Listening to the Giants

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 cas...