My Top Three Books by John Owen – Kelly M. Kapic
In the recent issue of Credo Magazine, “The Prince of Puritans: John Owen,” Kelly Kapic listed his “Top Three Books by John Owen.” Kapic is Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College and the author of Communion with God: The Divine and the Human in the Theology of John Owen.
Picking just three books by John Owen to recommend is such a difficult task when there are so many good ones. Nevertheless, here are three that have profoundly shaped my own thinking and living:
1. Communion with the Triune God
While the recent edited version of this classic work was titled Communion with the Triune God, the original volume was called Of Communion with God the Father, Sonne, and Holy Ghost, each person distinctly in love, grace, and consolation, or, the Saints Fellowship with the Father, Sonne, and Holy Ghost, unfolded (1657).
That full title explains the goals Owen has in mind for this book, and in my mind, the results are fresh and filled with vitality. In this profound and pastoral work, Owen unpacks the benediction of 2 Cor. 13:14 with theological skill, psychological insight, and pastoral passion. Probably, no work has had a greater influence on all of my theology and life than this single volume. If you can only read one Owen book, without reservation this is the volume I would suggest to you. …
To find out what Kapic’s other favorites were, view Credo Magazine today!
Church history matters. We are not the first generation to read the Bible. So looking to the help of those who have come before us is incredibly valuable. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Many godly individuals have preceded us and more often than not their insights into God’s Word tend to be far more valuable than what you will find on the best seller rack of a Christian bookstore. By looking to those giants of the faith in the history of the church, not only do we avoid falling prey to the heresies of the past, but we also stand firmly on the shoulders of others so that we persevere in sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).
One set of broad shoulders belongs to the seventeenth-century Puritan John Owen. It is hard to exaggerate the importance and influence of Owen’s life and writings. His books were and still are some of the best works in theology that we have, standing alongside those of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and many others. The Christian today will benefit in countless ways from works like On Communion with God, The Doctrine of Justification by Faith, On the Mortification of Sin, and Of Indwelling Sin in Believers.
What is so remarkable about Owen, however, is not merely the robust, biblical theology nature of his writings, but his insistence that theology affects the Christian life. In other words, Owen refused to separate head and heart. Doctrine must lead to doxology every time, otherwise we have not truly understood its purpose. Therefore, Owen is the Doctor who looks into the human soul in order to diagnose our spiritual disease and offer us a cure in Jesus Christ. If read carefully, it is hard not to finish a book by Owen without feeling a desire to know God more.
The upcoming year, 2016, will be the four hundredth anniversary of Owen’s birth. So what better timing for an issue of Credo Magazine that aims to introduce some of Owen’s theology and writings. But as much as we love you reading Credo Magazine, this issue would be a failure if you did not study and read this Prince of Puritans for yourself.
Contributors include: J. V. Fesko, Ryan M. McGraw, Geoff Thomas, Daniel R. Hyde, Joel Beeke, Leonardo De Chirico, Kelly M. Kapic, Michael Haykin, and many others.
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