Owen on the Love of the Father

Ignorance of our mercies and our privileges is our sin as well as the cause of our troubles. We do not listen to the voice of the Spirit, 'that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God'. This makes Christians sad when they might be rejoicing. It makes then weak when they could be strong. How few Christians are actually acquainted with this great privilege of having a loving fellowship with the Father.

...This free choice of the Father as to whom he would love, and that he would love them, gives life and being to his love. It also gives reason why he loves and gives value to his love (Rom. 9:11; Eph. 1:3,4; Tit. 3:5; James 1:18).

Therefore

You need to believe that God loves you, that his heart is filled with love to you and accept his word for it. You will never experience the sweetness of his love until you receive it. You must, then, continually remind yourself that God loves you and embraces you with his free eternal love. When the Lord is, by his Word, presented as a Father who loves you, then think about it and accept it. Then embrace him by faith and let your heart be filled with his love. Set your whole heart to receive his love and let your heart be bound with the cords of this love. (From Communion with God by John Owen, Abridged and Made Easy to Read by R.J.K. Law, Banner of Truth Trust, pages 27-30.)

A Degree of Success

John Owen

...By success [in the mortification of sin] I mean gaining full victory over it and pursuing it for a complete conquest. For instance, when the heart at any time recognizes sin ans temptation in action, seducing it and forming sinful imaginations to put the lust into practice, the heart must immediately see what is happening, bring the sin to the law of God and the love of Christ, condemn it, and follow it to execute it to the uttermost.


...We must implant, promote the continual residence of and cherish those graces that stand in direct opposition to the lust.


...Our victory will be further realized as the new man immediately springs into action, and cheerfully fights against lust the moment it appears. We must use every weapon available to conquer it. (Taken from The Mortification of Sin by John Owen abridged and Made Easy to Read by Richard Rushing, Banner of Truth, pgs. 38-39.)

Powerful words. We must all be working to this point where we have growth in our sanctification, as minimal as it may be. Praise God for the work of the Gospel in our lives.

On a Search and Destroy Mission with John Owen

John Owen

Wise advice on sin from one who has gone on before us...

We need to recognize the enemy we are dealing with and resolve that it is to be destroyed by all means possible.

Hence

We need to be intimately acquainted with the ways, wiles, methods, advantages and occasions which give lust its success. This is how men deal with their enemies. They search out their plans, ponder their goals, and consider how and by  what means they have prevailed over them in the past. Then they can be defeated. ...

Even when lust is not enticing and seducing, they consider, while at leisure, 'This is still our enemy; this is his way and his methods, these are his advantages, this is way the way he has prevailed, and he will do this, if he is no prevented.' ...

One of the choicest and most important parts of spiritual wisdom is to find out the subtleties, policies, and depths of any indwelling sin; to consider where its greatest strength lies - how it uses occasions, opportunities, and temptations to gain an advantage. From The Mortification of Sin: Abridged and made easy to read by Richard Rushing, Banner of Truth, pgs. 36-37.

Sin, Spirit, Mortification and John Owen

John Owen

'But how does the Spirit give us victory?'

By our living in the Spirit and walking after the Spirit. As we abound in the graces of the Spirit and walk according to them, the fruits of the Spirit restrict the fruits of the flesh, because the works of the flesh are contrary to the works of the Spirit. This renewing of us by the Holy Spirit, as it is called (Titus 3:5), is one great way of mortification. He cause us to grow, thrive, flourish, and abound in the graces which are contrary, opposite, and destructive to all the works of the flesh, and contrary to the thriving of indwelling sin itself.

*From The Mortification of Sin: Abridged and made easy to read by Richard Rushing, Banner of Truth, pg. 19.

Mortification of Sin is a Blessing Through the Spirit

John Owen

We receive mortification as a part of the blessings we receive in Christ. All the blessings that we have in Christ are given to us by the  Spirit of Christ. Without Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5). All the blessings and graces we experience in Him at the beginning, and our growth in Him, are sent by the Spirit. He alone works in and on believers. Through His strength, sin can be mortified. ...


How does the Spirit mortify sin?
i. By causing our hearts to abound in grace and the fruits that are contrary to the works of the flesh.
ii. By the effective destruction of the root and habit of sin, to weaken, destroy, and take it away.
iii. He brings the cross of Christ into the heart of a sinner by faith, and gives communion with Christ in His death, and fellowship in His sufferings.*

*From The Mortification of Sin: Abridged and made easy to read by Richard Rushing, Banner of Truth, pgs. 17 & 18.

Why Mortify the Flesh?

John Owen

What were your first thoughts this morning? Thoughts of work, mowing the lawn, fixing the sink, bbq'ing tonight with friends, or watching or attending some sporting event this afternoon? Maybe your first thoughts should have been on the fact that the Lord's "mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is [His] faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV) And following on the heels of that praise you and I both should should move on to mortifying our flesh for those sins that beset us the most. "Put to death [mortify] therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5 ESV) For John Owen wrote, Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? You must always be at it while you live; do not take a day off from this work; always be killing sin or it will be killing you.*

Owen directs us to Romans 8:13 where we have clear direction to mortify the deeds of the flesh:

    For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:13 ESV)

And the five points of this text reveal:

1. To whom it is directed: 'You believer.'
2. The condition: 'If you.'
3. The means of accomplishment: 'The Spirit.'
4. A duty: 'Put to death the deeds of the body.'
5. A promise: 'You will live."*

So take a moment right now to consider those sins that trouble you the most and how you'll put them to death today.

*From The Mortification of Sin: Abridged and made easy to read by Richard Rushing, Banner of Truth, pgs. 1&5.

Trueman on John Owen

Two of my favorite theological dudes in one video. Carl Trueman discussing the importance of John Owen.

Around the Web in Sixty Seconds

A few notables from the web in the last few days:

I would dearly love to attend the Desiring God conference this year. As I'm not I'll be looking forward to the mp3's of each speaker. This year the topic is on the Power of Words. In particular, and not just because it is Driscoll delivering it, the power of harsh language. DG has put together several interviews with the speakers and BTW has listed and linked them here.

Speaking of the Desiring God folks, they have put out some fantastic Don't Waste Your Life t-shirts. My birthday is coming up shortly - I'm gonna start dropping hints.

Carl Trueman reports that Stephen Nichols' long awaited work on the blues, Getting the Blues, is now available. I've been looking forward to this for some time. Read a bit more at Brazos Press and Amazon has it a bit cheaper.

The Exiled Preacher reviews Carl Trueman's, John Owen; Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man here. I'm currently reading this and have found it an excellent and intense read.

Listen Up

The Funnier Side of John Owen

John Owen had a funny side too, ya know. The following is a portion from Vindiciae Evangelicae and is a satirical catechism in refutation of Socinianism.

Q1. What is God?

A. God is a spirit, that hath a bodily shape, eyes, ears, hands, feet, like to us.

Q2. Where is this God?

A. In a certain place in heaven, upon a throne, where man may see from his right hand to his left.

Q3. Doth he ever move out of that place?

A. I cannot tell what he doth ordinarily, but he hath formerly come down sometimes upon the earth.

Q4. What doth he do there in that place?

A. Among other things, he conjectures at what men will do here below.

Q5. Doth he, then, not know what we do?

A. He doth know what we have done, but not what we will do.

Q6. What frame is he upon his knowledge and conjecture?

A. Sometimes he is afraid, sometimes grieved, sometimes joyful, and sometimes troubled.

Q7. What peace and comfort can I have in committing myself to his providence, if he knows not what will befall me tomorrow?

A. What is that to me? See you to that.

On False Conversions....

Common experience declares how momentary and how useless are those violent fits and gusts of endeavours which proceed from fear and uncertainty, both in things spiritual and things temporal, or civil. Whilst men are under the power of actual impressions from such fears, they will convert to God, yea, they will turn in a moment, and perfect their holiness in an instant; but so soon as that impression wears off (as it will do on every occasion, and upon none at all) such persons are as dead and cold towards God as the lead or iron, which but now ran in a fiery stream, is now when the heat is departed from it. - John Owen

John Owen's Nine Directions for the Mortification of Sin

I've been re-reading portions of Owen's Mortification of Sin in Overcoming Sin and Temptation edited by Kapic and Taylor. Owen is such a master in this area as he convicts and then blesses the reader. Here are the nine directions:

1. Consider whether the sin you are contending with has any dangerous symptoms attending it

2. Get a clear abiding sense upon your mind and conscience of the guilt, danger and evil of that sin

3. Load your conscience with the guilt of it

4. Get a constant longing for deliverance from the power of it

5. Consider whether the sin is rooted in your nature and exacerbated by your temperament

6. Consider what occasions and advantages your sin has taken to exert and put forth itself, and watch against them all

7. Rise mightily against the first actings and conceptions of your sin

8. Meditate in such a way that you are filled at all times with self-abasement and thoughts of your own vileness

9. Listen to what God says to your soul and do not speak peace to yourself before God speaks it, but hearken what he says to your soul

Derek Thomas, John Owen and Learning

I spend a fair amount of time reading and listening to well known theologians. I like learning and studying theology but I’m always cautious so as not to just make all this learning purely an intellectual endeavor. Rather, I try to also incorporate all of this theology I’ve been absorbing over the years and incorporate it into my devotional life. Thus, for all these smarter-than-me living and dead theologians that I’ve been reading and listening to over the years I have to admit that I also enjoy learning about their personal life just as much. What was their life like, how did they grow up, what physical difficulties did they experience, how did they come to know the Lord and how did they spend time with the Lord? Often if I want to buy one of their books I usually lean towards buying one of their devotional works first over anything else they may have published.
I’ve taken a break recently from some other studies to spend some time on the Puritans (again) and John Owen particularly. I’ve been listening to some lectures by Derek Thomas on John Owen given at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. Its fascinating and enlightening stuff and I’ve enjoyed it immensely. At one point, Thomas, in connection with his talk on Owen, relates his own conversion experience which I liked hearing about and I’m glad he shared it. For all his knowledge, Thomas, like all of us, was saved by simple grace. A friend gave him a book by John Stott which he read followed by his own reading of the Bible (the first he Bible he ever owned). Sensing his need he prayed, he can’t remember his exact words but it was something like what a “drowning man would say when the waters were coming upon him, 'Lord save me’.” He went on to say that he could not have “formulated anything that was theologically sound…” but he simply believed Matthew 11:28-30 and that’s all there was to it. What a simple and yet profound story of God’s grace working in a man’s heart. Of all the issues he spoke about this was just as encouraging and interesting and a great little diversion from the focus of the lecture. It really brought home his point about Owen’s view on conviction of sin.
It was Herman Bavinck, who, on his death bed, said "My dogmatics avails me nothing nor my knowledge but I have my faith and in this I have all.” May we all remember this sentiment as we travel the life-long road of learning.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30

More on Derek Thomas here & his Owen lectures are here.

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John Owen on Scripture

Recently I've been studying a bit on John Owen and came across some good stuff on his views on Scripture. For example, Scripture is received in the twofold manner work of the Holy Spirit, i.e., an internal witness and an external witness. The internal witness is the Spirit's work on men's minds allowing them to believe. The external witness is the Spirit giving evidence through the Scriptures that it is true. J.I.Packer delineates this for us by offering three points how the Spirit works this out. 1. By Light. Scripture, through the covenanted action of the Holy Spirit, constantly "shines", in the sense of giving spiritual illumination and insight as to who and what on is in the sight of God, and who and what Jesus Christ is, both in humself and in relation to one's own self and finally, in the broadest and most inclusive sense, how one ought to live. (A Quest for Godliness, by J.I. Packer, page 91.) 2. The Spirit makes Scripture powerful. We see this in verses such as Hebrews 4:12 ?& 1 Corinthians 1:18. 3. The Spirit makes the Scriptures to work on each person individually to see God's majesty. Therefore, ...through the action of the Holy Spirit, Scripture evidences and authenticates itself as the Word of God. (A Quest for Godliness, by J.I. Packer, page 91.) The power with which the Scriptures approach us is the public testimony of the Holy Spirit given to us all, of the Word, by and in the Word. (John Owen as quoted in A Quest for Godliness, by J.I. Packer, page 91.)

John Owen - The Glory of Christ

From The Glory of Christ....Yet even in this life true believers sometimes have a little experience of the pleasure to be found in knowing Christ. The Scriptures and the Holy Spirit bring such a sense of the uncreated glory of God shining in Christ that it fills their souls with indescribable joy and peace. These experiences are not frequent but that is because of our idleness and lack of spiritual light. Glory would dawn in our souls if we were diligent in our duty of meditating on the glory of Christ. - John Owen