What Every Christian Needs to Know...

by John Owen

What Every Christian Needs to Know...
about Temptation
and Putting sin to death

An abridged and rewrite of two works by John Owen, on temptation and the mortification of sin. Prepared by A. Swanson

"The shallowness of our current spirituality is due to our shallow view of sin. The Puritans viewed God in all his holiness, majesty, authority, sovereignty and power and so realized the vileness, deceit and sinfulness of human hearts. Holy living is not a relic from Puritan days, but something that is essential to all true Christians of every age. AIM Magazine of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, Vol. 28; No.1"

Genres: Theology, Christian Living, Christian, Faith

143 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

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

[Sam Aird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly well-named - a convicting read which makes you want to take action, and gives practical advice on how to do so. Has been rewritten and reformatted from the original though - would like to see what John Owen's wording was.

[Lady Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found What Every Christian Needs to Know to be extremely practical, as well as thought provoking. Really, it is pastoral care straight from John Owen and is going on my very short list of books worth annually re-reading--which isn't a burden due to the work of its modern editors.

True believers, who are definitely free from the condemning power of sin, must still make it their business throughout life to put to death the remaining power of sin in them. What Every Christian Needs to Know p.74

Written for Christians, as opposed to "seekers," skeptics or the merely curious, in What Every Christian Needs to Know John Owen breaks down often neglected topics--temptation and mortification. What is temptation, actually, and what can we do about it? Is sin a serious issue for Christians who, covered by the Blood, have repentance at their fingertips? Just how does one "die to sin"? These questions are answered and direct, life-application provided, in a very logical, linear, matter-of-fact manner. John Owen, England's preeminent theologian during the Reformation, assumes that temptation and sin will be ongoing features of a Christian's earthly life and instructs Christians how to fight.

Beware of thinking that deliverance from the penalty of God's law means that it is no longer meant to direct your life or expose your sin. What Every Christian Needs to Know

I recommend What Every Christian Needs to Know for every Christian who wishes to continue the hard work of change and growth, especially in comfortable areas where they are wrong.

[Chuqin Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so appreciate how practical and concise this little book is. It is a great crash course/detailed outline of Owen’s two books on Temptations and on Mortification of Sin. It’s a sobering reminder of sins’ and temptations’ continual presences in our lives and offers biblical remedies and instructions to combat them.

The reason I didn’t give it five stars is more because of my general frustration of all rewrites of classic works - if it’s been “modernized”, “rewritten” or “abridged”, it should be clearly presented as such. I consider this book as the editors’ summary of Owen’s works. The omission of such statement and the omission of the names of the editors on the cover can be misleading. Furthermore, while the addition of subheadings is very helpful, the numbering is not well-edited.

[Charlestp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read by every Christian!

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this. I plan to get the entire series.