Knowing Sin: Seeing a Neglected Doctrine Through the Eyes of the Puritans – Mark Jones

Mark Jones, Knowing Sin: Seeing a Neglected Doctrine Through the Eyes of the Puritans (Chicago: Moody Press, 2022), 208 pp.

There is a distinct lack of books on hamartiology (the doctrine of sin). The devil is perfectly happy to see the doctrine of sin slide into the sea of forgetfulness. He is delighted when professing Christians minimize sin or redefine it. Uncle Screwtape, C.S. Lewis’s senior demon in The Screwtape Letters observed that the journey to hell is found in mere passivity: “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”¹ When we belittle the seriousness of sin, we become easy prey for the enemy of our souls.

Knowing Sin by Mark Jones helps reestablish the doctrine of sin and highlights the importance of bringing this doctrine to center stage. Dr. Jones has done the church a great service by helping readers think through the various aspects of sin as it is presented in Scripture. The book draws on the deep insight of the Puritans which effectively reminds readers of the devastating effects of sin and rivets their attention on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each chapter concludes with a brief application section that encourages practical steps for defeating sin and trusting in our risen Savior.

I commend Knowing Sin and anticipate a wide readership, in the church and the academy.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

1. C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1982), 56. ↩