約翰‧歐文 John Owen on How True Salvation will Definitely Lead to Holiness

如果一個人對恩典和憐憫的理解，竟導致他每天不痛不癢地接受自己的罪，並浸淫在其中，而且還認為自己對恩典和憐憫的妄想真實無誤，那麼，這人已站在懸崖邊緣，幾乎要把上帝的恩典變成邪惡放蕩，他的心也因為罪的欺騙而日漸剛硬。有這種妄想的人，他的心是全世界最虛偽、最腐敗的。基督的血是為了洗淨我們一切的罪，約壹一7；神高舉基督，是為了將悔改的心賜給我們，徒五31；恩典的教義是為了教訓我們除去不敬虔的心，多二11、12。如果用基督的血、基督得高舉、以及恩典的教義這三件事，來容許、贊同自己的罪，事實上這就是反叛神，這種反叛會壓碎自己。

我們這時代中，宣稱自己是基督徒、後來又放棄信仰的人，大多數是從這道妄想之門離開信仰的。這些人大多有一陣子會看見自己的罪，明白自己的罪後，他們會盡本分，並宣告自己的信仰，「因認識主救主耶穌基督，得以脫離世上的污穢」，彼後二20。可是後來他們熟悉了福音的教義，又在盡本分時缺乏原則、感到厭煩，這時他們就會開始容許自己處處漠視恩典的教義。一旦這種邪惡的想法挾制了他們，他們就會急速墮落，終至毀滅。
—約翰‧歐文

(Translated by Melody Chen)

When a man hath confirmed his imagination to such an apprehension of grace and mercy as to be able, without bitterness, to swallow and digest daily sins, that man is at the very brink of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Neither is there a greater evidence of a false and rotten heart in the world than to drive such a trade. To use the blood of Christ, which is given to cleanse us, 1John 1:7, Titus 2:14; the exaltation of Christ, which is to give us repentance, Acts 5:31; the doctrine of grace, which teaches us to deny all ungodliness, Titus 2:11,12, to countenance sin, is a rebellion that in the issue will break the bones.

At this door have gone out from us most of the professors that have apostatized in the days wherein we live. For a while they were most of them under convictions; these kept them unto duties, and brought them to profession; so they "escaped the pollutions that are in the world, through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ," 2Peter 2:20: but having got an acquaintance with the doctrine of the gospel, and being weary of duty, for which they had no principle, they began to countenance themselves in manifold neglects from the doctrine of grace. Now, when once this evil had laid hold of them, they speedily tumbled into perdition. -John Owen (emphasis in the original)