Union and Communion

As I mentioned in the last post, part 1 of Owen's On Communion with God deals with communion with the Father.  And in chapter 1 Owen's starting point is this glorious text: "Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 Jn. 1:3).  He then reminds us that by nature no one holds any communion with God because he is light, we darkness; and what fellowship has light with darkness?  He is life, we are dead; he is love, and we are enmity.  So what agreement can there be between us?  Humanity in this condition has neither Christ, nor hope, nor God in the world (Eph. 2:12).  In this condition humanity is alienated from the life of God through the ignorance within (Eph. 4:18).  So Owen instructs, "While there is this distance between God and man, there is no walking together for them in any fellowship or communion." 

And so it is only by the "manifestation of grace and pardoning mercy" that a door is opened for entrance into any communion with God.  In Christ Jesus those who were far off are brought near by his blood, for he is our peace (Eph. 2:13-14).  Through him sinners have access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph. 2:18).  "By Jesus Christ alone, then . . . is this distance taken away."  He is the sole basis for all our communion with God.  Owen then marvels: "And truly, for sinners to have fellowship with God, the infinitely holy God, is an astonishing dispensation."

After stating that there is such a thing as communion with God, Owen discusses the notion of communion generally.  He then gives a specific definition of communion with God: it consists in "his communication of himself unto us, with our return unto him of that which he requires and accepts, flowing from that union which in Jesus Christ we have with him."  Note that it is grounded upon a union established with Jesus Christ.  It is only then--flowing from that union--that there can be "that mutual communication, in giving and receiving, after a most holy and spiritual manner, which is between God and the saints while they walk together in a covenant of peace, ratified  in the blood of Jesus." 

The saints communion with God is twofold: (1) perfect and complete (experienced in glory); and (2) initial and incomplete (experienced in this age as the firstruits and dawnings of the full communion to come).  And it is the latter--initial and incomplete communion--that Owen handles in this work.