Yesterday I received a copy of The Free Grace Broadcaster, a publication of Chapel Library, which aims to introduce readers to great Christian writers of former times, by collecting articles on a given theme for each edition.

The current issue is on Mortification, which is not a word that passed my lips much in the past 54 years.

Though it works well in a revised version of Bobby Darin’s hit song:

Mortification
that’s the name of the game

This is an old word used by Christians to express the thought of Johnny Cash’s favourite bible verse. In the King James Version, Romans 8:13 reads:

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.

Hence the word mortification, but I’m mortified to say that I can’t think of one.

In the TNIV it is rendered

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Other verses on this key New Testament theme include
1 Corinthians 9:27
2 Corinthians 7:1
Galatians 5:24
Colossians 3
and
Titus 2:11-14

I have discovered that the idea of putting to death the deeds of our earthly nature is an important NT theme, and was so regarded by the Puritans and many other evangelical leaders of former days.
I wish there was a contemporary word to replace mortification

Hi David,

“put to death” sounds like a good every day phrase to use in this instance to expand on that word “mortification”.

Methinks often-time that multi-syllable biblical terms are not easily translated into every day language.

Hence your citing other verses helps achieve what you hoped. To gain a better understanding! [But you already knew that!  ;-) ]

Yes, but you can easily talk about mortification [which I’ve discovered from Wikipedia has a weird meaning in Roman Catholic theology, and means abusing yourself physically to gain salvation, apparently] but talking about putting to death sounds odd.

e.g. Pastor Salt: This morning we’re going to look at the Christian teaching about mortification.

Pastor Pepper: This morning we will look at the Christian teaching about putting to death.

picky picky ...... ;-)

Pastor Pepper should have said “now here’s a sermon about putting to death our old self.”

:-)

Still wish we had one word.

On the other hand, I was never big on the word propitiation though I like the concept when I understand it applied to satisfying God’s anger at my sins.

The KJV translation uses mortify twice only - in Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5.

The KJV never uses the word mortification itself.

Of the few percent of the population who could give you a valid meaning
for mortification most would go for either:

a) being humiliated or very embarrassed;
or
b) punishing yourself physically for spiritual gain (the RC usage);

Very few would give the KJV translation sense of
putting to death (the deeds of the body).

Linguistically there is no particular merit in having one word rather than a phrase. That is merely cultural pretense based on the historical role of Latin style among academics and church hierarchies. [Sorry David 8-) ]

The KJV translation’s use of mortify is very archaic now and very few readers or hearers understand the word correctly.

For the purposes of Christian teaching, the words mortify and mortification should be put to death.

Unmerited favour and peace,

Terry