John Owen Research Paper

Words: 1231
Pages: 5

John Owen Communion with God
Introduction
The great Puritan John Owen (1616-1683) is always described as a vigorous Trinitarian as Carl Trueman writes that “Owen’s various reflections upon his works – focus on the Trinitarian.” Sinclair Ferguson likewise calls Owen as “a deeply Trinitarian Theologian.” Kelly Kapic observes that his writings are “distinctly Trinitarian which answer as to how a believer approaches the one Triune God.” His exposition of the Trinity in his book Communion with God, as well as in his other works, highlights how this doctrine is intense yet practical which transform lives, helps to have a personal assurance of salvation and shares ideas about practical holiness. It carefully defines and presents the doctrine
…show more content…
In another place, Owen summarizes the doctrine of the Trinity: “…that God is One; - that this one God is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; that the Father is the Father of the Son; and the Son, of the Father; and the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of the Father and the Son; and that, in respect of this their mutual relation, they are distinct from each other. He further added the distinctions of the three: “…that these three are distinct among themselves, by certain peculiar relative properties… [They are] distinct, living, divine, intelligent, voluntary principles of operation or working, and that in and by internal acts one towards another, and in acts that outwardly respect the creation and the several parts of it. Now, this distinction originally lieth in this, - that the Father begetteth the Son, and the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceedeth from both of …show more content…
Their preoccupation of the Puritans with this subject was “not to humanize God or deify man” rather Owen and his colleagues wanted to explain, within a Trinitarian Framework, how God deals with needy sinners. Puritans were not so much concerned with religious experience and disputations around them: the Papist, Arminians, and Socinians, rather they were with religious experience as a revelation of God and His astonishing grace. Packer would rightly states that spiritual and personal revival is the central motives of the Puritans to see the Church of England “rise spiritually”… that this could not be renewed without the right understanding of the Trinitarian