The Spirit and the Church is an absolutely excellent addition to the “Puritan Paperback” series by Banner of Truth. This book is written by the Prince of Puritans, John Owen.
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The Spirit and the Church
The Spirit and the Church is abridged and made easy to ready by R.J.K. Law. Though I have read much by John Owen that is not abridged and made easy to read (and even prefer it), I still greatly appreciate the work that Law has done to help make Owen’s works more accessible to the church.
Like all of Owen’s works, this book is simply wonderful reading. It is sure to stir up your affections for the Triune God and lead you into a greater love and appreciation for the work of Holy Spirit in the lives of His people.
This book is broken up into five parts:
- How We Believe Scripture to be the Word of God
- Understanding the Mind of God
- The Holy Spirit and Prayer
- The Holy Spirit as a Comforter
- The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
This book is taken from volume 4 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.”
John Owen
Owen goes on to provide much argumentation for this point, and it is beautifully and masterfully done.
Conclusion
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 of John Owen’s works as you possibly can!
Disclaimer: My thanks to The Banner of Truth Trust for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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