Edwards spoke of "vehement longings of soul after God and Christ, and after more holiness." What is your reaction on hearing the word "holiness"? Is its sound sweet and precious to you? Or does it conjure up images of a stern and inflexible God and a strict and joyless life?
Jonathan Edwards' perspective on holiness is stunning. It shouldn't be. It says something about how far removed we are from the Biblical vision of holiness that we are surprised by his comments, that we find then so rare and unique and refreshing. Like the psalmist, he cherished the laws and precepts and commandments of God more than silver or gold (see Psalm 119). He speaks of a "longing" and "eager thirsting" and "earnest pressing after" the "blessed rules of the gospel."
Why do we find it odd that someone would feel such passion for authentic holiness? Edwards spoke of continual self-examination and "diligence" and "earnestness" in the pursuit of a holiness that he envisioned as "ravishingly lovely" and "amiable." Why? For one simple reason: he knew that God would never command or require anything that was harmful to his children. He knew that God's rules were the expression of a heart that sought nothing but good for those who fear him.
God's aim in all his commandments is our joy in Jesus. He prohibits nothing except what tends to diminish that joy. Biblical laws and requirements and warnings exist solely to protect us from what will ultimately undermine our satisfaction in God's Son. They have been given not to deprive us of joy but to deepen it, not to inhibit our souls from experiencing eternal pleasures but to intensify and expand our capacity to see and taste and feel and sense the beauty and splendor of Jesus" (Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards' Religious Affections, Sam Storms, Crossway Books, 2007, pgs. 174-175).
"Strive for... the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).
Sam Storms is one of my favorite (if not my favorite) modern-day author. God has used his writing to stir my soul on numerous occasions. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHerein lies the history of the two extreems of error, to pretend to enjoy god without holiness is the heart of antinomianism. To pretend to know God without experiencing him is at the heart of legalism. To say with the Psalmist, "how love I thy law" (ASV) is at the heart of Biblical religious experience. Longing for Christ and His holiness is the only "safe place" in this world.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts....
JR