Pursuing the Truth

I decided that I would combine the last three chapters into one post and finish out our study. We’ll call this Owen’s Last Stand.

Chapter 12

Owen’s purpose in this chapter is to point out the vileness of sin in its effect of separating us from God. This is important in the task of mortifying sin because it keeps us alert to the consequences of sin. Sin chips away at our relationship with God by drawing our attention away from him and fixing our affections on something else. Realizing the effects of sin, having been given the desire to know and love God, we will be drawn to take aim at sin and take down the pride found within our hearts. Understanding the holiness of God is helpful to this cause as well. God cannot stand in the presence of sin. His holiness is one of the reasons why we need a Savior. As we consider this reality, we are once again drawn to abhor our sin and fight against it. So…we should fix our efforts on knowing God so that we might be equipped to oppose our sin. It is the only way that we can have victory over sin. Yet, for many of us, this is the main problem. We know of God but do not know God. “We know him rather by what he does than by what he is–by his doing us good than by his essential goodness; and how little a portion of him, as Job speaks, is hereby discovered!” (p. 115) All of this displays a lack of faith on our part. “The chief, and, upon the matter, almost only acquaintance we have with God, and his dispensations of himself, is by faith.” (p. 115) Owen points out that we know enough of God to love him more than we do. We have faith, but it is a weak faith when we let sin run over us. We must trust and believe in the gospel that has been given to us by God. “The intention of all gospel revelation is not to unveil God’s essential glory that we should see him as he is, but merely to declare so much of him as he knows sufficient to be a bottom of our faith, love, obedience, and coming to him–that is, of the faith which here he expects from us; such services as beseem poor creatures in the midst of temptations.” (p. 117)

Chapter 13

In this chapter, Owen urges us to be cautious in claiming peace over our sin. We should not be quick to claim peace unless it is a peace given to us by God. “It is a sad thing for a man to deceive his own soul herein. All the warnings God gives us in tenderness to our souls, to try and examine ourselves, do tend to the preventing of this great evil of speaking peace groundlessly to ourselves.” (p. 118) In essence, we should not deceive ourselves by justifying our peace because of our great wound. We certainly need peace but it will only come from God. We should not prematurely claim peace when there is no peace. There is no peace when we consider that abiding sin reminds us of the fact that our sin nailed Jesus to the cross. So…there is a natural question that follows all of this. How can we know when peace comes from God and not ourselves? Peace from God is discerned through the Holy Spirit. God gave us the Spirit to guide us into all truth. What truth? It is the truth that leads us to God and the knowledge of his will. God’s peace is true and leads to good. God’s peace is humbling and melts away our sin. So again, how can we recognize the peace that comes from God? “If you exercise yourselves to acquaintance and communion with him, you will easily discern between his voice and the voice of a stranger.” (p. 126)

Chapter 14

Owen wraps up his treatise on mortifying sin by setting out some directions on the work itself. We are helpless against sin left to our own devices. So, you should “set faith at work on Christ for the killing of your sin. His blood is the great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls.” (p. 131) It is only through the blood of Jesus that we can be set free from sin. We should consistently rest our thoughts on the cross of Christ. We should remind ourselves of the penalty that was paid on our behalf. “By faith ponder on this, that though you are no way able in or by yourself to get the conquest over your distemper, though you are even weary of contending, and are utterly ready to faint, yet that there is enough in Jesus Christ to yield you relief (Phil. 4:13).” (p. 131) He can give us strength to overcome our sin at anytime because he conquered it for us. So you should “raise up your heart by faith to an expectation of relief from Christ.” (p. 133) Our expectation is built on grace. “Mortification of any sin must be by a supply of grace. Of ourselves we cannot do it.” (p. 133) So again let us not forget that relief of any form other than from Christ is no relief at all. We should also expect Christ’s relief from our sin because he sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf. He took our place on the cross. He takes up our case with the Father. And he gives us the freedom and strength to overcome our sin.

Finally, to wrap up the entire work, Owen reminds us that this work of mortifying sin can only be taken up through the Spirit. If there is no Spirit, there is no mortification. Thus, we should look to God through the Holy Spirit and give him credit when sin has been turned back. “It is the Spirit alone that can do, that does, this work to the purpose. And this is the first thing that the Spirit does in order to the mortification of any lust whatsoever–it convinces the soul of all the evil of it, cuts off all its pleas, discovers all its deceits, stops all its evasions, answers its pretenses, makes the soul own its abomination and lie down under the sense of it.” (p. 138) In the end, “the Spirit is the author and finisher of our sanctification.” (p. 139)

And go…

Alright…that was a lot to take in. I would love to hear what you got from these chapters. What did you find convicting and helpful? What really struck you as powerful?

Wrap up…

Please feel free to leave comments on what you liked and found difficult with this book. If you have any highlights or favorite parts, leave those too. Also…I would love to know how the Lord has used the writings of John Owen to draw you closer to Jesus.

Our next study will start in a couple of weeks. Thanks for reading along. I hope you gained as much out of this book as I did.

Tags: Holy Spirit, John Owen, peace, sin, the cross, The Mortification of Sin