The two most important things I learned from Jonathan Edwards

This is the last blog post on Jonathan Edwards.

He (as with most of the “giants”) has been influential in “cementing” my theological foundation. There are two areas in particular that Edwards has helped bring me clarity; 1) the nature of free will and 2) the nature of “religious affections”.

First, Edwards’ statement regarding the nature of “free will”. 

“Free moral agents always act according to the strongest inclination they have at the moment of choice.”

Why did this seemingly obvious statement transform my thinking? Well, mainly because it came from the mouth of a staunch Calvinist.

Since the bible teaches that God had ordained everything, even the steps we take in this life (Prov. 16:9), the issue of free will is a normal concern for any thoughtful person, especially for any Christian who desires to embrace the biblical teaching of both divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

Edwards, through the lens of the doctrine of original sin, makes a clear case for the necessity of free will. But here is the important footnote: Though our choices are always authentic, they are always connected to our nature.

In other words, the person who is NOT a follower of Jesus has a natural bent towards sin and self, because he (or she) is dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-2). This person makes a free choice, but it will always be according to their nature, Ephesians 2:1-3 explains:

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Perhaps a humorous personal example may bring clarity to the reader.

My wife, who is unabashedly fashion-minded, has replaced my previous wardrobe (the clothes from my pre-marriage days) with a wardrobe that she viewed as culturally appropriate (Translation: Clothes that aren’t out of date or stupid-looking).

Now if someone asked me, “Do you have the freedom to choose your clothes at the start of every day?” My answer would be, “Yes”. I choose to wear whatever I pull out of my closet. But am I totally free? Am I totally free from my wife’s fashion input, whether directly or indirectly? Well, to that question, my answer is obviously, “No”.

So....do I make genuine choices? Yes. Do I have free will? Yes. Am I totally free? No.

I am truly indebted to Edwards in bringing clarity to me on this issue. And….I am truly indebted to my wife for daily reminding me that theology is life.

Second, Edwards’ statement on the nature of “religious affections”. 

“And let it be considered, that they who have but little religious affection have certainly but little religion. And they who condemn others for their religious affections, and have none themselves, have no religion. These are false affections, and there are true. A man’s having much affection, does not prove that he has any true religion; but if he has no affection, it proves that he has no true religion.”

Again, this statement has additional significance to me, especially because Edwards was a Puritan and Puritans were often accused of advocating a dry, legalistic, passionless religion. This obviously did not represent Edwards and those adjectives should never describe true Christianity.

Here is Edwards’ point: No affections. No relationship with God.

Are Edwards’ insights original or innovative? Nope. He drew these truths from the authoritative word of God.

Matthew 7:16-20 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Jesus goes on to say….

Matthew 7:24-27 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

If you blend these two concepts, then the reality is that a Christian will do what he (or she) wants to do and naturally, a Christian will act according to WHO is stirring their affections, which is either Christ (Phil. 1:21) or their own sinful desires (James 1:14, 4:1-3).  

Thank you, Mr. Edwards for your life and your works.