This is a guest post by Andy Miller.
Let me begin with a warning. If you are looking for a book to make you feel comfortable, this is not the one for you. If you are looking for an easy book that will provide you with simple steps for the Christian life, don’t read this book. On second thought, do read the book. Just don’t be surprised. And predetermine to persevere through it no matter what.
In typical Puritan fashion, Thomas Watson doesn’t write to comfort lazy Christians, but rather he calls us to violence—a Christian warfare against the present evil age and for the Kingdom of Heaven. In “Heaven Taken by Storm,” he warns against eternal assurance divorced from the perspective of our present journey. If we really long for heaven, then we will fight for it. In caring for our soul, we must take up spiritual arms against ourselves, Satan, and the world.
Watson knew plenty about fighting. He lived during the English Civil War of the 17th Century, in which various religious groups warred for political position in the country. Doctrinal debates were not confined to the academy. Rather, they were often the difference between riches and poverty, freedom and imprisonment, even life and death. Many practiced religion out of fear or dry responsibility.
In this work, Watson describes another type of violence, one of holy pursuit, in modern terms, spiritual warfare. This warfare has cosmic and eternal implications. According to Watson, “Our life is military. Christ is our Captain, the gospel is the banner, the graces are our spiritual artillery, and heaven is only taken in a forcible way.” This is not a “flesh and blood” type of battle, but instead one against sin with all its manifestation. This enemy is waging this war against us, and therefore, Watson calls us to fight. The stakes could not be higher.
Watson translates this warfare for everyday life. We must pray with urgency and God-centeredness. He says, “Prayer is a lifting up of the mind and soul to God, which cannot be done aright without offering violence to self.” He also explains the need for spiritual disciplines, such as devotion to the Word, meditation, Lord’s Day observance, and holy conversation.
He also exhorts Christians to thorough self-examination. Turning a blind eye to self is dangerous for the soul. If we care for our eternal situation, we must allow the Word to discern our hearts. Watson writes, “A good Christian begins, as it were, the Day of Judgment here in his own soul” (36). God has begun his final purifying work in our hearts. He is preparing us for our glorious future.
Why then do we have such a difficult time with this violent work? Watson gives three reasons.
First, we often weigh ourselves with “presumptuous hopes.” We gauge spirituality and salvation through a self-made lens.
Second, we rest in the good opinions of others. Watson says, “Bystanders can but see the outward carriage; they cannot tell what evil is in the heart. Fair streams may run on the top of a river, but vermin may lay at the bottom.” I had to look up vermin too. Here is the definition. I’m thinking of using it in a sentence soon.
Third, we often listen to our hearts before Scripture. “The heart will persuade that a slight tear is repentance; a lazy desire is faith.” We must assess the condition of our souls from God’s objective truth.
In all of this holy violence, Watson helpfully reminds us that the work belongs to the Lord. We do not bring about grace by our own merit—which of course would not be grace. Instead, we seek God’s grace through His prescribed means. “Though we do not have the power to save ourselves, yet we must pursue after salvation because God has made a promise of grace as well as to grace” (83).
We receive God’s salvation by grace through faith, but what is the manner in which we receive it? That is the question at the heart of this book. We graciously receive the Kingdom of Heaven with holy violence.
I only have a few negative critiques of this work. First, Watson flirts with Platonic thought, as though the physical world is inherently evil. He writes, “The body is an earthly prison where God has put the soul; we must not break prison, but stay till God by death lets us out” (5-6). The Bible, however, speaks positively of our physical bodies anticipating our glorified state in resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). The sin in us is the real problem. God is restoring the creation, not abandoning it. Therefore, we should seek the Kingdom of Heaven as a reality coming to earth.
Second, Watson should have more clearly articulated the church’s role in holy violence. It is easy to read his exhortations and miss the communal struggle we face together. Introspection becomes dangerous when isolated from the counsel of fellow fighters. God designs the church to help shine the light of Scripture on the individual’s soul. We must have private devotion, but we must also seek corporate encouragement in this holy violence.
Having said this, I still highly recommend this book as an honest assessment of sin and the human soul. We need introspection today. Our comfort and ease for the Gospel need questioning. Just as in Watson’s day, we are cold and falsely ambitious for the sake of Christ. We need to evaluate our love for Him. “Do we desire as much to look like Christ as to live with Christ? Is our desire constant? Is this spiritual pulse ever beating?” (80-81). If we don’t ask these questions, we might be comfortably headed toward destruction.