Bless God—Sunday is almost here. We get to go back to church, to hear the fresh gospel of grace, and enjoy the ordinances of God! In order to help set our minds aright, here are some great words from the amazing John Owen. These come from his outstanding “The Doctrine of Justification By Faith” book. . . .
“[Justifying faith] includes in it a sincere renunciation of all other ways and means for the attaining of righteousness, life and salvation. This is essential to faith, (Acts 4:12; Hos. 14:2-3; Jer. 3:23). Ps. 71:16b: ‘I will remind them of Your righteousness, Yours alone,’ [italics mine]. When a person is in the condition before described, [i.e. under conviction of sin/having no hope in anything in himself or the law/being desperate/and without human resources, etc.], (and such alone are called immediately to believe, Matt. 9:13; 11:28; 1 Tim. 1:15), many things will present themselves to him for his relief; particu-larly his own righteousness (Rom. 10:3). A renunciation of them all as to any hope or expectation of relief from them, belongs to sincere believing, (Isa. 1:10-11).
“ . . . Trust in God, or the grace and mercy of God in and through the Lord Christ as set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, belongs here-to, or necessarily ensues hereon. For the person called to believing is, 1) con-vinced of sin, and exposed to wrath; 2) has nothing else to trust to for help and relief; 3) actually renounces all other things that tender [present] them-selves to that end . . . "
