I’m a
pretty big reader – I like novels and non-fiction alike (although I do struggle
to find many novels worth reading). So I thought I would start a book review
series in my blog to discuss things I have learnt from the books I have read.
Maybe some of my readers will find this boring – I am sorry – I suppose this is
really more for me than anyone else, to consolidate my own learning! But then
again, maybe it will be interesting for someone J.
MY INTRODUCTION TO JOHN OWEN
I’d like to
kick off this blog post series with my thoughts on a book by John Owen called “Indwelling
Sin in Believers”. I was introduced to
John Owen through an article
by Rosaria Butterfield on desiringgod.org (John Piper’s website). This article
was a life-changing read for me and I wanted to know more, so I followed up the
reference made to John Owen’s writings and purchased a book called “Overcoming
Sin and Temptation” – an edited version of three of Owen’s books on the subject (including Indwelling Sin in Believers).
John Owen was a 17th century Puritan
and theologian; many would argue one of the greatest who ever lived. HOWEVER, his books are notoriously heavy and
difficult to read, hence why I have not met many people who are familiar with
them.
SO MUCH GOLD
Feeling put
off yet? Miraculously, I actually felt quite the opposite – I was excited for
the challenge and ready to start digging in and finding the gold that is said to exist in Owen’s work. And there really is so much gold. Apart from the
Bible, I would have to say that this book has taught me more about myself and
the right way to walk before God than any I have read before it.
But enough
introduction. Let’s get cracking.
THE POWER OF SIN STILL EXISTS IN EVERY BELIEVER
The first
thing to note is that this book is aimed
at believers (those who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour and King). Having said that, Owen asserts
that although the condemning power of sin has been dealt with in the
believer (i.e. it no longer has the power to condemn us to death and hell), the
indwelling power of sin still exists
within us. It no longer exists in isolation – there is now the law of grace
that dwells within us too – but nevertheless, it exists. This is the source of
the battle that rages within every Christian: “For I do not do the good I want,
but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not
want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Romans
7:18-19).
This is a
complex topic in itself and Owen goes into a lot of detail to break it down for
his readers. I don’t want to focus on that portion of his book though – I’d
prefer to go on to what he later discusses, being how the indwelling power of sin works to 1) prevent the believer
from doing good and 2) cause the believer to do evil instead.
WHY SHOULD I THINK ABOUT SIN?
You may say
at this point “This seems like a very negative subject. Why does it matter how
sin works if God has already saved us from it? Isn’t it more productive to
celebrate salvation itself rather than dwelling on what we have been saved
from?”
To which
Owen would reply:
“Most men
love to hear of the doctrine of grace, of the pardon of sin, of free love, and
suppose they find food therein [only]… But to be breaking up the fallow ground
of their hearts, to be inquiring after the weeds and briars they delight not so
much, though this be no less necessary
than the other. This path is not so beaten as that of grace, nor so
trod in, though it be the only way to
come to a true knowledge of grace itself…. It were to be wished that we
would all apply our hearts more to this work, even to come to a true understanding
of the nature, power, and subtlety of this our adversary [sin], that our souls may be humbled…”
To
summarise: studying indwelling sin is equally important to studying grace
because it is only when we understand our sin that we can fully understand the
grace we have been given. Not only this, but understanding our own sin achieves
the dual purposes of:
- being humble towards God, which is the only state God favours: “These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” Isaiah 66:2.
- being humble towards others, which leads to compassion and readiness to forgive (two other qualities we are commanded to have in the Scriptures).
Says Owen: “…such
are we only when we have a due sense of our own vile condition.”
Having hopefully convinced you of the necessity of this study, let's make a start on the meatier stuff - how sin actually works.
THE DECEITFULNESS OF SIN
In general terms, sin works by deceit – it tricks
the Christian into believing and then acting on a lie. Owen bases his discussion of this subject on James 1:14-15:
“Every man is tempted when he is drawn away by
his own lust, and enticed. Then, when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin:
and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.”
He makes
the following observations and inferences from the above passage:
- The end of sin is shown: death. This is what sin attempts to hide at all costs.
- Temptation and deception are the same. To put it another way, Christians are tempted because they are deceived – we believe the lie that indwelling sin tells us. If we knew the vile monster we were cuddling, we would not touch it; it is only because we believe it to be a soft, adorable kitten that we embrace it.
- The deceit of sin works in five steps:
- It draws away the mind.
- It entices the affections.
- Sin is conceived in the will.
- Sin is brought forth in the action (God often prevents this in the believer)
- Sin ends in death (God has saved believers from this aspect totally)
Owen writes
many pages on each of these steps of deceit. In my next post, I’ll tackle the
first one – the drawing away of the mind. I hope you’ll come on the journey with
me.
Woohoo, awesome summary! (perhaps I'll just read your summaries and that will save me the reading......... lol).
ReplyDeleteBTW I love your new look!! xx