What Does It Mean to Kill Sin?

Repentance

What Does It Mean to Kill Sin?

25 min

Repentance

What Does It Mean to Kill Sin?

25 min

Episode 162 Show Notes

What Does It Mean to Kill Sin?

From the Show

If we are saved and still struggle with sin, does that mean we haven’t killed it?

Sin is not something that you coddle. It’s not something that, “you know I have a few pet sins that I tolerate,” no, they’re like lions. You might try to raise a bear from a cub and think, “oh, well I can train it, I can keep it in its pen,” but at a point, it’s going to mature, and it’s going to eat you alive. Now, do not tolerate any sin in your life. Now that doesn’t mean that you’re not going to sin, but don’t tolerate it. Don’t say this is something that I have a right to…. What you really need to know is that, yes, you need the law to give you the report card, an honest evaluation of your work, and then you need to run from the report card that you have of your merits and flee to Christ, and his 4.0 GPA gets credited to you; that puts wind in your sails. Now, what do you want to do, do you want to flunk? No, you want to run the race, you go to school happy. That’s what Paul’s talking about here. You no longer have that failing report card; you’re justified in Christ, you’re baptized into His death, burial, and resurrection. — Michael Horton

Questions in this Episode

1. With the amount of false teaching and abuse in the church, how do you continue to have hope in the church?

2. How does God guide us in our lives, if he does at all?

3. Romans 8 says that we should “kill sin.” If we are saved and still struggle with sin, does that mean we haven’t killed it?

4. In 1 Peter 1:6, Peter says we should rejoice in suffering and in James 1:4, he says that we should count our suffering as joy? What does this mean exactly?

5. What advice would you have to offer for doing family worship at home?

Resources

Why You Still Need the Church Even If You Have Been Hurt by It

10 Things You Should Know About Suffering

3 Ideas for Family Worship

5 Ways to Kill Sin

Offers

Request our latest special offers here or call 1-833-THE-CORE (833-843-2673) to request them by phone.

Sola Newspaper

Today's Offer

Sola Newspaper

A quarterly print publication featuring articles on theology, the confessions, & reflections for the Christian life, delivered straight to your mailbox. For free.

Subscribe Now

Michael Horton (Ph.D., Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and Coventry University) is the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California and Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Sola Media.

More on this topic

Repentance

Explore All
Assurance in the Shadow of Doubt

Assurance in the Shadow of Doubt

The coexistence of assurance and doubt is not a contradiction, but a reflection of the Christian life lived between justification and glorification. True assurance rests not in the strength of one’s faith, but in the object of that faith—Jesus Christ—and the presence of doubt, while unsettling, does not nullify genuine belief.

Our Victory Is Between the Flags of Sound Doctrine

Our Victory Is Between the Flags of Sound Doctrine

Following sound doctrine requires our eyes to remain fixed on Jesus. It also requires that our faith rests in him. Faith opens the door to God’s plan and allows us to accomplish his will for our lives. It does so chiefly because it fosters a heart that yields to the counsel and leading of God. In this way, we remain on the road of truth.

Walking by Faith Isn't Wishful Thinking

Walking by Faith Isn’t Wishful Thinking

We are not merely hoping for the best outcome, we are assured of the greatest outcome—the coming of God’s Kingdom. Our faith doesn’t work like a magic eight ball, trying to tell us every detail of our lives, but our faith is knowledgeable.

A lush garden in Israel bordered by a wall with trees behind it.

Why Did Jesus Say “Don’t Cling to Me?”

Jesus’s words were a puzzle to me for a long time. Why would he push Mary away in her moment of joyful recognition? According to his own words, it seems he has some unfinished business: “I have not yet ascended to the Father” is how Jesus tells Mary—and us—that his ascension is absolutely necessary for his redeeming purposes to be brought to completion.

Help more people know what they believe and why.

Support trusted articles, podcasts, and resources that deepen faith, point people to Christ, and strengthen the church.

Give Monthly