Sin is not to be played with, but rather rooted out and exterminated. To that end, Hedges has designed a brief introduction to the devious nature of sin, the warfare we must wage against it, and the power God supplies His people to achieve victory. Basing his work largely on John Owen’s Mortification of Sin, Hedges modernizes and segments this study into bite-sized chapters that make this oft-neglected topic all the more approachable. A helpful work.

You may cuddle sin like a pet, but that doesn’t take the wild out of it or make it less dangerous. Evil cannot be domesticated. Sin is poised to attack your faith at any moment. Sometimes it bares its fangs and strikes in a surprise attack. Sometimes it is cunning enough to play dead and subtle enough to pose as something good. But either way, sin is wired to kill. Slowly, cleverly, when you’re not paying attention, sin will squeeze the faith, love, and holiness right out of you. [7]

When we choose to sin, we think it will make us feel happy, alive, and whole. We are reluctant to reject any possible satisfaction, no matter how illusory. But choosing sin will never make us whole. Sin only makes us less human, less ourselves, less what God intended us to be. [26]

Only when we see God as He really is will we see ourselves as we really are. [57]

We can be sure that if there are any sinful desires lying covert in our souls, they will rise in violent opposition against us when we set ourselves to seek God. The flesh will do everything in its power to survive the lethal wounds of God’s holy Word. Evil thoughts will intrude, sinful passions will distract, and self-justifying rationalizations will kick in. When this happens, the very sins that we need to kill are showing themselves. [98]

One of the reasons some people fail to benefit from their study of Scripture is that they interpret it in gospel-ignoring, Christ-neglecting ways. If your Bible study is nothing more than churning out of the historical narratives of Scripture a series of pious platitudes, “life lessons,” and moral maxims, do not wonder if your heart isn’t radically changed. Good advice doesn’t produce burning hearts. [101]

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