The Spirit and the Church

How do Christians come to the certainty that the Bible is the Word of God, and gain an understanding of His mind and will from it? How do they acquire the ability to pray, and lead others in prayer? how are they comforted and supported in all the difficulties they meet? And how can the church be led, taught and guided aright, when Christ is not here on earth? According to the great Puritan leader John Owen, the answer to all these questions is the same: by the gracious and powerful work of the Holy Spirit. He it is who convinces, assures, teaches, comforts and equips the church and all its members for all the work they are called to do. In an age when many think Christianity is nothing more than human effort, based on fallible human conclusions, Owen calls the church back to divine certainty and divine resources. The style in which the Puritans wrote can present difficulties for modern readers, but this updated abridgement by Dr. R.J.K. Law will allow Owen to speak to Christians today on a theme which remains as vitally important for the well-being of the church in the twenty-first century as it was when Owen first wrote.

Publisher: Banner of Truth
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781800401594

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John Owen was born in 1616 in Stadhampton, Oxfordshire and died in Ealing, West London, in 1683. During his sixty-seven years he lived out a life full of spiritual experience, literary accomplishment, and national influence so beyond most of his peers tha

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This book is taken from volume four of the 16 volume works of John Owen that is likewise published by Banner of Truth (I can’t recommend this compete set enough!). Owen is a master of teaching rich, majestic biblical truth, and this book is no exception. It is truly made easy to read by Law, so there cannot be any excuses to not attempt to dive into Owen’s work. One will be deeply blessed by the riches that they find in this short book on the Holy Spirit’s work in God’s people, the Church. Part One of this book, which deals with Scripture as self-authenticating, is alone worth the price of the book. Listen to Owen’s answer to the question of how we can believe Scripture to be divine revelation: “We believe it solely on the evidence that the Spirit of God, in and by Scripture itself, gives to us that it was indeed given by the immediate inspiration of God; or, the basis of our believing the Scripture to be the Word of God is the evidence we find there of the authority and truth of God making themselves known to the minds and consciences of men. So we believe the Scripture to be the Word of God on no other grounds than its own evidence that it is indeed so.” Owen goes on to provide much argumentation for this point, and it is beautifully and masterfully done. I recommend this book to all Christians, believing firmly that they will all be amazed at the Holy Spirit and His gracious working in the lives of God’s people. Read as much Owen as you possibly can! Matt C