Killing Sin Habits: Conquering Sin with Radical Faith is a great 2001 book by Stuart Scott. It is only 10 chapters long and just 77 pages long. But the book provides biblically based practical advice on how to fight and defeat sin habits. Dr. Stuart Scott presents a Temptation/Lust Clock that demonstrates how easily Christians can fall into a familiar pattern of sin. Then he presents specific exercises to help you conquer bad habits with radical faith. This is quite helpful. A valuable Appendix is provided. Would you be interested in this self-help book?
Summary of Killing Sin Habits: Conquering Sin with Radical Faith
Dr. Stuart Scott book explores the cycle of temptation. He notes the power of habit, the struggle to say “no,” and the patterns of behavior that accompany it and set up our failures. For Scott, problems are challenged and overcome by the dual swords of “mortification” and “vivification.”
Or, in the more natural words of Paul, to “put off” these habits, and “put on” godly habits. Scott prioritizes “exercising daily faith” as the means to fighting temptation and kill bad habits. Scott’s theology is sound in the book as is his understanding of the gospel.
In Chapter 9 of the book Scott gives help in applying the principles of mortification and vivification. He says, “It wouldn’t do much good to run a foot race with a 20-pound sack of potatoes on your back! Likewise, to realize a true pursuit of Christ and victory over sin, it is important to consider some personal hindrances and practical applications concerning your own particular sin struggle.” page 57
Scott offers readers, then, an annotated list of hindrances and applications, complete with Scriptural references, and promotes confession and repentance where appropriate. Yet this is not the only place in the book where Scott offers practical help. Throughout the work he is commenting on application, touching on the details of life. His work is simple yet instructive.
The 7 Deadly Sins
These were popularized by Dante Alighieri in his book the Divine Comedy. In the first of those three books, The Inferno, Dante depicts the 7 circles of Hell. In the eighth circle of hell, the three greatest sinners of all time are being chewed in the three-mouth Satan. Those unlucky souls are Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, and Brutus and Cassius, who betrayed Julius Cesar.
According to the Catholic Church the seven deadly sins are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. Pride, also known as hubris is the probably the worst. Greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs, especially with respect to material wealth. Wrath is uncontrolled feelings of anger, rage, and even hatred.
Envy is covetousness towards the traits or possessions of someone else. Lust intense longing. It is usually thought of as unbridled sexual desire, which leads to fornication (including adultery, rape, bestiality), and other sexual acts. Gluttony is the overindulgence and overconsumption of anything to the point of waste. Sloth is the absence of interest or habitual disinclination to exertion.
All of the problems mentioned in the book, all have their roots in these 7. So, when Dr. Stuart Scott writes about Killing bad habits, he is really writing about how to combat these 7. That is useful as these are pernicious and persistent.
Conclusion
As we all struggle, this is a useful book to everyone, not just those who are religious. The book, itself is short and useful so it can be read by everyone. The book is therefore recommended. All bad habits have their roots in the seven that are listed. To effectively combat these bad habits, we must get at their root.
