Photo: Hick Cattleham – Unsplash
I don’t claim to be an expert on the thinking of theologian Jonathan Edwards. I am an ordinary, imperfect pastor. But over the years I have found his insights into the beauty, power, love and glory of God to be life-transforming and soul-sustaining.
There are now a number of posts on this blog which relate to his thinking, so I thought it might be helpful to bring them together into one post as a kind of primer on the thought of Jonathan Edwards. I hope it makes some small contribution to introducing more people to his ideas.
Some key themes in the thought of Jonathan Edwards
1, 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.’ And remarkably, this is for our blessing as well as his glory, as subsequent posts explain.
2, The source, object and goal of beauty – This post introduces what is perhaps the centrepoint of Edwards’s theology – hence my extending it into a series, as set out below.
3, The role of affections – emotion in the Christian life – This post explores Edwards’s revolutionary thinking about the ‘religious affections’, and how it helps us think about our emotions as we engage with God and the world.
4, Means of grace – Our destination and journey – How do we cultivate our relationship with God? Edwards has helped me to explore the ‘means of grace’ to do just this. This post also served as the first in a series on the means of grace (below).
5, A new sense of the heart – Edwards argued that a Christian believer is given a ‘new spiritual sense’. This has been described as ‘the most distinctive and original of Edwards’ many theological contributions.’
Beauty – the heart of the theology of Edwards?
1, Beauty and experiencing God – We all long for beauty – and not just to experience it but to enter it. This post gives an overview of what’s to come, as well as considering some possible objections to thinking about beauty.
2, What is beauty? – Along with many thinkers before him, Edwards took time to analyse the nature of beauty, and we need to do the same before proceeding any further.
3, Beauty and creation – As humans we first experience beauty through created things, but these are designed to point us beyond themselves to something richer and more profound.
4, Beauty and relationships – Relationships are of a higher order of beauty than created things – above all, the relationship of love between Father and Son in the bond of the Holy Spirit.
5, The Beauty of Christ – In this age, the main way in which we see beauty is through the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Come let us adore him!
6, The Beauty of the Church – As we wait to meet God face to face the Church is intended by God to display something of the beauty of Christ to a watching world – though in a fallen world this isn’t always the case.
7, The Beauty of Heaven – Beauty will be finally and fully experienced by God’s people in the new heavens and earth, as we love God and love our neighbour fully and perfectly forever.
8, Beauty lived out -This post explores how we can live out the beauty of God in the power of the Spirit as we gaze on Christ and wait for his return.
Means of grace – Enjoying God on the journey
1, Means of grace – Our destination and journey – Christians are on a journey towards being with and enjoying God for eternity. God has given us ‘means of grace’ to prepare ourselves in this short time on earth.
2, Means of grace – God’s Word – Scripture is the foundational ‘means of grace’ – not least because in it we also discover the others.
3, Means of grace – Communing with God – We are made to enjoy fellowship with God, and on the journey we have the privilege of doing that through prayer and other means.
4, Means of grace – Resting with God – We find our rest in God, and on the journey God has given us ways of resting to sustain us to the end.
5, Means of grace – Community – We will spend eternity loving God and others, and finding true joy in doing so. The grace of community (and service) prepares us in this present life.
Jesus the…
Edwards often sought to draw hearts to the beauty of Christ through the images used in Scripture, many of them drawn from the natural world. Here are some posts seeking to do the same thing:
Jesus the light of the world – A Christmas message
Taking it further
There are many ‘proper’ primers on the thought of Jonathan Edwards. For example, you might try the following. And do let me know others that you have found helpful.
Essential Jonathan Edwards Collection – Owen Strachan, Doug Sweeney
Formed for the glory of God – Kyle Strobel
Imperfect Pastor 