Assurance: Overcoming the Difficulty of Knowing Forgiveness

by John Owen

How can I be sure that God has forgiven me? In this volume, essentially an exposition of Psalm 130, John Owen pinpoints the causes of such spiritual distress, not merely with the clinical skill of a spiritual diagnostician, but also with the understanding of someone who had profound experience of those 'depths'. And Owen does not stop with diagnosis. He maps out a biblical path of faith and obedience for distressed believers who long to say with full assurance, 'God has forgiven me. '

Genres: Theology, Christian

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1668

About the author

John Owen was an English theologian and "was without doubt not only the greatest theologian of the English Puritan movement but also one of the greatest European Reformed theologians of his day, and quite possibly possessed the finest theological mind that England ever produced" ("Owen, John", in Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals, p. 494)

Reviews

[Jared Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally, this has been one of the most helpful books I have ever read. In a time of spiritual depression (what David calls 'the depths') on account of sin and the trouble that accompanies it, no other has given me more hope, peace, or encouragement than this one. There are a number of other great books on this subject, both old and contemporary (see Spiritual Depression by Lloyd-Jones, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul by Winslow, and Losing God by Rogers). Each of them have their strengths and weaknesses but I have nothing but praise for the Forgiveness of Sin.
This book is so dense that I only read about a chapter or section at a time and each time I walked away comforted and frankly stunned at Owen's precision and more-so his ability to point the reader to the anchor outside himself - the promises of God. After reading certain sections I could not help but cling tighter to the promises of God that were made crystal-clear by Owen's refined methods of persuasion. This treatise is so concise that not a single page has any wasted material. It is one dense, continuous thought; suitably filling, with morsels so sweet and encouraging as well as with carefully measured stings of salty conviction and warning.
My wife would like me to go on record, saying: "If I had to lose every other book (besides the Bible, of course) in my library in order to keep this one, I surely would."
I highly recommend this book whether you are struggling in the depths or not. I think it would be impossible to fail to benefit from Owen, and from this work in particular.

[David Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would crawl over broken glass for the truths in this book to be firmly lodged deep in the heart of every believer. Oh God, please utterly convince us beyond all doubt that there is forgiveness with you and that there is no reason for us to fear your condemnation. There is indeed hope even for the most sin entangled soul. I will cling to these truths every day until death carries me into the arms of my Savior.

[Cameron Borders · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Rate. Top Shelf. Desert Island contender. (Included in volume 6 of his works.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book on psalm 130. If you get a chance to read it you should.