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Overcoming Sin and Temptation

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John Owen has been a stern, difficult, challenging teacher, but a much needed one for my life. Several years ago I purchased Volume 6 in the Banner of Truth edition of the Works of John Owen, "Sin and Temptation." This volume is weighty in content and thought. But Owen, unlike anyone else I had ever read, was able to address the issues of sin and temptation in my life like no other writer has been able to do.

Numerous theologians and scholars whom I respect hold Owen in high esteem. I believe their estimation of Owen's worth is correct.

Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic have done a marvelous service to Christians and the world in general with their updated edition of three of John Owen's works on sin and temptation. Overcoming Sin and Temptation includes three of his works: "Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers," "Of Temptation: The Nature and Power of It," and "Indwelling Sin." The only work not included in this volume that appears in the Banner of Truth volume is "A Practical Exposition of Psalm 130." Perhaps Taylor and Kapic will tackle that project next.

Taylor and Kapic's work is significant for at least five reasons.

1. They have provided us with an unabridged but updated text. Spelling is modernized and Americanized, mistakes from previous editions are corrected, and archaic words are updated.

2. The work is footnoted to define essential and difficult words. This will help the reader with comprehension.

3. All the Greek, Hebrew, and Latin words and phrases and transliterated and translated for the reader. A great example of this is on page 48 where the reader who has no knowledge of Greek will be greatly helped in the discussion with the transliterations and translations.

4. The General Index and Scripture Index at the end of the work is fabulous. All books ought to have indexes like this. Pastors and teachers will be well served in sermon and lesson preparation.

5. The most important feature of this updated work are the outlines for all three of Owen's books at the end of this edition. The reader should begin here and orient himself to the flow of Owen's thought. In fact, much can be gained by reading just the outline.

Thank you, Taylor and Kapic, for making this valuable contribution to the study of Owen.

I recently spent five grueling hours (grueling for a hopelessly out of shape bookworm) climbing a steep, winding mountain trail. Why? That was the only way I could see the view from the top of Mount LeConte. There were no shortcuts; I just had to put in a lot of hard work. But once I completed my quest and saw the view, I would have spent double the effort if necessary: what I saw was THAT spectacular.

The same can be said of reading the great Puritan theologian John Owen. It is HARD work, and a lot of it. So facing a 466 page anthology containing his 3 books on sin seemed more daunting than climbing LeConte, but I am pleased to report that the view is even more spectacular: it is life-changing.

This anthology, put together by Justin Taylor & Kelly Kapic, is not an abridgement: aside from some spelling updates and a few footnotes you've got the original manuscripts. There is an excellent introduction to Owen and his thought, as well as overviews of each of the three books. In the back are extremely detailed outlines of each book, as well as several indexes and a glossary of antiquated words (there are plenty of words Owen uses that will make you scratch your head so you will find yourself frequently consulting it!).

As stated before, this is an anthology of three different works by Owen. The first is his famous Mortification of Sin. I had read and reviewed an abridged version earlier this year, so I was interested in seeing how I would fare reading the original. Strangely, I actually like the original language better, it seemed more piercing and powerful.

The second book, Of Temptation, concerns itself on the nature and danger of temptation, and our duty against temptation and how to accomplish it. Owen simply amazes me: whereas most of us would exhaust our intelligent explanation of "temptation" in a few sentences, he spends eighty pages poring over the Scriptures, mining deep to bring insight that is both wise and cutting.

The last book, Indwelling Sin, is the longest and most thorough. Seventeen chapters that bring insight after insight on every page on the nature of the enemy within us, concerning its nature, power, and effect in our lives.

It has been said that once you finish reading what Owen says about a subject, you are convinced that he has covered it all. You may wonder, is it really worth reading over 400 pages on sin? And I will tell you, yes, it is hard work, but it is well worth the view. And just as I am planning on climbing LeConte again next year, I am going to reread this book next year as well, for I am sure that God has much more to teach me from its pages.

I can't over recommend this book, its awesome, for any and every Christian.
There are some things you don't hear out there in churches about your fight against sin, how to overcome, how to mortify it, how to "take away all that invigorates the flesh"(in the words of Owen). I have read all the other versions, the oldish English, the new type printed by banner of truth, and even the paraphrased ones, but this beats them all it sets your mind working and your heart pumping its a tool for good in the hands of God.
How I would wish that every Christian read it every year, it will help you on the road to living a holy life before God. The Editors have done a good work I had the works of Owen, it was hard to read but with the changes that have been made, this is easier and you lose none of the inclinations to thought that characterises all of Owens works and with thought comes passion "While I mused the fire burned" Ps.39:3 it is only as we think on this truths that our passion for God begins to rise, that is why the puritans works have always helped unto Godliness because they make us "muse". Get this, read it, muse on it.

you want all of your heart to be fully examined for every sin, small and great. Don't read this book unless you want your heart to be dissected and analyzed and provoked and prodded and convicted and ultimately broken. I don't want to write a detailed review of the book - I'll leave that for better men. My desire here is to communicate with you the affect this book could have on your life by sharing some of what it has done in me. My own heart has been devastated as I've read and reread the pages of this book. My eyes have been more fully opened to see that I am a proud man cloaked in false humility and shrewd self-promotion - and I am sadly proud that I know this about myself and am able to "humbly" share it with you. I must tell you that I love to rob God of His glory and assume it for myself as I take credit for the fruit of His work in my life. I love to set myself up over others in my heart and create new rules for myself or simply dismiss certain rules/laws as not applying to someone like myself. I think I'm better than YOU. I could go on but I suppose here I will just conclude with telling you that I love myself. I think very highly of myself. And I think everyone else should too.

God (and John Owen) will have none of that. And my sin-sick heart could not deceive such a man as Owen and I could no longer deceive myself as I read his book. I am proud sinner in need of much humility and God's mercy to help me mortify my flesh. God has graciously given Owen much insight into the heart and its cure through mortification in the life of the believer. He has used this book to start opening my blinded eyes and God is using it to work His character into me as He graciously helps me to mortify my flesh.

This is a must-read for anyone who does not want to be self-deceived, who wants to know their own heart, who want to see themself honestly, humbly, as God (and probably many others) sees them and then to mortify those sins that have captivated their heart.

Charles Spurgeon called John Owen the "Prince of the Puritans." During the 17th century, Owen's writings included "The Mortification of Sin", "Of Temptation", and "The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of Indwelling Sin". These three classic works have just been republished by Crossway in a book called, "Overcoming Sin and Temptation", edited by Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic. John Owen's writing considers sin seriously, as something that "paralyzes the will." The book contains a call to rise mightily against sin. The comfort of a Christian's spiritual life depends on this. Reading this book will help you in your Christian living.

Owen's words are edifying because the insight he gives on Christian life applies to problems that exist today. However, I want to be careful about praising an author just because he is no longer living. Ecclesiastes 7:10 says, "Do not say, `Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions.'" Previous generations have a lot to teach us, but we should not let that replace our need to have spiritual mentors and templates who are alive and live close to us today. Owen is considered a spiritual hero by many.

My first exposure to John Owen was two years ago when I was a student at Oxford University. I remember seeing a portrait of him somewhere, probably in the Great Hall of Christ Church College, where he was the dean. Then last year I visited Bunhill Fields and saw Owen's tomb. At that time I had not read anything by him. So I was excited to read this book last week.

In Owen's language, you need to "be killing sin or it will be killing you." There is no safety against sin but by constant warfare (p. 52). His reason for writing addresses a something that is a problem in every age, mainly the general disability of dealing with temptation among professing Christians.

From the get-go, he clearly demonstrates his reliance on the Scriptures. The preface of his book begins:

"What is here proposed in weakness, I humbly hope will answer the spirit and letter of the gospel, with the experiences of them who know what it is to walk with God, according to the tenor of the covenant of grace."

I especially liked his description of what mortification is. It is a habitual weakening of sin, a constant fighting and contending, and (my favorite) consists in frequent success.

Having just finished reading the first of the three sections, I am looking forward to reading more of Owen.

Recently I was struggling with a certain sin that had laid a hold of my life for a discouragingly long time. In seeking to overcome this sin I began reading John Owen's "On the Mortification of Sin." What I learned from this book about overcoming sin (especially what my responsibility is and what God's work is) was the key to my freedom. Since that day I have heartily recommended this book as "probably my favorite book ever, besides the Bible." However, I don't believe that my many commendations of the book have resulted in even a single person beginning to read it, mainly because of the archaic prose and profound depth of thought. So, I was excited to see that a new copy of the book was being published that would make it easier to understand without losing any of the substance of the book.

In the preface to this book, Justin Taylor defends and explains the changes made to this edition. The purpose of this new edition is to make these three works by Owen more accessible so that a wider audience can reap the benefits of them. This is accomplished by: updating archaic word forms and spellings, footnoting definitions for outdated words, providing comprehensive outlines of each book, and changing the emphasis of certain headings in order to "aid... in following Owen's thought." (19)

As the Preface notes, Owen often moves quickly from thought to thought without much transition, as he builds his arguments. In response to this, the Introduction offers a few biographical notes and a short, comprehensive look at Owen's theology of sin and temptation. This summary is helpful because it points out some of the themes to be aware of when reading this volume, such as: knowing your enemy (sin), knowing your self (the predisposition of each person towards certain temptations), the balance between our work and God's work in sanctification, etc. Besides a few inconsequential sentences about how Christians underrate psychology, the introduction offers a helpful modern explanation and summary of the writings included in this volume. The strong point of this introduction is that it shows that "although Owen does not use current labels, he is dealing with very contemporary issues, such as depression, addiction, apathy, and lust." (26)

The real `meat" of the book, the writings of Owen, are as helpful as possible while still remaining faithful to the original text. In the edition in which I first read Owen, I spent much time reading and re-reading in order to grasp individual points and the flow of argument. The re-emphasis of headings and chapter breaks offers some help, but this aspect of Owen's writing would be difficult to overcome without drastically editing the text. Let the reader understand, Owen is still profoundly deep reading. However, the updated pronouns (you for thou, etc) and updated spellings (requires for requireth, etc.) remove many ungainly speed bumps along the way, which helps move the reader along to the truly difficult work of comprehension. Overall, this edition is faithful to the original while still removing the difficulties specific to the modern reader because of grammatical evolution.

As Kapic explains in the introduction, Owen "viewed all of his discourses as spiritual exercises and not as something void of practical import," and these three works are no exception. (25) From personal experience I confirm that these are not only deep theological tomes but devotional works that increased my passion for God and empowered me to actually fight sin in my life. I already unreservedly recommend Owen, but now I can say that there is no excuse not to read him, as this edition accurately brings him to the modern reader.

Dr. Owen delivers a comprehensive Biblical analysis on human soul; mind, affection and will; its mortal enemy, mortal threat and mortal danger it is exposed to, as well as, most importantly, the glorious way of treatment and deliverance prescribed by the gospel. The elaborate diagnosis on human heart being unsearchable and deceitful, what entering into temptation means and its symptoms, how sin comes to fruition; the drawing of the mind, the enticement of affection, to gain approval of the will in order for sin to conceive and be executed, is simply stunning as if he performed this spiritual surgery right in front of you. The diagnosis result of human heart is bleak, yet it is no reason for believers and unbelievers to despair because there is a supreme and victorious Savior Jesus Christ, through his blessed Spirit, ready, able and willing to heal and rescue; the one and only agent qualified and capable of conquering this most formidable enemy of the soul, the indwelling sin. Owen's massive coverage on these subjects is not easy to track at all but is much more highly convergent, compared to other texts with emphasis on similar topics, such as J.C. Ryle's "Holiness".

I have to warn that you need stamina in reading this volume. Reading Owen's text is a marathon, not a sprint. Prof. J. I. Packer wrote ("The Quest for Godliness", Crossway (c) 1990) Owen had a right to ask for hard study, for his book was a product of hard work, to which I add, not only hard theoretical, but also experimental theology work. I also suggest some additional directions proposed by Prof. Packer, in reading Owen's texts in general:

1. In trying to understand long or difficult statements or arguments, try to go over them two or three times to see their meaning, read them aloud if necessary.

2. Use a pencil and paper, jot down the progress of the exposition to be able to learn the meat of what Owen is trying to say. This step has been done by Prof. Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor at the end of the book, but I'd say, it doesn't hurt to do your own summary.

3. Read the preface "To the Reader" to get an idea in advance what he is trying to do and why.

4. The text needs to be read and re-read to be appreciated. Packer commented, "It is hardly possible to grasp the strength and cogency... on a first reading."

This text is unquestionably a must for anyone who is serious in fighting sin, the devil, and the world according to biblical prescription.

I just finished this book, for the second time, and my title says it all...well, almost--

Owen has you nailed. Your Old Man has certain strategies for interfering with your communion with our Holy God. Your Old Man wants to flee from His presence, and he will prompt you to sin, forcing you to grieve the Holy Spirit in order to give himself a breather from your fellowship with the One whose holiness he desires to avoid. Your Old Man is you--- the old law, the old principle within you---with all your imagination and creativity, and pet sins that your new man can't seem to shake. Owen will teach you how to recognize, track, and thwart your Old Man's stratagems by prayer and watchfulness.

One noteworthy lesson from Owen will prove familiar to all spiritual warriors, and that is the Old Man's line, "This far and no farther." Sound familiar? "I'll just look at this one thing on the web, but go no farther." "I'll just have dinner with her, no more." May I add here that I've noticed how prominent the word "just" is in the Old Man's lexicon. When you hear it echo in your mind, drop to your knees and start praying, because "it's on!"

Think of this book as critical intelligence on enemy movements and dispositions stolen from enemy headquarters by a stalwart agent of proven worth. You might win without it, but you'll suffer a number of defeats along the way that could easily have been avoided. Our final victory is indeed assured, for He Who has begun a good work in us will finish it unto the day of Christ Jesus Our Lord, but whether you start beating the guts our of your Old Man now or only much later depends largely on how well you now "know thy self," for to know thy self is to "know thine enemy." (See Romans 7)

To wage war while despising critical intelligence is the height of folly, for it is to give your enemy victories that might easily have been yours and is to prolong the suffering needlessly. Sure you have an enemy army without your walls, the Evil One and his minions, seeking to sift and devour you, but you have a tireless enemy within as well, who desperately wants to cooperate with him and throw open your gates to let him in. You must identify this spy, track, pursue, seize and bind him in chains and cast him into your deepest dungeon; but keep watch, for he fights furiously to free himself and turn the tables on you. Owen will show you how to put his neck under your boot, and through prayer and watchfulness keep him there, but it is up to you both to read this book and yet also manage to remember its lessons once the fog of battle descends on your mind in the heat of temptation and obscures your love of Christ.

If you read this work prayerfully, perhaps in conjunction with "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices," by Brooks (ISBN: 0851510027), and "The Christian in Complete Armour," by Gurnall (the full 1244-page version, ISBN: 0851511961), you'll find yourself promoted to officer in His army in no time. Officers enjoy many privileges along with their increased responsibilities, including greater proximity to the Leader and being made privy to more of His counsels.

See J.C. Ryle's "Holiness," too (ISBN: 0967760356), but this one by Owen is the clear winner for crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires.

If you're a purist and desire to read only undistilled versions of Owen and others, insisting on the Complete Works of..., or whatever, be at peace and buy this. It's by no means distilled, and though it is still a little bit of work it is by no means as hard to get through as Death of Death. I too prefer the works in the original, and that is indeed what you're going to get here, but with footnotes to explain archaisms and a few corrections to Owen's errant citations, etc. You can tell the editors love Owen in the original, too. I guarantee you won't regret this purchase.

Stop reading and start buying! For the Christian is from moment to moment, day to day, either advancing or retreating, conquering or being conquered, enslaving his Old Man or being enslaved by him. Put on the whole armor of God, read this intelligence on the ploys of your traitor within, and get on with your conquest!

But be advised, Christian, much is expected from him to whom much has been given. If you study this prayerfully and apply it diligently, by God's grace you will find yourself granted closer communion with God, but the closer you get to Him the less tolerant He will be of your indwelling sins, for their reek will only be that much stronger in His nostrils the closer you get. An ounce of sanctification calls for two, two for a pound, and on until carelessness or unwatchfulness in your daily temptations will result in grieving the Holy Spirit more quickly and more sharply, and more profound setbacks will accrue than before, since to fall from a height hurts more. Therefore be prayerful, be watchful, be precise, dear Christian, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its passions and desires, for we are commanded to be holy as He is holy, and we are advised that He will be regarded as holy by all who would draw nigh to Him. Attempt this on your own strength and wits, however, and you will fail. You need to learn how, you need to read Owen's work. Studying Owen will indeed require dedication and focus, but the labor is not in vain, for,

"In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use and some for ignoble. If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work." 2 Ti. 2:20f.

The key work by Taylor/Kapic was updating Owen's language into that which can be understood by the modern reader. Owen was a very deep thinker, and having that depth compounded by a difficult translation from old English to modern English was more work than many (myself included) were generally inclined to do with regularity. Taylor and Kapic found a reasonable balance with updating the language while keeping the original authorial intent. I might have gone a step further in a number of places, but that I probably why I'm not paid to do that sort of thing!

Prior to this book, I had known of John Owen, mostly through the work of Justin Taylor on his blog and elsewhere on the net, and a sermon by John Piper. I greatly appreciated this book, in that there is a great amount that is transportable into our own lives. I found myself challenged over and over to re-examine my own walk with Christ on how deal with my own sins and temptations. This is a subject relevant to every Christian, though I don't think that this book is at a level that all Christians would appreciate it. That is unfortunate, not that the book is deep, but that not all Christians are ready for this level of thought and truth and forced examination of their own walks with Christ.

This book actually consists of 3 different writings of John Owen. <span style="font-style: italic;">Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Of Temptation: The Nature and Power of It</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Indwelling Sin</span> are the three different writings used for this book. All three pair together in thought and writing style well. While I have not read the originals, it seems as though Taylor and Kapic have used a light had in their editing/updating of these texts. Many difficult segments they have chosen to leave as original have footnotes that accompany them to help clarify. This is where I would be most likely to have gone a step further, as I am one who really dislikes bouncing back and forth to footnotes - it breaks my flow of reading and train of thought to have to do it. A very minor nit picky issue I know, but as a whole I didn't get too far off track since the content is so good.

Owen's writing is laden with a treasure trove of scriptural references. Thankfully the editors have collected these into a single reference at the back of the book (Scripture Index). This is something I have no doubt I will return to in the years to come in my ministry as I continue to grow in these areas, as well as coach and teach others on these subjects.

An example of something I really found as excellent among this book is the following from page 153:
Grace and corruption
lie deep in the heart; men oftentimes deceive themselves in the search
after the one or the other of them. When we give vent to the soul, to try what
grace is there, corruption comes out; and when we search for corruption,
grace appears. So is the soul kept in uncertainty; we fail in our trials. God
comes with a gauge that goes to the bottom.3 He sends his instruments of trial
into the bowels and the inmost parts of the soul, and lets man see what is in
him, of what metal he is constituted..Hard hitting, but deeply profound and true. The book is filled with things like this.


I would highly recommend this book. It would be a great gift to a pastor if they do not already own it. The jewel of Owen is matched quite nicely with the efforts of the editors to make his writings more approachable to the average person. Just beware that this book will likely make you very uncomfortable about your faith. It is like a spot light shining into the darkness of our own personal sins.

"If vain spending of time, idleness, unprofitableness in men's places, envy, strife, variance, emulations, wrath, pride, worldliness, selfishness be badges of Christians, we have them on us and among us in abundance...The good Lord send out a spirit of mortification to cure our distempers, or we are in a sad condition!" Reading John Owen on sin feels as though he has tapped into my own mind's infirmities. His reflections on the subject of sin and temptation make me know that not only does he know what the Bible says particularly about sin, but also that he is honest with his own thought-life and applies the Word. I feel as though I waste time hacking at the fruits of sin, while Owen swings a mighty axe at the root; severing anything that might dare spring up and flower. What's more, is that this particular book is - I feel - more accessible than some of Owen's other readings due to the faithful work of its editors. Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic do a great job of analyzing Owen and giving suggestions on how to read and think about the man behind the writing as well as the writing itself.