Friday, January 23, 2009

The Death of Death by John Owen.

I have been reading, sporadically, the introduction essay of The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by JI Packer. Just to make sure, John Owen wrote the book and Packer wrote the intro essay to the book.

http://www.all-of-grace.org/pub/others/deathofdeath.html.

This is the particular portion that I had the chance to read this morning. It resonated with me and thus felt called to share it.

Here goes.....


"To the question: what does it mean to believe on the lord jesus christ? its reply is: it means knowing ones self to be a sinner and christ to have died for sinners: abandoning all self righteosness and self confidence and casting oneself wholly upopn him for pardon and peace; exchanging ones natural enmity and rebellion against God for a spirit of grateful submission to the will of christ through the renewing of ones heart by the holy ghost. and to the further question still: how am i to go about believing on christ and repenting if i have no natural ability to do these things? it answers: look to chirst, speak to christ, cry to christ, just as you are; confess your sin, your impenitence, your unbelief and cast yourself on his mercy; ask him to give you a new heart, working in you true repentance and firm faith; ask him to take away your eveil heart of unbelief and to write his law within you that you may never henceforth stray from him. Turn to him and trust him as best you can and pray for grace to turn and trust more thouroughly; use the means of grace expectantly, looking to christ to draw near to you as you seek to draw near to him; watch, pray, read and hear gods word; worship and commune with gods people and so continue til you know in yourself beyond doubt that you are indeed a changed being a penitent believer and the new heart which you desired has been put within you. the emphasis in this advice is on the need to call upon christ directly, as the very first step. so do not postpone action til you think you are better, but honestly confess your badness and give yourself up here and now to the christ who alone can make you better and wait on him til his light rises in your sould as scripture promises that it shall do. anything less than this direct dealing with christ is disobedience of the gospel. such is the exercise of spirit to which the old evangel summons its hearers. "i believe-help thou mine unbelief" this must become their cry.

2 comments:

Tim said...

I got to tell you how hot it is that you read Owen.

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