Book Review: A Quest for Godliness by J.I. Packer

There have been many books on the Puritans. Most of them are biographical while others on their teachings. These books have benefitted many in the body of Christ over the centuries.

One book on the Puritans that many recommend is J.I. Packer's A Quest for Godliness, which addresses the spiritual life of these men who walked with God so many years ago. Packer begins with the necessity of the Puritans and examines some of their writings.

Packer addresses how the Puritans viewed the Bible including John Owen's view that the Bible is how God speaks to us today, which is the view of the majority of the Puritans and those who hold Reformed Theology. A Chapter in this book is the introduction that Packer wrote from an edition of Owen's classic book, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. Packer dives into how the Puritans viewed the gospel as well as the preaching of it as well as their view of justification.

Many people are not aware that the Puritans have a high view of the Holy Spirit. Packer unpacks that by showing what Puritans believed about the Holy Spirit along with John Owen's view of the spiritual gifts, which is a hot topic in the church today. Packer continues by looking into the Puritans in living the Christian life by writing on their dealings with the Lord's Day as well as worship. Packer even tackles their views on marriage and family.

Finally, Packer writes about the ministry of the Puritans. The Puritans did believe that God is sovereign in the salvation of souls, yet we have a task to proclaim the gospel in the church and outside the church. The puritans along with many in Reformed Theology looked at preaching a means of grace for the believers to grow and be edify as they walk with Jesus in this life. 

As stated earlier, there are many books on the Puritans that have been written over the years. They have been recommended by many theologians and pastors, yet I do not hear Packer's book in many of those conversations. I am delighted to tell you that A Quest for Godliness should be on everyone's to-read list on the Puritans.

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.

Michael Reeves: The Distinctive Marks of Puritanism

Book Review: A Heart Aflame for God by Matthew C Bingham

The Bible says we are to guard our heart (Proverbs 4:23), workout our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), and grow in the grace of the Lord Jesus (2 Peter 3:18), however there some Christians that might look at this and say it sound like we are trying to maintain our salvation because we can lose it.

We are saved by grace through faith, yet we are to make every effort to grow in our walk with Christ. There are some good materials out there that are helpful while others not so much. 

What about getting practical ideas from those who have gone before us, like the Puritans, that can assist us in growing spiritually. To help us grow in that grace of Christ 2 Peter 3:18 addresses. This is what Matthew Bingham addresses in his book, A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation.

Bingham looks at Puritan Piety for how modern Christians can grow in their faith not as a means to gain salvation but as a result of their salvation. Growing in grace is the proper response for all believers. Bingham addresses how the Puritans used scripture, meditation, and prayer as spiritual disciplines. 

One area I really appreciated from Bingham was the area of self-examination. Self-examination may seem like doubting your salvation to some, but it is really not. What Bingham is writing about is we need to examine ourselves to fight against the indwelling sin that is in us. We need to see where our blind spots are at times and that requires examining ourselves. The result of this should lead us to, as Bingham writes, confession, repentance, and a renewed sense of gospel assurance. 

There are some that think that spiritual disciplines are a more modern approach to grow in the faith. I am thankful that Bingham wrote this book showing how the Puritans grew in their faith and that spiritual disciplines are not a new concept. 

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.

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Why Read John Owen?

If I had to read only one Puritan for the rest of my life, it would be John Owen. The first book, I read by him was The Glory of Christ and not was I blown away by the teaching in the book, I became a fan. Why should a Christian read John Owen? Matthew Barrett and Michael A. G. Haykin give us 3 reasons why you should read Owen:

1. He Had a Big View of God

First and foremost, Owen had a big view of God and a passion to see this great God lifted up in worship. The glory of God in Christ was at the very core of Owen’s thought, suffusing his writing and preaching at every turn.

Owen was radically God-centered. But for Owen, and for the Puritans generally, intellectual knowledge was not enough. Rather, one must know God experientially, or—as Owen would put it—experimentally.

In other words, it is not enough for God to be studied; God has to be served, adored, and worshipped. Truly understanding who God is and what he has done in redemptive history is meant to arouse our affections for God. Head knowledge always has to be accompanied by heartfelt experience, which leads us to our next point.

2. He Took Holiness and Communion with God Seriously

Second, we can learn much from the quality of Owen’s spirituality. In knowing God, Owen knew humanity. While human beings have been made in God’s image, sin has radically distorted them in every way. Every person stands guilty before a holy God and every person is corrupt, unwilling, and unable to turn to Christ.

For Owen, it is only through the effectual and gracious work of the Spirit that sinners are converted to Christ and thereafter grow in holiness and likeness to Christ. It is no wonder that Owen’s assistant, David Clarkson, wrote of him, “It was his great Design to promote Holiness in the Life and Exercise of it among you.”

And for Owen, this communion with the triune God was at the very center of the Christian’s sanctification and growth in holiness.

3. He Sought the Reformation of the Church

Third, Owen sought reformation, not only in the individual believer but in the corporate church. Owen was serious about both the Christian life and the church’s godliness, which in his mind was to occur through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, the administration of the sacraments, and the practice of church discipline.

In this sense Owen was in line with the best of the 16th century Reformers. If there was any man who sought to initiate and cultivate genuine reformation in England, it was John Owen. If we desire to see spiritual renewal in our own day, we will do well to pay heed to the lessons we can glean from the life and writings of Owen.

Living for the Glory of God in Christ

It is sad that many Christians today have never heard of John Owen, let alone read this colossal Puritan. Owen simply is not read and celebrated to the extent of others, such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards.

Nevertheless, he should be. Owen’s writings are a gold mine just waiting to be dug up and discovered anew.

Be sure to check out Barrett and Haykin's book, Owen on the Christian Life

Other books by John Owen:

Indwelling Sin in Believers

The Mortification of Sin

Temptation

The Holy Spirit

The Death of Death in the Death of Christ

The Spirit and The Church

Other books about John Owen:

The Foundation of Communion with God: The Trinitarian Piety of John Owen by Ryan McGraw

Book Review: Prepared by Grace, For Grace

When I first saw the title to this book, I thought it was an interesting play on words. Prepared By Grace, For Grace? What are Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley trying to communicate? In the introduction to the book, Beeke and Smalley wrote:

This book is based on the conviction that a righteous and holy God saves sinners "by grace through faith" (Eph. 2:8). The human race fell into sin and misery when Adam despised God's glory and disobeyed His commandment, but God has provided a way of salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son (pg. 1).

The title, Prepared By Grace, For Grace, implies that it is by God's grace that He prepares us to receive that grace. This book is not just a theological book on how that takes place, but this book is about how the Puritans look at the preparation of grace.

Some modern scholars do not like the idea that God prepares people for grace because some believe that God's grace is based upon their decision to receive Jesus such as those who say election is based on what God looked in the past to see a person's "decision" to "accept" Jesus. Also the idea of God preparing people for grace may seem like God is forcing Himself on people which to many pastors, they preach God will never force Himself on anyone. Beeke and Smalley give a simple definition on the puritan doctrine of preparation:

Puritan preparation is the doctrine that God prepares sinners for faith by overcoming obstacles in their minds and consciences to the claims of the gospel (pg. 18).

The whole book addresses the theology of puritans from Augustine to Jonathan Edwards on the doctrine of preparation. It always good to read on the saints of old regarding a doctrine such as this. With the resurgence of Reformed Theology that been spreading for the past few years, it is good to read up on the puritans and what they taught from the Bible. This book is an excellent collection of theology from the puritans on such a controversial topic that should encourage us not only in evangelism but in the preaching of the Bible.

Thanks Reformation Heritage Books for allowing me to review this book.