This is the 7th post in my study of Jonathan Edwards famous text Religious Affections
Our journey through Jonathan Edwards' "Religious Affections" has, so far, been quite a journey indeed.
Jonathan Edwards was supremely concerned with some of the theatrics that were positioning themselves, as true faith, during the Great Awakening.
Therefore, he sets out to determine just what constitutes true religion and how we might identify it.
So far, Edwards has instructed us that true religion lies in the affections. He then defined affections for us, and laid before us ten justifications for his reasoning.
Furthermore, Edwards turned his attention to twelve things that "may or may not" be found to be religious affections.
And now, we stand at the portal of this man's brilliance, as he takes us on a pilgrimage to find and define, twelve (12) remarkable divinations of spiritual, divine, and supernatural affections.
Please read on...
"Affections that are truly spiritual and gracious, do arise from those influences and operations of the heart which are spiritual, supernatural and divine.
Spiritual
The first thing that Edwards lays out for us is that the Bible teaches us the difference between the "spiritual man" and the "natural man".
The spiritual man is born of the Spirit (as a result of regeneration) and the Holy Spirit indwells and influences such a man. The natural man has none of this.
He further explains that natural man may be around the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit may even shine on him, but that still does not make him a "spiritual man" The spiritual man, because of the Holy Spirit living in him, "shines" because of the Holy Spirit's indwelling. The non-spiritual man does not have this inner shining.
Divine
Still further, Edwards proclaims that the spiritual man, because of the indwelt Holy Spirit, becomes in a sense holy, because this Holy Spirit is there, moving us evermore towards sanctification's path until we reach, at the resurrection, our complete and final joy. The natural man has none of this.
As a temple of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual man is a "partaker of divinity". The holiness of God lives within us. As sons of God, we belong to a divine and most holy family.
Supernatural
From Edwards: " From these things it is evident, that those gracious influences which the saints are subjects of, and the effects of God's Spirit which they experience, are entirely above nature, altogether of a different kind from anything that men find within themselves by nature, or only in the exercise of natural principles; and are things which no improvement of those qualifications, or principles that are natural, no advancing or exalting them to higher degrees, and no kind of composition of them will ever bring men to; because they not only differ from what is natural, and from everything that natural men experience, in degree and circumstances, but also in kind; and are of a nature vastly more excellent. And this is what I mean, by supernatural, when I say that gracious affections are from those influences that are supernatural."
Edwards then goes on, page after page, describing those things which Satan uses to confuse and mislead some to believe that they are disposed to be in the family of God.
Edwards first point is crystal clear. The first step, in true faith, is to be born again and possess God's Holy Spirit. Those who seek true faith, will seek this with all their might, and seek not to be confused.
Here is a link, to the on-line comments, of other Christian bloggers reading this text.
