Entangled Affections Lead Us to Sin

One of my goals or purpose for producing this blog is to expose you, my readers to a wide variety of godly men and women. I desire to expose you to a variety of spiritually beneficial topics, books, articles, thoughts, and people.

John Owen (16816-1683) was an English Nonconformist church leader, theologian, and academic administrator at the University of Oxford. He was briefly a member of parliament for the University, sitting in the First Protectorate Parliament of 1654 to 1655. He was a tremendously deep thinker and prolific writer. 

Ryan McGraw wrote, "First, everything Owen wrote stands head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries. You will not find here the illustrative powers of Thomas Watson or the personal anecdotes of Richard Baxter. You will find a man who drank deeply from the wells of the best theology available at the time, who filtered this material through a brilliant intellect, and who set it on fire with the warmth of pastoral devotion. The two words that come to mind in describing Owen are precision and piety." 

Others have said that he is a most difficult read but it is well worth the effort. Therefore, this morning I give you a quote concerning temptation from John Owen with the hopes that his thoughtful insight will help you understand how improperly placed affections cloud our thinking which can lead to sin.

“Temptation can also darken the mind by a sad entangling of the affections. When the affections are engaged, they have a strong influence in blinding the mind and darkening the understanding.” (John Owen)