Having wrapped up John Piper’s book “Desiring God” I was perusing various bookshelves looking for my next major reading project when I saw the book “The Religious Affections” written by Jonathan Edwards sitting on Pastors shelf. This will definitely be a major reading project since the language is not as “modern” and some sentences require re-reading to grasp their meaning. However, despite the implications of some that “dead authors” have no relevance to today’s Christian, I am finding this book very challenging and even…relevant! (Heard Piper mention that just because someone doesn’t feel the truth is relevant doesn’t mean that it isn’t).
To whet your appetite a bit, here’s a little bit from the first chapter:
Nothing is more manifest in fact, than that the things of religion take hold of men’s souls no further than they affect them. There are multitudes that often hear the
word of God, and therein hear of those things that are infinitely great and important, and that most nearly concern them, and all that is heard seems to be wholly ineffectual upon them, and to make no alteration in their disposition or behavior; and the reason is, they are not affected with what they hear.
And
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 deservings 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 frame, or recovered from a declining state in religion, and brought back from a lamentable departure form 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.
How does the Truth of God’s Word affect us? I’m not talking about some emotional high that one can get from a Bruce Springsteen concert or even a Christian Concert (not saying there isn’t a place for those emotional highs), but the deep heart changing emotion that comes from interaction with a Holy God through reading His Word! Edwards goes on to list some of these deep emotions such as “fear, hope love, hatred, desire, joy sorrow gratitude, compassion and zeal.”
I ask again…How does the Truth of God’s Word affect us?
