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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
I heard of this book through J.C. Ryle, who quoted it quite a bit in his "Holiness". Convicting is the word I'd use to describe this. One of Owen's statements I found particularly convicting is that if you don't take pleasure in pursuing God in earth, or enjoy meditating on His glory, or seeking to serve Him, you're not prepared for heaven. And you know, I don't usually give Heaven much thought but-- he's right! I'm usually not a fan of abridgements, but this one was well done.
Read 04-09-2020
Read 04-09-2020
You could say it took me 6 years to read this book. It was first given to me as a graduation (high school!) gift from my brother-in-law. Over the years, I've started it, set it down; started it, set it down, but finally finished it this morning. And in a perfect display of the providence of God, it has acted as nourishment to my bones in the midst of a soul-wearying time. This book is a treasure.
As an aside, most folks seem to go to Owen's "Mortification" writings most (especially those who are looking for a guide in the midst of the fight against sin), but having read them, I would say that this serves as more "puritan nourishment" than his books on mortification and sanctification. Why? Because the sum of his thoughts on mortification could be summed up in this book: beholding the glory of Christ. Or, to put it another way, Mortification, etc. focus on the negative (identifying sin, fighting it, etc.) whereas The Glory of Christ focuses on the positive (meditations on christology, God's glory in Christ, becoming by beholding, etc.)
Probably not the best introduction to the Puritans, but for those well acquainted, a must read.
As an aside, most folks seem to go to Owen's "Mortification" writings most (especially those who are looking for a guide in the midst of the fight against sin), but having read them, I would say that this serves as more "puritan nourishment" than his books on mortification and sanctification. Why? Because the sum of his thoughts on mortification could be summed up in this book: beholding the glory of Christ. Or, to put it another way, Mortification, etc. focus on the negative (identifying sin, fighting it, etc.) whereas The Glory of Christ focuses on the positive (meditations on christology, God's glory in Christ, becoming by beholding, etc.)
Probably not the best introduction to the Puritans, but for those well acquainted, a must read.
John Owen is definitely my favorite Theologian. The Glory of Christ made me to think deeply of his riches, lost in divine moments. I was in Fiji, reading from Beachcomber Island. The creation reflected richly of his Glory. Owen repeatedly asks every Christian to meditate on Christ's glory, think of divine things often. I recommend this to every Christian.
Deus Vult
Deus Vult
It his is one book I need to read often in my life.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I found it difficult to find the appropriate place and time to read this book with the full concentration it requires, so I'm quite sure I only got out of it about 50-60% of what it was worth.
Having said that, I was surprised that this book disappointed me a little. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting, but I didn't get out of it what I thought it would. Plus I disagreed on a few little things in the book - mostly comments made in passing by the author. And there were a couple other things I wasn't quite sure about his meaning - his use of the word "light" in terms of spiritual understanding reminded me a little of the Quaker concept of spiritual light, but I wasn't sure if that's the same sort of thing he was referring to or not. Other smarter people can enlighten me on that score. :)
However, I did appreciate the focus of the book and its very thorough analysis of the glory of Christ, how it affects us, how we can see it, and the meditations on it. I don't think the author left any stone unturned in his reflections on Christ's glory. It's a book I think I will return to in future as a springboard for personal Bible study and meditation, in terms of providing topics and specific Scriptures to focus on.
Having said that, I was surprised that this book disappointed me a little. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting, but I didn't get out of it what I thought it would. Plus I disagreed on a few little things in the book - mostly comments made in passing by the author. And there were a couple other things I wasn't quite sure about his meaning - his use of the word "light" in terms of spiritual understanding reminded me a little of the Quaker concept of spiritual light, but I wasn't sure if that's the same sort of thing he was referring to or not. Other smarter people can enlighten me on that score. :)
However, I did appreciate the focus of the book and its very thorough analysis of the glory of Christ, how it affects us, how we can see it, and the meditations on it. I don't think the author left any stone unturned in his reflections on Christ's glory. It's a book I think I will return to in future as a springboard for personal Bible study and meditation, in terms of providing topics and specific Scriptures to focus on.