Christ gives himself to the soul, with all his excellencies, righteousness, preciousness, graces, and eminencies, to be its Savior, head, and husband, forever to dwell with it in this holy relation.
~John Owen~
Communion With The Triune God (Wheaton, IL; Crossway Books; 2007) p. 156
These two things, then, complete our grace of acceptation. Sin being removed, and righteousness bestowed, we have peace with God—are continually accepted before him. There is not any thing to charge us with: that which was, is taken out of the way by Christ, and nailed to his cross—made fast there; yea, publicly and legally cancelled, that it can never be admitted again as an evidence. What court among men would admit of evidence that has been publicly cancelled and nailed up for all to see it? So has Christ dealt with that which was against us; and not only so, but also he puts that upon us for which we are received into favor. He makes us comely through his beauty; gives us white raiment to stand before the Lord. This is the first part of purchased grace wherein the saints have communion with Jesus Christ. In remission of sin and imputation of righteousness does it consist; from the death of Christ, as a price, sacrifice, and a punishment—from the life of Christ spent in obedience to the law, does it arise. The great product it is of the Father’s righteousness, wisdom, love, and grace—the great and astonishable fruit of the love and condescension of the Son—the great discovery of the Holy Ghost in the revelation of the mystery of the gospel.
~John Owen~
Communion With The Triune God (Wheaton, IL; Crossway Books; 2007) p. 290-291
But the way into the holiest was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was standing (Heb. 9:8). Though they had communion with God, yet they had not parrēsian—a boldness and confidence in that communion. This follows the entrance of our High Priest into the Most Holy Place (Heb. 4:16; 10:19). The veil also was upon them, that they had not eleutherian—freedom and liberty in their access to God (2 Cor. 3:15–16, etc.). But now in Christ we have boldness and access with confidence to God (Eph. 3:12). This boldness and access with confidence the saints of old were not acquainted with. By Jesus Christ alone, then, on all considerations as to being and full manifestation, is this distance taken away. He has consecrated for us a new and living way (the old being quite shut up), “through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Heb. 10:20); and “through him we have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 2:18). “You who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for he is our peace,” etc. (Eph. 2:13–14)… Upon this new bottom and foundation, by this new and living way, are sinners admitted into communion with God, and have fellowship with him. And truly, for sinners to have fellowship with God, the infinitely holy God, is an astonishing dispensation.
~John Owen~
Communion With The Triune God (Wheaton, IL; Crossway Books; 2007) p. 91
It is not with an increase of corn, and wine, and oil, but with the shining of the countenance of God upon us, that he comforts our souls (Ps. 4:6–7). “The world hates me,” may such a soul as has the Spirit say; “but my Father loves me. Men despise me as a hypocrite; but my Father loves me as a child. I am poor in this world; but I have a rich inheritance in the love of my Father. I am straitened in all things; but there is bread enough in my Father’s house. I mourn in secret under the power of my lusts and sin, where no eyes see me; but the Father sees me, and is full of compassion. With a sense of his kindness, which is better than life, I rejoice in tribulation, glory in affliction, triumph as a conqueror. Though I am killed all the day long, all my sorrows have a bottom that may be fathomed—my trials, bounds that may be compassed; but the breadth, and depth, and height of the love of the Father, who can express?” I might render glorious this way of the Spirit’s comforting us with the love of the Father, by comparing it with all other causes and means of joy and consolation whatever; and so discover their emptiness, its fullness—their nothingness, its being all;
~John Owen~
Communion With The Triune God (Wheaton, IL; Crossway Books; 2007) p. 409
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6
He [Jesus] is the medium of all communication between God and us. In him we meet; in him we walk. All influences of love, kindness, mercy, from God to us, are through him; all our returns of love, delight, faith, obedience unto God, are all through him.
~John Owen~
Communion With The Triune God (Wheaton, IL; Crossway Books; 2007) p. 218
This is the will of God, that he may always be eyed as benign, kind, tender, loving, and unchangeable therein; and that peculiarly as the Father, as the great fountain and spring of all gracious communications and fruits of love. This is that which Christ came to reveal – God as a Father (Jn 1:18); that name which he declares to those who are given him out of the world (Jn 17:6). And this is that which he effectually leads us to by himself, as he is the only way of going to God as a Father (Jn 14:5–6); that is, as love: and by doing so, gives us the rest which he promises; for the love of the Father is the only rest of the soul.
~John Owen~
Communion With The Triune God (Wheaton, IL; Crossway Books; 2007) p. 112
So much as we see of the love of God, so much shall we delight in him, and no more. Every other discovery of God, without this, will but make the soul fly from him; but if the heart be once much taken up with this the eminency of the Father’s love, it cannot choose but be overpowered, conquered, and endeared unto him. This, if anything, will work upon us to make our abode with him. If the love of a father will not make a child delight in him, what will? Put, then, this to the venture: exercise your thoughts upon this very thing, the eternal, free, and fruitful love of the Father, and see if your hearts be not wrought upon to delight in him. I dare boldly say: believers will find it as thriving a course as ever they pitched on in their lives. Sit down a little at the fountain, and you will quickly have a further discovery of the sweetness of the streams. You who have run from him, will not be able, after a while, to keep at a distance for a moment.
~John Owen~
Communion With The Triune God (Wheaton, IL; Crossway Books; 2007) p. 128
As a man nailed to the cross he first struggles and strives and cries out with great strength and might, but, as his blood and spirits waste, his strivings are faint and seldom, his cries low and hoarse, scarce to be heard; when a man first sets on a lust or distemper, to deal with it, it struggles with great violence to break loose; it cries with earnestness and impatience to be satisfied and relieved; but when by mortification the blood and spirits of it are let out, it moves seldom and faintly, cries sparingly, and is scarce heard in the heart; it may have sometimes a dying pang, that makes an appearance of great vigor and strength, but it is quickly over, especially if it be kept from considerable success. This the apostle describes, as in the whole chapter, so especially Romans 6:6.
“Sin,” says he, “is crucified; it is fastened to the cross.” To what end? “That the body of death may be destroyed,” the power of sin weakened and abolished by little and little, that “henceforth we should not serve sin,” that is, that sin might not incline, impel us with such efficacy as to make us servants to it, as it has done heretofore.
~John Owen~
Overcoming Sin & Temptation – On The Mortification of Sin in Believers (Wheaton, IL; Crossway Books; 2006) Part 2, Chapter 6, Section:”Mortification Consists in a Habitual Weakening of Sin”. http://www.crosswaybooks.com. eBook.
It untunes and unframes the heart itself by entangling its affections. It diverts the heart from the spiritual frame that is required for vigorous communion with God; it lays hold on the affections, rendering its object beloved and desirable, so expelling the love of the Father (1 John 2:15; 3:17); so that the soul cannot say uprightly and truly to God, “You are my portion,” having something else that it loves. Fear, desire, hope, which are the choice affections of the soul, that should be full of God, will be one way or other entangled with it.
~John Owen~
Overcoming Sin & Temptation (Wheaton, IL; Crossway Books; 2006) p. 64.
Objection. But you will say, “This comes nigh to that blasphemy, that God loves his people in their sinning as well as in their strictest obedience; and if so, who will care to serve him more, or to walk with him unto well-pleasing?”
Answer. … What then? Loves he his people in their sinning? Yes; his people — not their sinning. Alters he not his love toward them? Not the purpose of his will, but the dispensations of his grace. He rebukes them, he chastens them, he hides his face from them, he smites them, he fills them with a sense of [his] indignation; but woe, woe would it be to us, should he change in his love, or take away his kindness from us! Those very things which seem to be demonstrations of the change of his affections toward his [people], do as clearly proceed from love as those which seem to be the most genuine issues thereof. “But will not this encourage to sin?” He never tasted the love of God that can seriously make this objection.
~John Owen~
Communion With The Triune God (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Books; 2007) p.121.
The Old Guys 