or [sin] will be killing you." Romans 8:13 urges us to put be putting sin to death by the Spirit - "If by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live" - and what is the instrument of death wielded by the Spirit? The answer is given in Ephesians 6:17 - "the sword of the Spirit, the word of God."

So now, what would be helpful to know in order to experience what Romans 8:13 is calling for? Four questions help us to answer so that we can be about this crucial duty of killing sin.

1. What are "the deeds of the body" when Paul says, "If by the Spirit you kill the deeds of the body, you will live"? Surely not all the deeds of the body are to be killed. The body is supposed to be an instrument of righteousness. So what are the deeds of the body that are to be killed?
2. What does killing them mean? Do they have life that we should take away? What will killing them involve?
3. What does "by the Spirit" mean? The Spirit is himself God. He is not a lifeless instrument in our hands to wield as we wish. The very thought of having the Spirit in my hand gives me the shivers of disrespect. I am in his hand, aren't I? Not he in mine. He is the power, not me. How am I to understand this killing of sin "by the Spirit"?
4. Does this threat of death mean that I can lose my salvation? Verse 13a: "If you are living according to the flesh, you must die." This is spoken to the whole church at Rome. And death here is eternal death and judgment. We know that, because everyone - whether you live according to the flesh or not - dies a physical death. So the death this verse warns about is something more, something that happens only to some and not to others. So the question remains: can we die eternally if we have justified by faith? If so what becomes of our assurance, and if not why does Paul threaten us all with death if we live according to the flesh and tell us to be about the business of killing sin?

HT: Desiring God