Edwards teaches us to pursue a passion for God equally with head and heart through the spiritual disciplines.
If we seek for an explanation for the extraordinary blessing of God upon the ministry of Jonathan Edwards, I think we must do so in a way that shows that God was true to his own Word in 1 Timothy 4:16: “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” Edwards epitomizes the pursuit of the spiritual proportionality found in this command. He always sought to “pay close attention” equally to both sides of this spiritual equation—that is, to both devotion and doctrine, piety and theology, heart and head, heat and light, spirit and truth. His passion for God burned with a clear flame that was fueled by the pure truth of God. And just as God promised in this verse to bless the ministries of those who “persevere in these things,” he has remarkably blessed the life and work of Jonathan Edwards with much enduring fruit.
In contrast to Edwards’s example, most people seem to lean one way or the other, favoring devotion or doctrine, piety or theology. But strong piety will not excuse us from the study of theology, nor will a strong theology compensate for a lack of piety. Edwards models the fact that a real understanding of the truth of God will set the heart on fire, and that the heart set on fire by God will burn with a love for learning his truth. As it was with Edwards, sometimes the things of God should appear so beautiful to our minds that we can’t help but study and meditate on them and so ravish our hearts that we want to weep or sing. What in all the world should delight our minds and ignite our hearts more than the things of God?
From Donald S. Whitney’s chapter, “Pursuing a Passion for God Through Spiritual Disciplines” in A God-Entranced Vision: the Legacy of Jonathan Edwards (chp 5, pgs. 127-128).
If we seek for an explanation for the extraordinary blessing of God upon the ministry of Jonathan Edwards, I think we must do so in a way that shows that God was true to his own Word in 1 Timothy 4:16: “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” Edwards epitomizes the pursuit of the spiritual proportionality found in this command. He always sought to “pay close attention” equally to both sides of this spiritual equation—that is, to both devotion and doctrine, piety and theology, heart and head, heat and light, spirit and truth. His passion for God burned with a clear flame that was fueled by the pure truth of God. And just as God promised in this verse to bless the ministries of those who “persevere in these things,” he has remarkably blessed the life and work of Jonathan Edwards with much enduring fruit.
In contrast to Edwards’s example, most people seem to lean one way or the other, favoring devotion or doctrine, piety or theology. But strong piety will not excuse us from the study of theology, nor will a strong theology compensate for a lack of piety. Edwards models the fact that a real understanding of the truth of God will set the heart on fire, and that the heart set on fire by God will burn with a love for learning his truth. As it was with Edwards, sometimes the things of God should appear so beautiful to our minds that we can’t help but study and meditate on them and so ravish our hearts that we want to weep or sing. What in all the world should delight our minds and ignite our hearts more than the things of God?
From Donald S. Whitney’s chapter, “Pursuing a Passion for God Through Spiritual Disciplines” in A God-Entranced Vision: the Legacy of Jonathan Edwards (chp 5, pgs. 127-128).
1 comments:
Stephanie,
Thanks for visiting! You're welcome any time. "Interesting and inspiring" is what we aim for.
-Pastor Matt
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