Customer Reviews

Temptation and Sin (Works of John Owen, Volume 6)

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Can it really be that in the decade or so that Amazon has been online that no one has submitted a review of this book? The very thought saddens me. [Correction: There are two reviews of The Complete Works of John Owen which have been there since 2000/01.] When C. S. Lewis recommended that you intersperse the reading of modern books with old books, I'm sure he had in mind books like this. As an English Puritan of the 17th century, Owen looked at life differently than we do today, and if there is one English Puritan whose wisdom and scholarship towers above the rest, it is Owen.

Mencken defined Puritanism as "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy." This wrong-headed view, characteristic of an entire generation of scholars and social critics, has been largely discredited but still retains its strength in the collective consciousness of our culture. In truth, the Puritans had a passionate love for life, were outgoing and sociable, and had a deep appreciation for aesthetic beauty. But they did take their God and their duties to Him seriously, and that can be seen in this remarkable book.

Let us assume for the sake of argument that the following premises apply to you:
1. You love God.
2. You know that God hates sin.

Given the truth of these premises, how would you live your life?

Owen affirmed the truth of these premises, as do many of us who call ourselves Christians. But unlike most of us, he really took the matter of sin and temptation seriously. Learn from him. Surprisingly enough, this is an inspiring book, not a depressing one. It is inspiring because Owen talks about critical matters of the heart that no one in your church or in the contemporary Christian publishing scene is talking about. Christians today need to be addressing the issue of temptation perhaps more than any previous generation, but no one is talking about it. Owen DOES talk about it, and in very concrete and specific terms.

Some practical advice: Read this book with a highlighter in your hand. You will come across many insightful statements that you will want to return to quickly. Create your own little index at the front in pencil. For example, as I look at the front of my copy, I have written "Special seasons of temptation 127ff". And on p. 127 Owen writes: "A season of unusual outward prosperity is usually accompanied with an hour of temptation. Prosperity and temptation go together; yea, prosperity is a temptation, many temptations, and that because, without eminent supplies of grace, it is apt to cast a soul into a frame and temper exposed to any temptation, and provides it with fuel and food for all." (Yes, that was just two sentences, and in an English which is strange to our ears. But you'll get used to it.)

I leave you with a short but powerful quote from page 9: "[B]e killing sin, or it will be killing you."

- On the Mortification of Sin
- On Temptation
- On Indwelling Sin in Believers
- Exposition of Psalm 130

Owen's treatise of Psalm 130 focuses on God's forgiveness of sin, the heart of the Christrian faith. It is probably Owen's most practical and best readable work for the common reader.

This sis such a wonderful book! For us who have been saved by the Grace of God, even though the penalty of our sin has been paid i full on the Cross of Christ, we still struggle with sin in our lives. And that is because we still live in our corrupt fleshly, and unredeemed body's. And so this book is sooooooooo good on teaching us how to have victory and mortify those sins. I have read o lot of books on this subject because i long to live a holy life and honor Christ by obeying Him, but this book like no other is showing me how to mortify and kill sin at it's roots. I thank God for people Like John Owen whose one of their biggest concern was that believers honor Christ by living Holy lives. Every Christian should read this. Thank you.