Mortify Therefore Your Members Which Are Upon the Earth

Col 3:5 December 29, 2016

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Now there’s a statement that doesn’t quite make sense to those who are eagerly looking forward to a life of everlasting peace with Jesus Christ. Do not the scriptures tell us that Jesus conquered death, it no longer having dominion over Him? Is not death swallowed up in victory, its sting dissipated by Jesus’ death on the cross? Has not Christ now quickened us to life, who were once dead in sin?

Then what does this scripture from Psalm 116 mean? Let’s take a reflective look. The Word of God is living. This we know. Jesus is the Word become flesh and that is why the meaning of scripture is many-fold according to what the Lord is speaking to us personally. It is not only fitting at Easter time, when all of Christendom celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but at all times that we really ponder our Savior’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross. The pain and humiliation that He had to undergo, with that the total subjection of His flesh, leads us to consider that the death spoken of here refers to the death of our flesh.

The scriptures tell us this: “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” Rom. 8:13. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry” Col. 3:5.

The word “mortify” is a very strong word. Just recently while our fellowship was delving into the scriptures to find out what it really means to be a priest we came across the above scriptures and the word jumped out at me and pierced my heart. To me, for some reason, it’s synonymous with hate, absolutely hating the actions or deeds of the flesh. The definitions from a few dictionaries bear that out, but go a little further.

Mortify. Webster’s English Dictionary explains it as: to destroy the vital functions of: to subdue by severities and penance: to humiliate: to wound (of flesh). Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk version gives us this meaning: to humiliate: to discipline or punish (the body, appetites, etc.) by fasting or other ascetic practices. To cause mortification meaning, for one, the ascetic practice of subduing the appetites and strengthening the will by fasting, etc. Mortify. Strong’s Concordance, relays the Greek meaning to be: to kill – become dead (cause to be) put to death and to deaden i.e. (fig) to subdue; be dead, mortify.

Are we not new creatures in Christ when we come to Him and give our will over to Him? Is it really necessary to mortify the deeds of the flesh? Yes, most definitely! It’s true, we become new creatures in Christ as soon as we are born again as it is written in 2 Cor. 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” So why do we need to mortify the deeds of the body? Aren’t old things gone and all are become new? If that were the case why did Paul have a constant struggle with his flesh? Why did he instruct us to walk in the Spirit so as not to fulfill the lust of the flesh,

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:
and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gal. 5:17-21.

Our spirits have, indeed, become new when we surrender to the Lord, Jesus, but our flesh, our mind and our bodies (which are corruptible) are the same old ones that we’ve had and that are destined for corruption. We must die to self, pick up our cross daily. Why? Because we are saved, we have entered into life and it is not about us; it is about others.

How, Then, Do We Mortify the Deeds of the Flesh?
First we need to recognize the simple fact that nothing good dwells in our flesh, as Paul states in Romans chapter seven, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Rom. 7:18-20. By following the advice given in Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5, and desiring to mortify, subdue and kill the works of the flesh then we are well on our way to a life of peace and joy in the Lord, experiencing true victories over our nemesis – our very own flesh. Easier said than done? You bet! Simply the fact that the word mortify, remembering the definitions cited, is used in connection with gaining victory over the works of the flesh implies pain! “But if we rely on the Spirit of God we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” Phil 4:13.

Secondly, we need to heed this advice, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Rom.13:12-14 and “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” Col. 3:12-14. Just as often as we put on our clothing each and every day, let us remember to put the things of Christ on so that we will be equipped to be able to cast off the deeds of the flesh and walk in newness of life.

Lastly, we need to walk uprightly in the works God has prepared for us by, “…denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:12-14. For “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Eph. 2:10. And especially, “let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” Heb. 10:24,while clinging to this promise for those who walk in the Spirit, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:1

By striving always in these things, through prayer and obedience to His word as well, we can become more and more willing and able to mortify the deeds of the flesh, for it is not about us, but about others, then we may come to fully realize that “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death (spiritually speaking, in this case) of His saints.” Amen.