This was originally written for LRBC in two parts on May 28 and June 11 2017
In recent months a friend and I have been slowly reading through an abridged version of John Owen’s book ‘Indwelling Sin in Believers‘. A section we read this week detailed ten reasons why grace deteriorates in Christians.
The word ‘grace’ is used in a different sense to how Christians commonly understand the word. The sense here has to do with the state of forgiveness and joy that is experienced by believers when they are in close fellowship with the Lord, which in turn refreshes them with desires for him in faith, love, fruitfulness and obedience. Five of the ten reasons why this grace and desire for him decay are very briefly summarized as follows:
1. Carelessness with spiritual things makes us become indifferent to them (cf. Isaiah 17:10). Like anything precious in life, this must be nurtured and protected carefully.
2. A loss of reverence for God – a forgetfulness that he is holy (cf. 2 Chronicles 26:16). In a secular culture, it is easy to reduce God to a big friendly Santa in the sky.
3. Forgetting the simplicity of the gospel due to preoccupation with foolish theological speculations (cf. 2 John 7-8). It is important to stay connected to Christ as he has been revealed in scripture.
4. Lack of vigilance against the devil – failing to take preventative measures against his influence (cf. 1 Peter 5:8). In military contexts, sleeping sentinels get court marshalled. We are not treated so strictly in the life of faith, but failure is certainly more severe.
5. The imitation of poor examples of professing Christians (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:6). Even the best saints are flawed people. Examples are undoubtedly helpful, but we must take care to discern what we imitate.
I’ll share the other five reasons in the near future. John Owen’s three books on sin in believers are deep and practical. They are well worth the effort of reading.
The grace of God not only saves, it also transforms. This transformation of renewal only began at our conversion, and is something we carry responsibility to cultivate until the day we die. Last time I wrote I outlined the first five out of John Owen’s ten reasons why grace declines in believers and how to avoid it. Here follow the rest of those ten:
6. The enjoyment of some secret lust in the heart – these “sap one’s confidence with God and hinder the exercise of faith and prayer, so that the soul cannot ‘look up’ ” (cf. Psalm 40:12). Sin like this clouds the good and childlike faith his sons and daughters would otherwise have toward their heavenly Father.
7. The negligence of private communion with God (cf. Isaiah 43:22). It is a common axiom that relationships wane when one party becomes distant from the other, and ours with the Father likewise suffers when we neglect time with him.
8. The increase of knowledge without corresponding practice – learning theology without practicing godliness (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:1; Ezekiel 33:32). This is a trap particularly for those of us who enjoy learning. But like the Dead Sea, we can become lifeless if we have much input without the corresponding output.
9. The growth in worldly wisdom – which is in antipathy with faith (cf. Isaiah 47:10). Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1-2 spring to my mind here – they remind us to take care not to be enamored with ways of thinking that work from different presuppositions to a Christian worldview.
10. The failure to repent of some great sin. Repentance is needed to heal the life of the soul (cf. Psalm 38:5). Reflectively praying through Psalms such as 32, 51 and 130 will help bring you into the right frame of mind for this.
I hope Christ’s people will find these useful. But remember: they will only be of use if they are put into practice!
Chris Northcott 