John Owen on Justification

I've been playing about with AI and what it can produce for me. Eventually it provided me with 12 verifiable quotes from John Owen's work below. I originally asked for 50 quotes and it gave me 50 vague theological interpretations of John Owen, presented as though they were direct quotes. Anyway, I will keep playing. AI is very dangerous if it insists on lying, but I believe can be a powerful tool for Christians in the future. AI does a good job of creating transcripts of our sermons, but when it's asked to create content there are so many errors at the moment.

John Owen on Justification by Faith

Selected quotations from John Owen, The Doctrine of Justification by Faith, with direct links to the CCEL text.


I. The Nature of Justification

“For justification is the way and means whereby such a person does obtain acceptance before God, with a right and title unto a heavenly inheritance.”

CCEL Chapter IV.I

“He is in this condition one who…finds himself under the curse, and the wrath of God therein abiding on him.”

CCEL Chapter IV.I

“Whether this goat… or whether he perished… what else could hide or cover our sins but his righteousness?”

CCEL Chapter IV.V

II. Imputation & the Righteousness of Christ

“…our justification consists in the non-imputation of sin, and the imputation of righteousness.”

CCEL Chapter XI

“…the doctrine of justification was fully declared… by affirming and proving that we have the righteousness whereby and wherewith we are justified by imputation…”

CCEL Chapter XI

III. Faith and Justification

“…all discoveries of the righteousness of God, with the soul’s adherence unto it, belong to faith alone.”

CCEL Chapter V

“…in our justification itself… faith and works have the same influence… As faith alone is required unto the one, so faith alone is required unto the other…”

CCEL Chapter IX

IV. Justification and the Law

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ…”

CCEL Chapter XXII.VIII

V. Continuation of Justification

“…our justification is at once complete… on our believing, all our sins are forgiven… there is no condemnation unto them that are in Christ Jesus…”

CCEL Chapter IX

“…the continuation of our justification has no other dependencies than has our justification itself… faith alone.”

CCEL Chapter IX

VI. Object of Faith & Evangelical Trust

“…the especial object of that faith whereby we are justified… is ‘God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.’”

CCEL Chapter VI

VII. Objections & Clarifications

“Now, if faith, whereby we are justified… be a looking unto Christ… then is it therein exclusive of all other graces and duties whatever…”

CCEL Chapter XIX

Source: John Owen, The Doctrine of Justification by Faith, Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL). All links point to the chapter wherein the quoted wording appears.

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