John Owen (1616 - 1683)

John Owen (1616 - 1683)

There is little argument that John Owen is one of the greatest Protestant theologians ever, many consider him the greatest. He lived during the heart of the Puritan period, and was the most scholarly of all the great Puritans; yet while Flavel is easy to read, Owen is difficult; while Bunyan was humanly unlearned, but a great preacher, Owen was a mighty scholar, but not so good a preacher.

Here is a biographical sketch of his life, taken from Baker Book House's 1977 Edition of Owen's "The Forgiveness of Sin, A Practical Exposition of Psalm 130."

The great Owen was born at Stadham, Oxfordshire, England, in the year 1616, and died at Ealing, August 24, 1683, aged 67. He was contemporary with Bunyan, Baxter, and Flavel, and shared in the bitter opposition they encountered for their non-conformity. His father being a clergyman, he received an early education, and at twelve was admitted a student of Queens College, Oxford, where he graduated with honors, and continued the pursuit of study till the age of twenty-one, when new laws and regulations were imposed on the University by Archbishop Laud, to which he could not conscientiously submit. He commenced his labors in the ministry at Fordam, whence they were transferred to Coggershall, and early began to write in defense of the truth. In 1643 he published his treatise "The Duty of Pastors and People Distinguished," showing the personal obligations of every believer to aid in spreading "the truth as it is in Jesus," and soon after a treatise founded on two short Catechisms for the benefit of the young. In 1646, being summoned to preach before Parliament, he boldly proclaimed the doctrine of the cross, and on numerous future occasions fulfilled the same duty with equal fidelity to God and the souls of men. One of these sermons introduced him to Cromwell, who appointed him his chaplain; and in 1651 he was elected by Parliament to the deanery of Christ Church, Oxford, and soon after was appointed by Cromwell vice-chancellor of the University. He continued his connection with Oxford for nine years until the death of Crowell, when he was displaced. During this period "the change in the circumstances, literature and piety of the University were truly astonishing." His labors were great, almost beyond parallel, and as successful as arduous. He also, while at Oxford, often preached before Parliament, and wrote many valuable works, including his treatises on "Divine Justice," on the Socinian Controversy, the "Mortification of Sin in Believers," on "Communion with God," and on "Temptation."

The above brief biographical sketch should give a basic history of Owen, let me now try to whet your appetite to read some of his books. They are weighty, and even J.I.Packer confessed he often had to re-read portions of Owen to get the meaning; but don't let that dissuade you from reading him. One of the current maladies among Christians today is a refusal to work their minds vigorously in the things of God, to seek the deep things of God. The Gospel may be simple, but we are not to be intellectually simple; we may need to become like little children to enter the kingdom of God, but once in, we are to grow into maturity; we may start drinking the milk of the word, but we are commanded to seek meat (Heb 5:11-14). There is no question, Owen will wean us out of simplicity, into maturity; from milk to meat.

Let me here quote from Owen's preface in "The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded", an Exposition of Romans 7:6:

"Again, there are so great and pregnant evidences of the prevalency of an earthly, worldly frame of spirit, in many who make profession of religion, that it is high time they were called to a due consideration, how unanswerable they are therein, to the power and spirituality of that religion which they do profess. There is no way whereby such a frame may be evinced to prevail in many, yea, in the generality of such professors, that is not manifest to all. In their habits, attires, and vestments, in their usual converse and misspences of time, in their over liberal entertainment of themselves and others, to the borders of excess, and sundry other things of like nature; there is in many such a conformity to the world, (a thing severely forbidden) that it is hard to make a distinction between them (and the unsaved)."

I would recommend any book by John Owen. They contain the soundest theology, and to promote the holiest of living.

And Owen was a Congregationalist, meaning he held to a congregational form of church government.

Congregationalism is a form of Protestant Christianity that emphasizes the autonomy of each local church, allowing it to govern itself independently. This tradition originated in England during the Reformation and is characterized by the belief that each congregation has the authority to make decisions regarding worship and church governance without external control.

This form of church government was in direct opposition to both Anglican (Church of England) and Presbyterian, which are top-down models of leadership, with local congregations being under the authority of higher-up church leadership. Each congregation stood basically stood on its own.

Owen was one of the writers of the Savoy Declaration (full title: A Declaration of the Faith and Order owned and practiced in the Congregational Churches in England), which set forth the congregational form of church government.

Congregationalism was big in New England. Jonathan Edwards was a Congregationalist.

Bottom line, Owen is great to read, but he must be read slowly and sometimes re-read, to get what he is talking about. His one fault, is he writes too much, if he had said what he wanted to say once, instead of re-saying it, that would have been better. It seems he thought saying it several times, from different angles would make it clearer; I think it rather confuses things.

16 January 2026