The World's Ruined: John Owen on Sanctification

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

John Owen on Sanctification

John Owen---

"Where sanctification is enjoined us as our duty, it is prescribed under this notion of cleansing ourselves from sin: “Wash you, make you clean,” Isaiah 1:16. “O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved,” Jeremiah 4:14. “Having therefore these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”…
"Nothing do they more earnestly labor after in their prayers and supplications than a cleansing from it [sin] by the blood of Christ, nor are any promises more precious unto them than those which express their purification and purging from it; for these are they which, next unto their interest in the atonement made by the sacrifice of Christ, give them boldness in their approaches unto God. So our apostle fully expresseth it, Hebrews 10:19-22: “Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water…"

- Pneumatologia

4 comments:

MarkJune 4, 2014 at 8:36 PM
Thanks, jack. Whether we go from plight to solution, or from solution to plight, in either case, the answer is the blood of Christ, the death of Christ as that which sets us apart for access to the God who is Holy. The answer is not only the new birth by the Spirit. When Colossians 2 speaks of "the cutting off of the flesh" or "the circumcision of Christ", the reference is not tor regeneration but to the death of Christ for sins.

In my own case, learned what my sin was from the gospel, and not from the law. John 16 taught me about the Spirit convincing me of sin regarding the righteousness of Christ in heaven. To learn the gospel is to learn the sin of self-righteousness.

I say all that to say this. I hope is not what John Piper and Ryan Mcgraw call the "beauty of threats in the gospel." Even though the gospel shows me my sin, and even though it is the duty of all sinners to believe the gospel, the good news is about God's promise to as many as those who believe in that promise.
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StephenMarch 13, 2016 at 4:31 PM
What, then, is holiness? Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing and living out the gospel in our souls (Eph. 4:24)...
The work of holiness in us is wonderful. It is a supernatural work and is known only by supernatural revelation. We must not be deceived by a false holiness. Holiness is not just a reformed life.
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StephenMarch 13, 2016 at 5:02 PM
What, then, is holiness? Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing and living out the gospel in our souls (Eph. 4:24)...
The work of holiness in us is wonderful. It is a supernatural work and is known only by supernatural revelation. We must not be deceived by a false holiness. Holiness is not just a reformed life.
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MarkAugust 15, 2016 at 7:34 PM
Ryan McGraw--Owen illustrated the function of threats within the gospel under his doctrinal observations on Hebrews 2:2-4. This is the first major place in the Hebrews commentary where the term 'evangelical threatenings' appears. This passage warns believers that if those who rejected the Law of Moses received a just recompense for their sins, then God's punishment would be much greater to those who neglect 'so great salvation.' In light of this text, Owen deduced that threats were not only inherent in the gospel and the new covenant, but that they far transcended the threats of the law and of the old covenant. Gospel threats provided motives for valuing the gospel rightly and persevering in its profession. Greater gospel privileges brought greater gospel responsibilities.

Owen's fellow Congregationalist Jeremiah Burroughs argued similarly that Christians had greater obligations to walk in holiness under the gospel than believers under the law did. He argued that this was true whether we understand 'law' as the covenant of works or as the Mosaic covenant. He reasoned that the condition of and the promises given to Christians were better than what Adam had under the covenant of works. They also had better ordinances of worship with greater spiritual efficacy than the Mosaic covenant." (Ryan McGraw, 'The Threats of the Gospel: John Owen on What the Law/Gospel Distinction is Not')
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The Mere Mercy of God

This calling of Abram is a signal instance of the gratuitous mercy of God. Had Abram been beforehand with God by any merit of works? Had Abram come to him, or conciliated his favour? Nay, we must ever recall to mind that he was plunged in the filth of idolatry; and God freely stretches forth his hand to bring back the wanderer. He deigns to open his sacred mouth, that he may show to one, deceived by Satan's wiles, the way of salvation.

But this is done designedly, in order that the manifestation of the grace of God might become the more conspicuous in his person. For he is an example of the vocation of us all; for in him we perceive, that, by the mere mercy of God, those things that are not are raised from nothing, in order that they may begin to be something.

-John Calvin, Genesis, (Banner of Truth), p. 343

"Nor the faith also does not shut out the justice of our good works, necessarily to be done afterwards of duty towards GOD (for we are most bounden to serve GOD, in doing good deeds, commanded by him in his holy Scripture, all the days of our life): But it excludes them, so that we may not do them to this intent, to be made good by doing of them. For all the good works that we can do, be imperfect, and therefore not able to deserve our justification: but our justification doth come freely by the mere mercy of God..." (Thomas Cranmer - Homily of Justification)

Justification-Sanctification/Law-Gospel

In short, I affirm, that not by our own merit but by faith alone, are both our persons and works justified; and that the justification of works depends on the justification of the person, as the effect on the cause. (John Calvin, Acts of the Council of Trent with the Antidote)

The law guides, directs, commands, all things that are against the interest and rule of sin. It judgeth and condemneth both the things that promote it and the persons that do them; it frightens and terrifies the consciences of those who are under its dominion. But if you shall say unto it, “What then shall we do? this tyrant, this enemy, is too hard for us. What aid and assistance against it will you afford unto us? what power will you communicate unto its destruction?” Here the law is utterly silent, or says that nothing of this nature is committed unto it of God: nay, the strength it hath it gives unto sin for the condemnation of the sinner: “The strength of sin is the law.” But the gospel, or the grace of it, is the means and instrument of God for the communication of internal spiritual strength unto believers. By it do they receive supplies of the Spirit or aids of grace for the subduing of sin and the destruction of its dominion… (John Owen, A Treatise of the Dominion of Sin and Grace)