Photo: Pexels – Abhiram Prakash

I love the thought of Jonathan Edwards, the American theologian of the eighteenth century. Like many others I was introduced to his thought by American pastor John Piper. Piper describes himself as a ‘secondary theologian’ and Edwards as a ‘primary theologian’ of church history. I’m not sure I agree with the former statement, but I certainly agree with the latter. I’m currently undertaking a personal study project on the spiritual practices of Edwards, as a way of blessing my own soul as well as hopefully blessing others – so it’s likely that Edwards will continue to surface on this blog for a while.

I have found that through the Spirit’s gracious work and his Bible-saturated writings, Edwards gives us access to deep wells of joy which cannot be blocked off by anything our present experience throws at us. In the words of Habakkuk 3:

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

Habakkuk 3:17-18, NIV

What is it about Edwards’s writing which has this effect? I’m going to share a few thoughts from an ordinary, imperfect pastor who doesn’t have a PhD in Edwards studies but finds himself deeply blessed by his writings nonetheless (at least, when I can understand them!) Here’s the first thing I find so helpful. The others will follow in future posts.

A God-entranced vision of all things

Edwards presents the reader with a God-entranced vision of all things. Every word he writes is saturated with God – God as the source, the purpose, the meaning, the goal of everything, ‘things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or powers, or rulers or authorities.’ (Colossians 1:16). For example, writing of God’s power:

What a vast and uncontrollable dominion hath the almighty God. The kings of the earth are not worthy of the name, for they are not able to execute their authority in their narrow bounds, except by the power and assistance of their subjects, but God rules most absolutely the whole universe by himself; kings rule, perhaps sometimes for forty years, but God’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and of his dominion there is no end. Well, therefore, may he be said to be the blessed and only potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Works, Volume 10, page 422

Indeed, in one of his most important and famous works ‘The End for which God created the world’ Edwards argues that God’s end in creating the world is his own glory:

God had respect to himself, as his last and highest end, in this work; because he is worthy of himself to be so, being infinitely the greatest and best of beings. All things else, with regard to worthiness, importance and excellence, are perfectly as nothing in comparison of him.

quoted from John Piper, God’s passion for his glory (with complete text of ‘The End’), p140

But the remarkable thing is that in his love and grace God chooses to reveal himself to us – for our blessing as well as his glory:

God is glorified not only by his glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart. God made the world that he might communicate, and the creature receive, his glory; and that it might be received both by the mind and heart. He that testifies his idea of God’s glory doesn’t glorify God so much as he that testifies also his approval of it and his delight in it.

Miscellany 448

Why we need this today

Speaking of some of the challenges Christians in the UK are facing at the moment someone said to me recently “what we need most of all is a vision of God that engages and delights us.” I completely agree. And as an imperfect pastor I would add – in my weakness and failure, I need that same vision.

We need to be convinced that God is bigger, God is sovereign, God is good, God is glorious, God is the victor, God is working out his purposes for his glory and his people’s blessing. And Edwards (and his many exegetes, including John Piper) helps me to see that, however imperfectly. And for that I am very grateful.

Taking it further

There are lots of good introductory books on the life and thought of Jonathan Edwards. For example, I’ve recently been enjoying Jonathan Edwards on Beauty by Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney.

To explore Edwards’s God entranced vision of all things, you might like to dig into: God’s Passion for his glory by John Piper (with the complete text of The End for which God created the world).

Finally, you can now access most of Jonathan Edwards’s writings for free online – at http://edwards.yale.edu