"Communion with the Triune God" by John Owen, ed. by Kapic and Taylor. A Quick Review

 

As one of my seminary professors said, decades ago, "John Owen never met a word he didn't like." You get a good dose of this when you dive into "Communion with the Triune God" edited by Kelly M. Kapic, professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain Georgia, and Justin Taylor, executive vice president of book publishing at Crossway. This 448-page paperback was initially penned by John Owen in 1657. Kapic and Taylor have done a wonderful service by (1) updating the language to modern English, (2) smoothing out some of the texture that would seem glitchy to modern-day readers, (3) adding footnotes that define Owen's difficult words and translating his quotations that were in Latin and Greek, (4) a snazzy, helpful introduction that explains what Owen was up to, his key thoughts, and the way he was working out his thinking, and (5) a useful set of notes on how they edited the volume that concludes with a detailed outline of the book. Of all of Owen's works, this edition is likely one of the most readable.

Kapic summarizes the major theme of the book by pointing out that "union is a unilateral action of God, (…) Communion with God, however, is distinct from union. Those who are united to Christ are called to respond to God's loving embrace. While union with Christ is something that does not ebb and flow, one's experience of communion with Christ can fluctuate" (21). A second theme that courses through the book is that communion and worship is trinitarian. Kapic does a solid job explaining how Owen works this out, making distinctions between the persons of the Trinity without devaluing any of them.

The book, written in a time without internet distractions, or 24-hour cable news diversions, is meticulous in it's developments and details. Owen, as he is known to do, trails off into subpoints, sub-subpoints, and digressions. But the work Kapic and Taylor have done helps keep the reader on track. For those of us who are slow readers, I took the book one chapter at a sitting. I was able to make my way through in less than a month.

One of my favorite lines in "Communion with the Triune God" is when Owen observes that God "loves life, grace and holiness into us; he loves us also into covenant; loves us into heaven" (163-4). That sets down the foundation of much that is in the work. I'm glad I read through it, and am deeply grateful for the help Kapic and Taylor gave. I recommend the book.