Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards (Review)
It is difficult to read much on Christianity without encountering references to Jonathan Edwards classic book, Religious Affections. As such, I’ve had this book on my list for many years. Because so many individuals hold Religious Affections in high regard, I’m glad I read the book in which Edwards begins by asking, “what is the nature of true religion?” It was an interesting and worthwhile exercise to explore the indications and traits of those who are following Jesus. That said, Religious Affections is work. I mentioned in my review of The Hole in Our Holiness, it is rare to find a substantive theologian who maintains readability. Edwards is a substantive theologian who I found challenging to read. I’m glad to have read the book, but I want to give forewarning that it’s not necessarily something you’ll casually read during a beach vacation. The following are my notes from the book.
Trials are a benefit of true religion. They try the faith to determine its truth. Trials refine our beliefs and increase its beauty. We see in 1 Peter that trials are a normal expectation for Christians.
Edwards distilled human faculties into two parts: (1) our perception or ability to understand that which we observe and (2) our inclinations for responding to our perceptions—the tendency to like or dislike what we observe. He describes the latter as our heart, the consolation of thinking and feeling.
When discussing individuals who demonstrate love yet may not possess saving grace, Edwards used the following illustration. The more excellent a thing is, the more likely there is to be counterfeits. There are often counterfeits of rubies and emeralds, but you don’t often see counterfeits of common stones. So too we should expect to see individuals who may appear to demonstrate love and affection without a relationship with Christ. Jesus describes exactly this reality in Matthew 7:23-23, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
When I read Jonathan Edwards: A Life, the author highlighted that theologians of his era believed that classical logic could provide a foundation that would support common ground, so long as both sides agreed on the premise. This approach to argument is appealing to me as a lawyer, but it differs so much from modern books. In Religious Affections, the result is that the it occasionally reads more like a concordance than a book. It’s not that this approach is a bad thing, but it would have been interesting if Edwards had integrated more of his experiences and anecdotes from the conflicts and observations he experienced in the colonial days. With this in mind, I’d recommend readers dig into a biography of Edwards or some other primer before reading Religious Affections. The context is helpful for understanding why Edwards chose his approach to the book.
To echo my previous paragraph, when Edwards did use illustrations and stories, his book shined. When Edwards fleshed out the challenge of evaluating the validity of salvation in others, his writing was excellent. He acknowledged that in the end, it will be Jesus who separates the sheep from the goats. One illustration he gave is a grove of fruit trees in the spring. During that season, the blossoms can be equally sweet and lovely. Yet it is not until the heat of summer that people can tell whether the tree is mature enough to bear fruit. Salvation in others cannot be known for certain, but we can look at the fruit people bear.
Edwards notes that if love starts because a person receives something or believes they will benefit from the relationship, then the relationship is starting at an improper point. See Luke 6:32-36: “Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Starting with the beauty and divine nature of God gives a full appreciation for His love for us. This is not to say that love for God does not start by the realization of what God offers in the gift of eternal life through Jesus. Edwards seems to believe that if the view of God begins contractually—e.g. what can you do for me—then the reaction is merely self-love and illegitimate. Edwards continues that true Christians must start by recognizing God’s perfection and beauty to have a right relationship with Him. Yet I think it’s possible for the first understanding of God as a provider can grow to be a deep appreciation of God’s inherent beauty. Edwards calls love originating from appreciation of God’s perfection as true love or gracious love rather than natural self-love. Edwards distinguishes true love as those who cannot help but talk about God and His perfection, while those who love self, talk about themselves.
For all of the sermons I have heard over the years on Jesus feeding the 5,000, I do not believe I have heard it distilled to the two points that Jonathan Edwards presented in Religious Affections. Christians are to experience compassion to others in two way: (1) their spiritual needs and (2) their physical needs. Certainly both points are highlighted throughout the Bible, yet messages on Christ’s conduct tends to focus on His power instead of the simple presentation of what their souls need while also addressing their physical needs. Edwards points out that many Christians address only one of the two needs, which fails to follow the model that Jesus provides.
Edwards focused on “seeking God” or “seeking God’s face” as a key characteristic of Christians. He noted that a mere conversion is just a starting point. If satisfaction is what comes after a conversion experience, then the individual is missing the objective of pursuing holiness. Holiness is to be a Christian’s chief objective. Further, if those proclaiming Christ live any amount of time, they will encounter tribulations that test their faith. A Christian’s response to these situations will be an indication of devotion.
Edwards culminates by focusing on fruits of the spirit. It is not enough to just profess Christ, a person is to walk humbly before God and man while directing glory to God. He took this focus a step further by looking at the standards and process Christ will follow at the judgment seat. It will be at this process that every word and action will be evaluated. Edwards emphasized Christian practices as the actions we should expect from true believers.
As before, I’m glad I can check off Religious Affections from my reading list, but it’s not one I’ll pick up again as a for a casual diversion. Earlier I mentioned that the book occasionally reads like a concordance. This observation speaks to the substance of the book, and I expect I will use Edwards’s book as a reference. As such, I offer my recommendation on Religious Affections to those who have a fervent interest in theology and history. Edwards covers both with great depth. As is often the case, expectations going into the book will help with the reading. As long as you know that Edwards’s writing is dense, it makes the reading more worthwhile. Once I started reading in more bite-sized segment to provide more time for contemplation, I then found the content more worthwhile.
