Resisted and Repulsed

JOHN OWEN
Banner of Truth Trust, 118 Pages, Paper, $10.00

Matthew 26:41 reads, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This passage is the basis for a fine work on the subject of temptation, something we all deal with daily.

The passage contains two vital words that Owen concentrates on: watching and praying. Owen maintains that these two topics summarize the issue of whether or not we are victorious, and he insists that it is the duty of each believer to diligently follow Christ’s instructions to avoid succumbing.

Owen introduces the material on temptation by underscoring three points Christ made: temptation has to do with the evil cautioned against, “entering into” temptation is the means by which temptation prevails, and watching and praying is the way to prevent it. Then Owen continues by briefly commenting on testing from God, as opposed to being tempted. Then he devotes a chapter on the definition of temptation: “anything that, for any reason, exerts a force or influence to seduce and draw the mind and heart of man from the obedience which God requires of him to any kind of sin.” “Temptation may proceed either from Satan alone, from the world, from other men in the world, or from ourselves. Temptation may come from each of these individually, or they may join forces in various combinations.”

Subsequent chapters deal with such important matters as distinguishing between public and private temptations, learning how “temptation’s hour” operates, seeing how temptation can devastate the mind, dealing with sudden temptation, and “keeping the word of Christ’s patience.”

The book ends with several chapters giving practical helps in the spiritual battle we face. One item Owen points out is that watching and praying won’t do any good if we’re negligent in other areas that have to do with conformity to the world.

This book is a classic work, abridged and made easier to read.