Two Extremes that are Impossible to Happen to Believers

Owen mentions that there are two extremes that it is impossible for believers to achieve: 1. To be completely perfect on earth. 2. To completely fall away from God. Yet he is also aware that there are many things we must do between these 2 extremes.

"To be wholly perfect, to be free from every sin, in all failings, all infirmities, that is not provided for, not promised in this covenant. It is a covenant of mercy and pardon, which supposeth a continuance of sin. To fall utterly and finally from God, that is absolutely provided against. Between these two extremes of absolute perfection and total apostasy lies the large field of believer's obedience and walking with God. Many a sweet, heavenly passage there is, and many a dangerous depth (by depth he meant spiritual darkness in this passage)in this field…yea, the same person may sometimes press hard after perfection, sometimes be cast to the very border of destruction. Now, between these two lie many a soul-plunging sin, against which no absolute provision is made, and which, for want of giving all diligence to put the means of preservation in practice, believers are oftentimes overtaken withal." (p.27)

By means of preservation he was talking about: "covenant commands and exhortations, on the attendance whereunto the administration of much covenant grace doth depend. To watch, pray, improve faith, to stand on our guard continually, to mortify sin, to fight against temptations, with steadfastness, diligence, constancy, are everywhere prescribed to us…These things are on our part the condition of the administration of that abundant grace which is to preserve us from soul entangling sins." (p.25)

This means of preservation is not absolutely provided for us. We must keep the covenant duty, and remain in the conditions of grace. If we do not do so diligently, we will end up "poor, barren, sapless, withering creatures all your days." (p. 26)

The totally fallen from the covenant is impossible because the everlasting covenant is absolutely provided for us (unconditional) (p.24), and to be perfect on earth is absolutely not provided for us, and finally the means of grace of preservation is not absolutely provided for us.

Notes Taken from A Practical Exposition Upon Psalm 130 by John Owen.