The Enemy Within, Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin by Kris Lundgaard (1-Nov-2012) Paperback

by Kris Lundgaard

Drawing from two masterful works by John Owen, Kris Lundgaard offers insight, encouragement, and hope for overcoming the enemy within.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Christian Living, Christianity, Nonfiction, Counselling, Religion

Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

About the author

Kris Lundgaard and his wife, Paula, served fourteen years with Mission to the World in Slovakia. As well as authoring several books, he has been a technical writer, computer programmer, pastor, program manager, and test-engineering manager. He and Paula have four married children and many grandchildren.

Reviews

[Nathan Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is commendable on several fronts in spite of the fact that it reads a bit awkwardly. Lundgaard admits that many of his ideas are Owen's and it shows. Many times I pulled out Owen's work on Indwelling Sin and could find the exact line that drove Lundgaard's point. This books strengths lie in the author's treatment of 'how indwelling sin works', but in my judgment fails to offer a complete solution for how a believer is to effectively 'work against sin.'

This book is not without strengths, nor should it be as Lundgaard admittedly nearly plagiarizes Owen entirely.
1.) The author's summary of Owen's description of the power of sin is excellent (Part One). I quickly commend the arguments and illustrations. I'm especially grateful for the 'Four Key Truths' from Romans 7:21 as I find them to be paradigmatic of how sin works. Though the author barely develops these ideas enough to satisfy even the least critical mind, these insights are worth the price of the book.

2.) An additional strength of this book is the updated, modern illustrations. Though it always felt as if the author was in a hurry or under a strict length constraint, the illustrations, many of which are from great classical literature, are simple, vivid and helpful. It is only their brevity that makes some of them feel awkward and overstated.

3.) Lundgaard (and Owen) take indwelling sin very seriously. This may be so obvious that it is not worth mentioning, but I believe that the gravity of the subject makes it especially commendable. I would venture to suggest that so many people have found this book to be refreshing and valuable simply because it is one of few books that grapples honestly with agonizing presence of indwelling sin in the lives of believers. Even though I have some criticisms I commend the author for this. It takes a significant measure of humility to read, write, or even think upon this subject matter.

In spite of some praiseworthy strengths, this book is not without notable shortcomings. At risk of being misunderstood by casual readers, I'll mention two.

1.) In my humble judgment, the author fails in his attempt to paint a clear picture of how a believer is to thrive while living in this 'haunted-house.' Though his solution contained some grace-driven components, it contained a stronger 'try-harder' coach-like attitude. Contrast this with a 'grace-centered' or 'gospel-centered' view towards sanctification (think Tullian Tchividjian or Elyse Fitzpatrick). Should we not judge this book based on how effectively the author offers a solution to live with and fight against indwelling sin?? I would summarize the author's main argument (and tone) like this: 'Sin is very dangerous, try really hard not to sin, don't worry you have grace, but try really hard.' I admit that the author has some grace in his solution for sin, but NOT ENOUGH. The book simply focuses too much on self-determination and will-power. I am quite sympathetic of this Philippians 2:12,13 tension, but I lean towards the "it is God who works" emphasis while the author seemed to lean towards the "work out your salvation" emphasis. I think there are a couple of reasons the author failed here and I'm sympathetic with him, but this leads me to the book other primary shortcoming.

2.) This book reads like a half-baked outline. There is a TON of Scripture and little of it is given careful exegesis. Chapter 12 (No Easy Peace) made me the most uncomfortable. There were so many times where the author made a great point or hinted at a helpful Scriptural insight but then failed to explain or elaborate. I fear that at times, especially on a difficult topic like indwelling sin that requires precise language, his lack of explanation left his points unclear (see pg. 148 for an example). I often read a point and then wished a less hurried author was present to elaborate upon it. Perhaps the author was intentional about this. In the introduction he states he wants to make Owen accessible, but in my judgment, especially as the book progresses, the author rarely points back to Owen and simply flattens his arguments.

In sum, this book has a few strengths, and even more than I've mentioned. But I've suggested that the author does a better job of explaining HOW sin works rather than HOW to work against sin. This leaves sin-weary believers like myself prone to discouragement when approaching the subject of indwelling sin. This is a significant blunder thus warranting 2-stars. I would much rather commend Elyse Fitzpatrick to you on dealing effectively on indwelling sin, especially "Because He Loves Me" or "Comforts from the Cross."

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend told me that reading this book was like open heart surgery, and now I know what they mean. It's a full on book! It's a relentless dissection of what sin is, and how we can kill it, drawing from the works of Puritan John Owen. For me, it has brought the issue of dealing with sin much closer to home, and much more into my day to day living. Great book. Not all books end up making the day to day difference you hope for, but this one did.

[Jack Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sin! It’s the scariest

[Jossy Suleivy Ramos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from it being a little repetitive, our book study went well with this book. Opened up a lot of great conversations and leads us to see how our sin has affected everything and continues to affect us. Overall good book.

[Haley Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information. I don’t know if it was just me but I found it choppy and hard to follow sometimes.
The chapters on the power of sin definitely left me with a hopeless feeling of my own sinfulness. And then the following chapters on the mind, affections, and will we’re very helpful.

[Jon Delamarter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be the best book I've ever read on overcoming remaining sin and growing in holiness. Profoundly biblical, relentlessly honest, but bursting with gospel hope. This book is now in my top 5. It will stay on my desk in perpetuity, alongside Knowing Christ and a few others, to be returned to regularly in my battle against sin. It's that good. Read this book! Read it with your heart open. Prepare to be exposed, challenged, fed, strengthened, encouraged, equipped. Equipped to fight your own battles and equipped to help others.

[Bryson Roark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I would have read this way sooner, but praise God I got my hands on it when I did. This book was a gift from the Lord and had scripture falling out of its pockets.

[Karla De · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Qué buen libro! Claro, conciso y lleno del evangelio de Cristo para un corazón arrepentido que busca crecer a la imagen de Cristo. Lectura imprescindible.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was about to say that this was an enjoyable book, but that’s neither entirely true nor appropriate. However, I did get a lot out of it.

This is a brief summation of John Owen’s “Indwelling Sin” and “The Mortification of Sin”. I enjoyed reading Owen, but the author is entirely correct in establishing Owen as hard to read. This was a short book, and I finished it in less than a week, but went back over certain sections; the end of every chapter has at least four study or application questions, making this an excellent group study book.

While this was an easy read, that in no way implies that this book is without application or significant depth. Lundgaard does what I think is a tremendous job in making Owen understandable, and showing us how to apply Owen’s teaching on sin to our own lives. Most importantly, he explains in an understandable fashion how sin works within us. As I was reading, I felt myself cringing at the descriptions of rationalizations we (I) use to escape our duties to God. I will be going back to this again and again.

[Stephen Satterlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lundgaard has done a mega job capturing Owen’s careful exposition on the believer’s duty of sanctification. If what you need is a gutting of the sin within—which, make no mistake, is the case for all believers—read this book. But read it slowly and carefully. The modern language and relatable illustrations hide a cold, sharp Bible lance that will cut deep, but then lead to the preciousness of Jesus’s blood! May God sanctity his church with this text!

[Kyle Brewer]

This book is a very helpful distillation and repackaging of John Owen’s practical teaching on sin. It lacks the comprehensiveness and sometimes force of Owen due to its brevity but Lundgaard’s project is to make the treasure of Owen’s teaching accessible and in that he has succeeded. My affections for Christ were stirred and my zeal for holiness bolstered by my reading. The reflection questions which conclude each chapter are often unexpected and excellent.

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for the sinner who is tired of fighting sin, for the sinner who wants to feel the weight of their own sin, and for the sinner who needs to be reminded to seek holiness.
While it isn't exactly a walk in the park to be confronted with your own filth, as Christians it is necessary. Lundgaard is unbelievably convicting in the way that he addresses how lackadaisical Christians are about acknowledging and addressing their sin. We live lives where we want to accept the grace of God without accepting the purpose of grace, which is to change us into a holy people. Lundgaard points out how deeply rooted our sin is.

The only couple of reasons I did not rate this book higher is 1. I wasn't horribly impressed with his writing style. In the meat of a chapter, it was well written and convicting, but the beginnings and ends of his chapters were filled with forced metaphors, which I found a little annoying. 2. More importantly, I didn't feel as though he addressed God's grace in the face of our sin very well. Obviously the purpose of this book is to point out sin, and not discuss God's grace, so I understand the focus on it. However, if we merely sit in how awful our sin is without the whole vision of what the gospel has to say, we will merely be depressed. This is not to say that he didn't address the gospel as a whole, but I feel like he could have led the reader down a better path of how God addresses our sin within us.

[Shelby Hand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t anticipating my summer class bringing me such an incredible read. Would recommend this to anyone + everyone looking to further understand the power or sin and how to tackle it

[Deon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle, 2015
audiobook, 2024 -good narrator

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars
VT 2017 reading challenge: a book about Christian living

some great quotes:

"A person with a big head and a small heart can learn the doctrines of sin, yet never be convicted of sin. He can learn the teachings of grace and pardon and the great atonement for sin, yet never feel the peace of God that passes understanding. When the flesh gets a person to the point that he can sit under the teaching of the Word, and even delight in it for its intellectual beauty, yet not be changed, he has snuffed out the wick of his first love."

"Calling on the Spirit to search your heart, use the following questions to help determine whether you have forsaken your first love for Jesus... ◇) Is the preaching of the Word as precious to you as it was? ◇) Do you listen to the Word eagerly and respond in faith and repentance?   ◇) Do you anticipate the Sabbath as a time of joyous fellowship, as a foretaste of heaven? ◇) Do you hunger for holy conversation with others?"

"God’s terrible majesty is radiation. It X-rays a soul and shows that it’s gorged with sin. The soul sees what God is like in his glory, sees what it is like in its sickness, and buries its face in the dirt. Then the healing starts. God’s radiating majesty kills the rotten marrow of sin and replaces it with humility. A heart humbled by God’s terrible majesty can begin its recovery and grow strong. Sin can’t thrive in a humble heart."

"She knew that he was all-powerful, that he could make pure worshipers for himself out of rocks, and that he didn’t need praise from her unclean lips. Yet she heard from Jesus that God was merciful, and that out of his sheer mercy, not because she was a lovable or holy person, but because he was Love incarnate, he offered to forgive her. So she took hold of him, believed him, and found unspeakable joy."

"Indwelling sin takes advantage of our natural laziness and negligence in spiritual things, enticing us to lay aside spiritual duties one by one."

"The death of sin comes through the death of Christ. He died to destroy the flesh."

[Todd Wilhelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book borrows much from John Owen's books "The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalancy of the Remainders of Indwelling Sin in Believers" and "The Mortification of Sin." Lundgaard admits as much, stating in the Acknowledgements section that "If John Owen were alive, he'd be tempted to sue me, I stole so much of his material. I'll apologize and thank him when I see him in glory."

I for one am glad Lundgaard wrote this book. He makes the great theologian John Owen's thoughts accessible to a generation who, for the most part, would never read Owen. And this topic is vital for our Christian walk. The truths discussed are not earth-shattering, but rather simple things that most of us know and yet still neglect. To combat sin we need to stay close to the Lord. This is best accomplished by habitual prayer, reading the Scripture and meditating on Christ and his great love for us. Simple yes, but I need constant reminding of these basics of Christianity. I should probably re-read this book several times a year!

"Believers are the only people who ever find the law of sin at work in them. Unbelievers can't feel it. The law of sin is a raging river, carrying them along; they cannot measure the force of the current, because they have surrendered themselves to it and are borne along by it. A believer, on the other hand, swims upstream - he meets sin head-on and strains under its strength."

'But many people live in darkness and ignorance about their own hearts. They keep careful track of how their investments are doing on Wall Street and get frequent checkups at their doctor; they watch what they eat and work out at the gym three or four times a week to keep their bodies finely tuned. But how many people give the least thought to their souls? If it is important to watch over and care for our bodies and investments, which will soon die and rot, how much more important is it for us to guard our immortal souls?

[Terrence O'Hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lundgaard gives us a capsulization, or as he describes it “a kidnapping,” of John Owen’s work on the topic “indwelling sin in the believer.” Owen’s book garners 90% positive reviews after being in print for over 300 years. The topic is never out-of-date, so a brief and contemporary volume is certainly a welcome addition to the required reading list. Owen’s 300 pages in 17 chapters is echoed in Lundgaard’s 150 pages in 13 chapters; and the latter is much easier to read.
From Owen. “She (Eve) thought to extenuate her own crime, by charging the serpent. And this was a new fruit of the sin she had cast herself into. But the matter of fact was true, she was beguiled before, and sin, that is, the actual accomplishment of it, follows after. Hence all the great works that the devil does in the world, to stir men up to an opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom, he does them by deceit… It were utterly impossible men should be prevailed on to abide in his service, acting his designs to their eternal, and sometimes their temporal ruin, were they not exceedingly deceived.”
From Lundgaard. “But when the Serpent deceived her, she ate. When Adam followed her, sin entered the world. Trickery always have been and always will be Satan’s modus operandi. No one would follow him if he or she weren’t taken in.”
However, this is not just light reading. Lundgaard’s book is masterfully constructed and it encourages deep introspection of one’s personal life with study questions. This books helps Christians come to terms with the nature and power of indwelling sin and asserts the hope of winning battles small and large through the nature and power of the indwelling Spirit and God’s grace. The “wretched man” must turn to Jesus Christ, understand that this is war, and prepare himself for the battle of a lifetime.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read Owen.  I found him very helpful, and I also found the reputation is deserved.  It's tough reading.  But I think that's part of why he's helpful.  You can't rush through a battle strategy against the flesh. 

Lundgaard has distilled John Owen's ideas and brought them to a modern audience.  I can't recommend it enough.  This was my second reading, and if I know what's good for me, I'll read it a dozen more times.  Indispensable to the Christian serious about sanctification. 

[Natalie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on the importance of battling sin. Though we have been saved from the penalty of sin through Christ we still have sin we must battle on a daily basis. How often do you think about the fact that you still carry around this deadly companion? To defeat the enemy of sin is to know the enemy and know the power of Christ that lives in you. Your mind watches carefully over your soul. What the mind believes or thinks is how the affections and will put what your mind believes into action. And your flesh follows suit. This book brings to light scripture that helps us in our daily walk and battle against sin. It's a must read!

[Jeremy Till · Rating 4 out of 5]

My main critique is that the book would've been much better ordered with the last four chapters as an introduction to enter into the more analytical chapters on sin with a humble prayer filled heart. I especially think starting out with the chapter on shame first would be beneficial to frame both individual reading and group discussions for the rest of the book.

[Elijah Hoyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a solid adaptation of “The Mortification of Sin.” In depth with out having to chew a ton to get the good flavor out like Owens original work is. The questions at the back of each chapter are thought provoking and cuts to the heart. This is high on my list for 1-on-1 or small group discipleship.

[Bethan Edge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heavy but important read. Appreciated the short chapters and reflection questions. At times quite repetitive and unrelatable with some of his examples, but I have definitely been challenged to think about the power of sin in my own life and how to overcome it.

[Joshua Bond]

A modern reiteration of John Owen's Writings on indwelling sin and its mortification.

Quite an easy read but does include the characteristic annoying American tone with an analogy beginning every chapter. But is useful for categorising why we sin, how sin works, and how we can combat sin.

[Hunter Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was gonna be more on the lofty and mystical side, but it was a lot more practical than expected, and not just some wimpy "read your Bible, make sure to pray, go to church" type stuff. I loved this book and would definitely read it again!

[Amanda Lackey Delaluz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good read on understanding our flesh. I had many highlights throughout the book and highly recommend it to every believer.

[William Schrecengost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. A simple and easy to read treatise on killing sin. Based off of John Owen’s works, which I’m sure are far better.

[Nick Lees · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very concise book that covers much of John Owen's indwelling sin trilogy. While the original is even better, this version is much more accessible. I listened to it as an audiobook and would not recommend that format as it is too practical and needs to be read slowly with note-taking. It is definitely worth your time!

[Ty Brunet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would be a great companion in teaching sin. My only criticism is that large amount if stories can be distracting to the content. This books could have been 50 pages shorter.

[Emma Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It talked about knowing the enemy of sin within us in order to defeat it in our lives.

[Josue Bermeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sin temor a exagerar puedo decir que es uno de los mejores libros que he leído en mi vida