GOSPEL DELTA

Feel (2)

// March 3rd, 2010 // Affection, Doctrine

Another great resource that is helping me go deeper on the role of emotion is Jonathan Edwards’ 1746 classic Religious Affections, which examines the centrality of emotions in Scripture and in the Christian life. Edwards defines emotions by making a distinction between two types of emotions: affections and passions. The affections—things like love, joy, courage, and meekness—were to be nurtured, developed, and encouraged. The passions—things like appetite, sexuality, fear, and anger—were not evil, but simply part of man’s natural makeup, to be held under control. In any conflict between the passions and the will, the passions always won unless the will was supported by the affections.

As in worldly things, worldly AFFECTIONS are very much the spring of men’s motion and action; so in religious matters, the spring of their actions is very much religious AFFECTION: he that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without AFFECTION, never is engaged in the business of religion….I am bold to assert, that there never was any considerable change wrought in the mind or conversation of any person, by anything of a religious nature, that ever he read, heard or saw, that had not his AFFECTIONS moved. Never was a natural man engaged earnestly to seek his salvation; never were any such brought to cry after wisdom, and lift up their voice for understanding, and to wrestle with God in prayer for mercy; and never was one humbled, and brought to the foot of God, from anything that ever he heard or imagined of his own unworthiness and deserving of God’s displeasure; nor was ever one induced to fly for refuge unto Christ, while his HEART remained UNAFFECTED. Nor was there ever a saint awakened out of a cold, lifeless flame, or recovered from a declining state in religion, and brought back from a lamentable departure from God, without having his HEART AFFECTED. And in a word, there never was anything considerable brought to pass in the HEART or life of any man living, by the things of religion, that had not his HEART deeply AFFECTED by those things…The religion of heaven consists very much in AFFECTION.

(Edwards, Religious Affections)

The Bible teaches that enemies of Christ serve their passions while Christians nurture noble affections. When people today talk about emotion, they are speaking of a broad category that may include the affections, passions, or the resultant feelings. That is why I think we need to be more specific when discussing Christian psychological issues — “emotion” is too broad a term. When the Bible talks about desires, affections or passions, most people are thinking of “feelings”.  My sense is that we need to deconstruct the categories that the Bible uses and then start from there. Having the ability to learn from our emotions and discern what things stir up our affections for Christ, or rob us of our affections for Christ, is a gift that goes a long way when we’re leading ourselves and others toward Gospel-shaped character.

I recently picked up a book that promises to be a life-changing read. It’s actually a 5-book compilation of Jonathan Edwards’ life and major works called the The Essential Edwards Collection. “They unearth the choicest treasures of Edwards’ writings and present them to lay people for discovery and personal transformation.  The wisdom of Edwards is brought in all its heat and light so that the people of God might drink deeply from the Scriptures” (Kevin DeYoung).

1. Jonathan Edwards: Lover of God
2. Jonathan Edwards on Beauty
3. Jonathan Edwards on the Good Life
4. Jonathan Edwards on Heaven and Hell
5. Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity

Here are some blurbs on the new collection:

“Everyone says Jonathan Edwards is important. Quite frankly, however, his writing style is pretty dense by contemporary standards, so few pastors and other Christian leaders have invested much time reading him. Edwards is one of the “greats” of whom everyone has heard and whom relatively few have read. This new series tackles the problem. Here is the kernel of much of Edwards’s thought in eminently accessible form.”

—D. A. Carson

“In The Essential Edwards Collection, Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney play the role of the good friend who pulls the book down off the shelf. With knowledge and excitement, they open the large and intimidating tomes, and point to some clear and searching section which illuminates God’s truth and searches our hearts. In this collection, Edwards is introduced to a new generation of readers. His concerns are made our concerns. This is a worthy effort and I pray that God will bless it.”

—Mark Dever

“Books on the life and theology of Jonathan Edwards could fill a library. So where does an average reader (like me!) begin? Right here, with The Essential Edwards Collection. Strachan and Sweeney provide a doorway into the life and teaching of one of the church’s wisest theologians. But this book is more than history. The authors have included notes of personal application to help us apply the life and teaching of Edwards to our own lives. I’ve read no better introduction to Jonathan Edwards.”

—C. J. Mahaney

“Why hasn’t this been done before? The Essential Edwards Collection is now essential reading for the serious-minded Christian. Doug Sweeney and Owen Strachan have written five excellent and accessible introductions to America’s towering theological genius—Jonathan Edwards. They combine serious scholarship with the ability to make Edwards and his theology come alive for a new generation. The Essential Edwards Collection is a great achievement and a tremendous resource. I can’t think of a better way to gain a foundational knowledge of Edwards and his lasting significance.”

—R. Albert Mohler Jr.

“Jonathan Edwards is surely one of the most influential theologians of the eighteenth century, yet until now a representative sample of his work has required the reader either to wade through poorly printed double-column editions or to purchase incredibly expensive scholarly editions. Now at last we have a wide-ranging and representative sample of his work published in an attractive, accessible and, most important of all, readable form. The authors are to be commended for the work they have put into this set and I hope it will become an important feature of the library of many pastors and students of the Christian faith.”

—Carl R. Trueman

“You hold in your hands a unique resource: a window into the life and thought of Jonathan Edwards, a man whose life was captured by God for the gospel of Jesus Christ. In these pages you’ll not only learn about Edwards, but you’ll be able to hear him speak in his own words. This winsome and accessible introduction is now the first thing I’d recommend for those who want to know more about the work that God did in and through America’s greatest pastor-theologian.”

—Justin Taylor