Freedom from Sin’s Dominion

by John Owen, Brian G. Hedges (Editor)

For sin shall not have dominion over you,for you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:14

The heart will be ruled by something. And we can be certain that sin’s purpose is not to merely tempt people but to reign over their hearts. Considering this, John Owen helps us understand what it means for sin to have dominion and discern whether it has such a mastery over us. More significantly, Owen points us to the power of grace to break sin’s dominion and set up a dominion of its own.

Read Owen and learn to distinguish the rebellion of sin from the dominion of sin.

First published as A Treatise of the Dominion of Sin and Grace (London 1688).

Series Description

Interest in the Puritans continues to grow, but many people find reading these giants of the faith a bit unnerving. This series seeks to overcome that barrier by presenting Puritan books that are convenient in size and unintimidating in length. Each book is carefully edited with modern readers in mind, smoothing out difficult language of a bygone era while retaining the meaning of the original authors. Books for the series are thoughtfully selected to provide some of the best counsel on important subjects that people continue to wrestle with today.

Contents

Preface

1. Understanding the Dominion of Sin

Part The Nature of Sin’s Dominion

2. The Evil of Sin’s Dominion
3. Further Properties of Sin’s Dominion

Part The Signs of Sin’s Dominion

4. The Difficulty of Discerning Sin’s Dominion
5. Sin Possessing the Imagination
6. Dangerous Signs of Sin’s Dominion
7. Graces and Duties for Mortifying Sin
8. Two Kinds of Hardness of Heart
9. Diagnosing the Dominion of Sin

Part The Assurance of Freedom from Sin’s Dominion

10. Sin’s Dominion over Those under the Law
11. Grace Gives Strength against Sin
12. Advice for Those Perplexed with Sin
13. Freedom through the Gospel
14. The Mercy of Deliverance from Sin’s Dominion
15. Be Sure You Are Not under Sin’s Dominion
16. Directions to Prevent Sin’s Dominion

Genres: Theology

138 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2025

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

[Tim Michiemo]

4.8 Stars

Excellent!

[Isaac]

Owen is wise and wonderful, and I hesitate to take issue with this book - but I must. The problem here, to my mind, is that Owen makes too many weighty statements that he does not ground in the text of scripture. When it comes to issues of assurance and salvation, this is especially costly. As an example, he speaks of signs of God’s displeasure which we should see in providence (p.75), but there is not a text to be found. He could be correct about every point he makes, but to troubled souls we need a closer and fuller handling of the text of scripture.

[Tom Findysz]

A Must-Read. The Church is filled with people that are sinful-- by necessity. Every individual therefore must consider whether he is under the dominion of sin or is freed from it and under grace.

This short book speaks to the subject of man's relation to sin in such a way as I have never heard before. Owen does not give the oft repeated answers that so many pastors and mentors give regarding the struggle with indwelling sin to "Pray and read your Bible." Instead, Owen helps parse through this relationship with sin in the life of the believer and the non-believer in a practical, precise manner that is filled with Scriptural support and causes much self-examination, and in the end, assurance to me.

[Jared Baergen]

Any book published by Reformation Heritage Books is worth it. I really appreciate how they have been turning Puritan classics into modernized classics. John Owen is notoriously difficult to read. And yet, the editor (Brian Hedges) has wonderfully smoothed out the dense prose of Owen for the contemporary reader. This short (but very significant) work by Owen is a wonderful place to begin getting acquainted with his theology. Thanks to RHB for another great title!

[Sandu Andronic]

Citită alături de celelalte tratate deja clasice, precum Temptation, Mortification of Sin și The Indwelling Sins in Saints, această scriere - mai scurtă și pastorală - completează acest tablou (sumbru uneori) al luptei omului cu păcatul.

*Ediția în limba română va apărea în luna februarie 2026 la editura Perla Suferinței.

[Malia Gatewood]

What a wonderful book!
I married into the Presbyterian Church when I got married not too long ago; I had a lot of questions, a lot to learn about repentance and sin. This book answered so many, and put it in such concise words! I couldn't recommend it enough to my brothers & sisters in Christ.

[Josh Olson]

I’ll probably give a 5-star to each of these because RHB knows what they’re doing by releasing these masterpieces

[Edgar]

Excellent short book on an important topic that many Christians misunderstand or purposefuly over look.

[Ross Treadway]

Very clear and helpful, explaining what it means that Christians, because they aren’t under law but under grace, are also no longer under sin’s dominion. It was encouragement and inspiration to keep fighting sin!