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Works of John Owen #3
The Holy Spirit
Owen on the Holy Spirit, as this work has been known to generations of Christians, was written by the greatest theologian of the Puritan era. It is, without question, one of the truly great Christian books.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1674
190 people are currently reading
1006 people want to read
About the author
John Owen
1,368 books422 followersJohn 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)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 31, 2016
John Owen knew more about the Holy Spirit than every Pentecostal preacher put togetehr.
April 12, 2021
Absolutely wonderful. The latter third of the book focusing on the gospel holiness enacted by the Spirit in the believer is the most convicting and edifying treatment of the subject of holiness I have read so far. It is certainly not light reading, but I would enthusiastically recommend this book to help clarify doctrinal points (obedience/holiness vs. justification/faith) and warm a believer's heart for God.
February 18, 2021
I love John Owen, and this book articulates why he is my favorite Puritan. Owen is consistent in his thinking, practical in his application, and God honoring in his theology. There is no doubt that this theology of the Holy Spirit is biblical and by far the most practical that I have read. Owen walks through the Trinity, the roles of the Spirit, how the Spirit works in believers, and the comfort He provides. The closing portion of the book is focused on the believer mortifying the flesh by the Spirit. Truly a fantastic and convicting book.
February 15, 2026
#25 of 60+ in the partially updated Puritan Paperbacks series by Banner of Truth. [disclaimer: Banner of Truth has only partially reprinted this series and continues to dally years later despite multiple loyal customers pleading with them to complete what they have started. Making matters worse, they continue to print new titles to add to the series despite the existing series being incomplete.] Now, on to the review…
Have you ever finished a book and known that it contains so much depth that no matter how many times you revisit it in the future, you will never fully internalize its significance? Such is the case with many of Owen’s writings. Amongst the Puritans, many of whom were titans of doctrinal faithfulness, Owen stands above. Is he difficult to follow? Sure, at times he can be but the juice is worth the squeeze. Every Owen book I’ve ever read leaves me feeling closer to Christ despite my self-acknowledgement that I have likely grasped only a fraction of his arguments. His book on the Holy Spirit is no different except that it distinctly reminds the reader that the Holy Spirit is a person also and that we as believers have much to thank Him for and can enjoy communion with Him now.
Owen highlights the significance of the Holy Spirit in this quote on the Spirit’s effectual work in us: “all holy activities and duties we are enabled to do are done only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing good in us, and nothing that is done well by us in any holy, obedient activity, but Scripture expressly and frequently ascribes it to the direct work of the Holy Spirit in us.” (181)
Have you thanked the Holy Spirit for His effectual work in you or do you neglect the Spirit as many do forgetting He is a member of the Trinity and puffing yourself up with pride when all of your so-called goodness stems from His work?
This book contains so much meat concerning the Spirit that it is astounding to think that it’s 236 pages are a severe abridgement of the original. Owen had a lot to say about the Spirit. We would all do well to meditate on his reminders of the truths we often gloss over in God’s Word. He has said nothing novel in this writing. It is simply his pastoral love shining through to highlight what the Scriptures have already said.
Have you ever finished a book and known that it contains so much depth that no matter how many times you revisit it in the future, you will never fully internalize its significance? Such is the case with many of Owen’s writings. Amongst the Puritans, many of whom were titans of doctrinal faithfulness, Owen stands above. Is he difficult to follow? Sure, at times he can be but the juice is worth the squeeze. Every Owen book I’ve ever read leaves me feeling closer to Christ despite my self-acknowledgement that I have likely grasped only a fraction of his arguments. His book on the Holy Spirit is no different except that it distinctly reminds the reader that the Holy Spirit is a person also and that we as believers have much to thank Him for and can enjoy communion with Him now.
Owen highlights the significance of the Holy Spirit in this quote on the Spirit’s effectual work in us: “all holy activities and duties we are enabled to do are done only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing good in us, and nothing that is done well by us in any holy, obedient activity, but Scripture expressly and frequently ascribes it to the direct work of the Holy Spirit in us.” (181)
Have you thanked the Holy Spirit for His effectual work in you or do you neglect the Spirit as many do forgetting He is a member of the Trinity and puffing yourself up with pride when all of your so-called goodness stems from His work?
This book contains so much meat concerning the Spirit that it is astounding to think that it’s 236 pages are a severe abridgement of the original. Owen had a lot to say about the Spirit. We would all do well to meditate on his reminders of the truths we often gloss over in God’s Word. He has said nothing novel in this writing. It is simply his pastoral love shining through to highlight what the Scriptures have already said.
December 29, 2024
What a wonderful book. This was my introduction to Owen’s writings and I’m on the hunt for more. I was only a few pages in when I ran and got my pen and notebook, I immediately knew this was a book that needed note taking and meditation to go along with it.
Owen writes on holiness and mortification of sin reminding the Christian of his spiritual disciplines and the work of the Holy Spirit in his spiritual disciplines. I was warned Owen was a hard read, but I am grateful it was made easier to read by the publisher.
Owen writes on holiness and mortification of sin reminding the Christian of his spiritual disciplines and the work of the Holy Spirit in his spiritual disciplines. I was warned Owen was a hard read, but I am grateful it was made easier to read by the publisher.
June 21, 2021
I enjoyed this book. Owen's discourse on sanctification is an unrivaled masterpiece. I do find the author at times a bit difficult to follow because of sentence structure and syntax, but the treasures to be found within are well worth mining. In my review of Volume 2 I stated that it was his best work, but the more I read the more I am convinced that John Owen is one of the greatest theological minds ever gifted to the body and would be difficult to label his "best work". Looking forward to volume 4!
January 14, 2022
Really enjoyed this abridged classic on the Holy Spirit. The bits about mortification and election were unexpectedly helpful as well.
March 31, 2026
There may not be any other doctrine that has experienced more doctrinal “drift” or “dilution” than the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. As one blessed to grow up in Bible-believing home, I ashamedly worshiped a Trinity closer to the “Father, Son, and HOLY BIBLE,” neglecting the Holy Spirit in my spiritual conscious and practice. Yet this neglect still permeates the church even at the highest levels. For example, I recently attended the Shepherds Conference where I listened to one pastor preach for an entire hour about the power of God’s Word, while never ONCE mentioning the Holy Spirit. Such a neglect is catastrophic to the sanctification of the church while stealing from the glory of God.
Here John Owen, arguably the most Trinitarian-focused of the Puritans, lays out one of the most compelling writings on the work of the Holy Spirit and why this doctrine matters in both ‘orthodoxy’ and ‘orthopraxy.” This is not a cold doctrine meant for the mind, but one that should warm the heart and be the ultimate basis of being able to boldly come daily before the throne of grace.
John Owen begins by saying that the Holy Spirit is the person of the Godhead who “carries out all that God has planned.” While making it clear that as the triune God, the Trinity is involved in every action, “yet at the same time each person has a special role to fulfill in that work.” This is beautifully seen in the gift of salvation, where the Father’s “special role” was to plan it, the Son’s to purchase it, and the Holy Spirit to enable sinners to receive it. Regarding this later role, Owen describes it as being the “good wine which was kept to the last” (Isa. 35:7, 44:3, Joel 2:28, Ezek. 11:19; 36:27).
Owen’s thesis is to explain that there are three things necessary to “fit man for life with God.” He must be able to 1. Know the mind and will of God, 2. Have a heart that desires and loves the will of God, and 3. Have the ability to carry out the will of God. Because all three of these faculties were lost when sin entered the world, the Holy Spirit is the decisive actor in making man fit for communion with God.
I especially loved how Owen systematically described the integral work of the Holy Spirit in the entire ministry of Jesus Christ. I’ve often unintentionally imagined Christ as the God man carrying out his works on earth independent of any reliance on the Spirit. Yet this could not be further from the truth and serves as a compelling example to us on our pilgrimage of the primacy of the Holy Spirit’s work in EVERY act of ours. Here’s Owen’s list of every distinct way the Holy Spirit was at work in our Lord:
1. “First special work of the Holy Spirit … the miraculous conception of his body in the womb of the Virgin Mary.” (Heb 10:5, 2:14, 16, Matt 1:18-20)
2. “Second work of the Holy Spirit … equip him for all he had to do.” (Luke 2:40, 2:52, Isaiah 11:1-3, Mark 13:32, Heb 5:8)
3. “Anointed him in a special way with extraordinary gifts and powers (Isa. 61:1, Luke 4:18, 19).
4. “Guided, comforted, upheld, and strengthened Christ in his ministry, temptations, obedience, and sufferings.” (Luke 4:1, Matt 4:1, Luke 4:14, Isa. 42:4)
5. “Christ offered himself to God through the Holy Spirit.” (Heb 9:14)
6. “Throughout his whole life the chief graces of the Spirit were revealed in Christ” (Gal 2:20, Heb 5:2)
7. “Special work of the Holy Spirit towards Christ’s human nature as it lay in the tomb” (Psa 31:5, Luke 23:46, Acts 2:31).
8. “Special work … in his resurrection.” (Acts 2:24, John 10:17, 18).
9. “Spirit glorified Christ’s human nature.” (1 John 3:2, Phil 3:21)
As an aside, if you have not read anything by John Owen, particularly regarding the Trinity, I’d argue you may be more spiritually malnourished than you may realize. I love what the publisher writes in the preface: “Those who have accused Owen of being hard to read have generally been people who lacked the time to read him as he deserves.” The Banner of Truth has further eliminated any excuse since they have simplified and shortened the writings of these mighty Redwoods of the faith.
Some Quotes:
- “However brilliant the mind may be, and however brilliant the preaching and presentation of the gospel might be, yet without the Holy Spirit creating this light in them, they cannot receive, understand and agree with the truths preached, and so will not be led to salvation (Eph. 4:17,18) … the natural inclination of the unregenerate mind is to seek those things that cannot satisfy.”
- “If the unconverted mind tries to see spiritual things without the help of the Spirit of God, it will only end up destroying itself.”
- “A religious, decent, moral life, derived from self and not ‘born of God’ is as sinful as the worst of sinful lives.”
- “It is as easy to persuade a person to regenerate himself by persuading himself to repent and believe as it is to persuade a blind man to see, or a lame man to walk normally or a dead man to rise from the grave.”
- “The Holy Spirit does not change the essence of our desires but sanctifies and guides them by his saving light and knowledge. By this he unites the desires to their proper object which is Christ.”
- “Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing and living out the gospel in our souls.”
- “All our troubles and distresses are God’s means to make us more and more like his Son.”
- “The Holy Spirit … works nothing in us except what the word first requires of us.”
- “Every activity of our wills, so far as it is of grace and is holy, is the result of the Holy Spirit’s working in us. He works in us to produce the very act of willing … free will, on the contrary, would say, ‘Not grace but I.’”
- “If we neglect prayer, meditation, reading and hearing the word and attending ordinances of worship, we have no reason to expect any great help.”
- “The best way of abiding in holiness is to abide in prayer.”
- “’Holiness to the Lord’ should be written over our lives and everything we do.”
- For DTS “Carnal Christian” theology: “How foolish it would be to remain unholy and yet think that Christ had received us. This is not only to deceive our souls but also to dishonour Christ and his gospel (Phil. 3:18,19).
Here John Owen, arguably the most Trinitarian-focused of the Puritans, lays out one of the most compelling writings on the work of the Holy Spirit and why this doctrine matters in both ‘orthodoxy’ and ‘orthopraxy.” This is not a cold doctrine meant for the mind, but one that should warm the heart and be the ultimate basis of being able to boldly come daily before the throne of grace.
John Owen begins by saying that the Holy Spirit is the person of the Godhead who “carries out all that God has planned.” While making it clear that as the triune God, the Trinity is involved in every action, “yet at the same time each person has a special role to fulfill in that work.” This is beautifully seen in the gift of salvation, where the Father’s “special role” was to plan it, the Son’s to purchase it, and the Holy Spirit to enable sinners to receive it. Regarding this later role, Owen describes it as being the “good wine which was kept to the last” (Isa. 35:7, 44:3, Joel 2:28, Ezek. 11:19; 36:27).
Owen’s thesis is to explain that there are three things necessary to “fit man for life with God.” He must be able to 1. Know the mind and will of God, 2. Have a heart that desires and loves the will of God, and 3. Have the ability to carry out the will of God. Because all three of these faculties were lost when sin entered the world, the Holy Spirit is the decisive actor in making man fit for communion with God.
I especially loved how Owen systematically described the integral work of the Holy Spirit in the entire ministry of Jesus Christ. I’ve often unintentionally imagined Christ as the God man carrying out his works on earth independent of any reliance on the Spirit. Yet this could not be further from the truth and serves as a compelling example to us on our pilgrimage of the primacy of the Holy Spirit’s work in EVERY act of ours. Here’s Owen’s list of every distinct way the Holy Spirit was at work in our Lord:
1. “First special work of the Holy Spirit … the miraculous conception of his body in the womb of the Virgin Mary.” (Heb 10:5, 2:14, 16, Matt 1:18-20)
2. “Second work of the Holy Spirit … equip him for all he had to do.” (Luke 2:40, 2:52, Isaiah 11:1-3, Mark 13:32, Heb 5:8)
3. “Anointed him in a special way with extraordinary gifts and powers (Isa. 61:1, Luke 4:18, 19).
4. “Guided, comforted, upheld, and strengthened Christ in his ministry, temptations, obedience, and sufferings.” (Luke 4:1, Matt 4:1, Luke 4:14, Isa. 42:4)
5. “Christ offered himself to God through the Holy Spirit.” (Heb 9:14)
6. “Throughout his whole life the chief graces of the Spirit were revealed in Christ” (Gal 2:20, Heb 5:2)
7. “Special work of the Holy Spirit towards Christ’s human nature as it lay in the tomb” (Psa 31:5, Luke 23:46, Acts 2:31).
8. “Special work … in his resurrection.” (Acts 2:24, John 10:17, 18).
9. “Spirit glorified Christ’s human nature.” (1 John 3:2, Phil 3:21)
As an aside, if you have not read anything by John Owen, particularly regarding the Trinity, I’d argue you may be more spiritually malnourished than you may realize. I love what the publisher writes in the preface: “Those who have accused Owen of being hard to read have generally been people who lacked the time to read him as he deserves.” The Banner of Truth has further eliminated any excuse since they have simplified and shortened the writings of these mighty Redwoods of the faith.
Some Quotes:
- “However brilliant the mind may be, and however brilliant the preaching and presentation of the gospel might be, yet without the Holy Spirit creating this light in them, they cannot receive, understand and agree with the truths preached, and so will not be led to salvation (Eph. 4:17,18) … the natural inclination of the unregenerate mind is to seek those things that cannot satisfy.”
- “If the unconverted mind tries to see spiritual things without the help of the Spirit of God, it will only end up destroying itself.”
- “A religious, decent, moral life, derived from self and not ‘born of God’ is as sinful as the worst of sinful lives.”
- “It is as easy to persuade a person to regenerate himself by persuading himself to repent and believe as it is to persuade a blind man to see, or a lame man to walk normally or a dead man to rise from the grave.”
- “The Holy Spirit does not change the essence of our desires but sanctifies and guides them by his saving light and knowledge. By this he unites the desires to their proper object which is Christ.”
- “Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing and living out the gospel in our souls.”
- “All our troubles and distresses are God’s means to make us more and more like his Son.”
- “The Holy Spirit … works nothing in us except what the word first requires of us.”
- “Every activity of our wills, so far as it is of grace and is holy, is the result of the Holy Spirit’s working in us. He works in us to produce the very act of willing … free will, on the contrary, would say, ‘Not grace but I.’”
- “If we neglect prayer, meditation, reading and hearing the word and attending ordinances of worship, we have no reason to expect any great help.”
- “The best way of abiding in holiness is to abide in prayer.”
- “’Holiness to the Lord’ should be written over our lives and everything we do.”
- For DTS “Carnal Christian” theology: “How foolish it would be to remain unholy and yet think that Christ had received us. This is not only to deceive our souls but also to dishonour Christ and his gospel (Phil. 3:18,19).
April 29, 2014
This abridgment of Owen's Discourse on the Holy Spirit makes for dense reading, and for me, it wasn't a quick, or even continuous, read...as evidenced by the fact that I started it years ago, taking in a little at a time. By now, it's been long enough that I feel the need to go back and try again from the beginning sometime. But the remarkable thing about this work, and my main takeaway, is that Reformed theology is absolutely suffused with the Holy Spirit. You could almost hand this book to someone as a primer of Reformed theology, I think. He is constantly active in believers' lives in his work of regeneration, conversion, and sanctification (the latter taking up the greater part of Owen's discourse)--constantly showing them the excellencies and beauty of God through the face of Christ, increasing their love for Him and conforming them to Christ's likeness by His power. Owen unpacks all of this methodically and often beautifully.
May 30, 2016
John Owen, considered to be the greatest English theologian. In this book, Owen writes about the Holy Spirit. I think he is concise and describes the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Father begins, the Son upholds and the Holy Spirit completes.
The Father created the world, the son died for our salvation, the Holy Spirit brings sinners to faith. Without the Holy Spirit, Spiritual things are blind and would not make sense.
God allows men to fall into great actual sins to awaken their consciences. Men become hardened in sins and lose all sense of shame. God is the author of Holiness. The Holy Spirit stirs grace in us, we are motivated by him. He empowers us. Owen says, Regeneration has nothing to do with Ecstasy. All Men are Unregenerate (or) Regenerate. Overall, it is a great book, I recommend John Owen to every believer.
Deus Vult
Gottfried.
The Father begins, the Son upholds and the Holy Spirit completes.
The Father created the world, the son died for our salvation, the Holy Spirit brings sinners to faith. Without the Holy Spirit, Spiritual things are blind and would not make sense.
God allows men to fall into great actual sins to awaken their consciences. Men become hardened in sins and lose all sense of shame. God is the author of Holiness. The Holy Spirit stirs grace in us, we are motivated by him. He empowers us. Owen says, Regeneration has nothing to do with Ecstasy. All Men are Unregenerate (or) Regenerate. Overall, it is a great book, I recommend John Owen to every believer.
Deus Vult
Gottfried.
May 18, 2010
One of the best puritan books I have ever read!
January 22, 2013
Best book on the Holy Spirit
September 5, 2022
This is highly-accessible, modernized version of John Owen’s Holy Spirit (Volume 3 of his works). He spends a great deal of time on the role of the HS in our sanctification which Owen describes as “his chief work.” A highlight for me was his treatment of the Spirit’s work in relationship to the human nature of Christ. Highly recommended
April 26, 2024
read most of it for a book study. just so good and so refreshing and edifying to read the puritans with their women. so grateful
May 5, 2025
Read excerpts for doctrine class. I just love Owen's ordered and rich theological explanations. It's easier to understand him now after having read Aristotle.
May 27, 2018
Excelente livro, um clássico do mestre John Owen. O livro vai abordar como o Espírito Santo é fundamental na caminhada cristã. Boa leitura, esclarecedora em muitos pontos, o autor aborda várias questões concernentes ao Espírito Santo e como precisamos dEle para vivermos em santidade de vida.
March 25, 2021
This was an exceptional book that exceeded my expectations (even knowing that it was John Owen).
Every sentence was insightful and extremely helpful.
The last few chapters (about practical holiness/sanctification/sin) were fantastic and capped off the earlier chapters about the work of the Spirit.
I would recommend this to anyone. This is by no means academic, and on the other hand is immensely practical. It was a joy to read, and a gold mine.
Every sentence was insightful and extremely helpful.
The last few chapters (about practical holiness/sanctification/sin) were fantastic and capped off the earlier chapters about the work of the Spirit.
I would recommend this to anyone. This is by no means academic, and on the other hand is immensely practical. It was a joy to read, and a gold mine.
February 14, 2017
Why is knowledge of the Holy Spirit so important? Because all Gospel Ministry is Holy Spirit ministry, all Christian growth is the work of the Holy Spirit. We are part of the New Covenant once we are brought to salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ: our Covenant with God is by the Blood of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we have a lot to do with the Holy Spirit if we have any part with God's Covenant of mercy at all. It is important we honor and recognize the place of the Holy Spirit in order to avoid the clutches of superficial religion which is not to be compared to the beauty of living and breathing Communion with almighty God!
This work touches subjects as the Work of the Holy Spirit, New Creature, Regeneration, Sanctification, Holiness, Spiritual Gifts, etc. I think it's essential how we ought to depend on God for everything and I like how we are invited to see in this work our dependence to God and the movements of the Holy Spirit
This work touches subjects as the Work of the Holy Spirit, New Creature, Regeneration, Sanctification, Holiness, Spiritual Gifts, etc. I think it's essential how we ought to depend on God for everything and I like how we are invited to see in this work our dependence to God and the movements of the Holy Spirit
July 12, 2011
Owen was a puritan who obviously had a passion for the doctrines of regeneration and sanctification. This work on the Holy Spirit is not bad, but isn't really well titled. Owen's train of thought goes from Holy Spirit, to Holy Spirit's works to Regeneration to Sanctification.
I sort of wished it had been a different book and found much similar to his "Mortification of Sin." Not bad stuff for anyone interested in the puritan doctrines that formed our nation.
I sort of wished it had been a different book and found much similar to his "Mortification of Sin." Not bad stuff for anyone interested in the puritan doctrines that formed our nation.
April 18, 2010
This says just about everything that needs to be said about the work of the Holy Spirit. This book was written by a man who was very in tune with the mind and heart of God. I pray it is as insightful for you as it was for me. Although it seems a bit repetitive at times, there is much to be gained and gleaned from reading it.
October 29, 2008
It's Owen, on the Holy Spirit! What else do you need to know.
December 16, 2013
Very good. I won't kid; this reads like a handbook or an encyclopedia, not like a good book. But the information is great. Wish I'd had it years ago.
September 24, 2014
This is the best book on The trinity I have read. It is one of the major reasons I am a Calvinist.
July 26, 2015
Reading John Owen is like swimming through lead, but always worth the effort.
January 20, 2016
livro muito bom.
April 18, 2016
Another wonderful book by Owen. A really good read informing us on The Holy Spirit, His work and living a life of holiness unto God.
February 23, 2019
And there you go. After more than a year(not exactly sure when I started it, but I think it was in 2017??), with gaps where I took time to read other theological works...I have finished Vol 3 of Owen's Works. What a masterpiece of a book. I'm not sure how often I've written of Owen here, so I guess I should be brief. This book was all about the Holy Spirit and His work (mostly in our lives as Christians - but not exclusively!). Apparently this volume was not big enough to contain all of Owen's thoughts on the Spirit though...as Volume 4 is called "The Work of the Spirit"! But this book was very encouraging to my soul. I very much hesitate to recommend Owen, as he's a difficult read at the best of times, and most would probably not get much out of it. I tend to read so quickly though, that when reading many books, I miss out on the truth within because I'm just reading so fast! With Owen though...because of his dense and obtuse writing style, I'm forced to read slower and analyse carefully what he's saying...and so in a weird way, I am more greatly benefited by his Puritan language than I am by more modern authors(like a Keller or a Piper...both of whom for some reason I'm not really either edified or moved by as much...). But reading Owen's words on the Spirit of God - and how He indeed actively works in our lives and how this knowledge should drive us to holiness and dependence on God for all things...indeed humbling and thrilling all at the same time. I'm rambling a bit, I know, so I shall close. But one of my takeaways from this hefty tome is the beauty and sheer necessity of our holiness as Christians. When we sin before God, we show God that we despise Him and His words. Is that what we want? As we know that we are sons and daughters of God...as we know that we are a temple of the Holy Spirit...our driving passion should be to honour our Lord God in every word we speak and every step we take. Be holy, as our Father in heaven is holy. We are God's children, fellow heirs with Christ Himself. Meditate today on what it means to truly abide in Christ. Remain at peace in the love of God, which burns brighter and hotter and more beautifully than anything we can even begin to imagine.
January 9, 2020
If the Reformed faith has come to be viewed as a Spirit-deficient one, here is an appropriate remedy: a classic and, in Owenian fashion, thorough explication of the work of the Holy Spirit, covering areas including creation, Christ's incarnation and earthly ministry, regeneration, and sanctification. I won't go so far as to say that every Reformed minister ought to read this book (surely others who have produced masterful works on these topics, and I don't expect Owen's doctrine to be unique or controversial), but I do commend them to explore these topics to such depth - surely the church would greatly benefit from it.
Owen's main conversation partners in this work are "enthusiasts" (ex: Quakers) and "moralists" (those who believe that conversion is mere moral persuasion, and not an efficacious work of the Spirit upon the heart of believers). Against these views, Owen sets out to demonstrate the true doctrine of the Spirit's work.
Sections I found particularly helpful were those on regeneration and Christ's incarnation. Both touch on anthropology, a deeper understanding of which would bring much clarity to many significant theological controversies today. Particularly helpful was the explanation of regeneration as the imparting of a gracious habit and the relevance of this to sanctification and the role of good works in the believer's life. A revival of such language would be a great boon to the church, both in theological discussion and in pastoral encouragement to believers as we yet struggle against sin in this world.
Owen's main conversation partners in this work are "enthusiasts" (ex: Quakers) and "moralists" (those who believe that conversion is mere moral persuasion, and not an efficacious work of the Spirit upon the heart of believers). Against these views, Owen sets out to demonstrate the true doctrine of the Spirit's work.
Sections I found particularly helpful were those on regeneration and Christ's incarnation. Both touch on anthropology, a deeper understanding of which would bring much clarity to many significant theological controversies today. Particularly helpful was the explanation of regeneration as the imparting of a gracious habit and the relevance of this to sanctification and the role of good works in the believer's life. A revival of such language would be a great boon to the church, both in theological discussion and in pastoral encouragement to believers as we yet struggle against sin in this world.
May 24, 2022
This was my first engagement with John Owen beyond pithy quotes that are shared by meme accounts on social media, and I wasn't disappointed. As someone who is Reformed the name John Owen is bandied about but I have never read one of his works before. This was the one that was cited as his most influential work by the editors in Oxford Handbook on Reformed Theology. Though I wonder if this is the case outside of intelligentsia.
I was properly warned by people who have read Owen that he can be quite obtuse, and this was certainly the case, and I wouldn't say that all parts of this work are equal, but it does a good job of picking up on the trends in Reformed theology in the 17th century, and giving an idea of Reformed pneumatology.
Owen has a pretty dry sense of humor and very no-nonsense when he writes things which can be funny from time to time and add some respite to rather laborious reading, but I feel as though Owen's scholarly work is largely irrelevant to his larger ministry and more popular works. I haven't read those, but reading this gave me that impression. As very few people quote anything from this work aside from the first chapter which serves as a summary of the whole work.
I definitely want to read Owen again, but I'm gonna read a more popularly focused work that probably serves as a better distillation of his theology.
I was properly warned by people who have read Owen that he can be quite obtuse, and this was certainly the case, and I wouldn't say that all parts of this work are equal, but it does a good job of picking up on the trends in Reformed theology in the 17th century, and giving an idea of Reformed pneumatology.
Owen has a pretty dry sense of humor and very no-nonsense when he writes things which can be funny from time to time and add some respite to rather laborious reading, but I feel as though Owen's scholarly work is largely irrelevant to his larger ministry and more popular works. I haven't read those, but reading this gave me that impression. As very few people quote anything from this work aside from the first chapter which serves as a summary of the whole work.
I definitely want to read Owen again, but I'm gonna read a more popularly focused work that probably serves as a better distillation of his theology.
January 20, 2022
This classic puritan work on the workings and person of the Holy Spirit brings clarity and emphasis on how we are to glorify God in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The emphasis being first the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration in the heart of a person. And second the outward working of that change of heart in the fruit of obedience and a holy life. Holiness is a much neglected duty today, and if we do not see it as just that, a duty, we are bound to neglect it as well. Believers are called to be holy. If our lives are not marked by a pursuit of this, then we must examine whether or not we have truly been saved. We cannot achieve salvation through the works of obedience and pursuit of holiness, on our own it is impossible. But if we are in Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit with all His power to work in us the obedience and holiness that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in (Eph. 2:10). We dishonor the power and work of God if we are not bearing fruit of His powerful working in our lives. He who began a work in us WILL carry it to completion (Phil. 1:6). If it's not happening, currently and for our lives continually, then we are not in Christ and do not have the Spirit working in us. Without holiness no one will see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).
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