Many opponents of the Awakening viewed assurance of salvation as delusional, that believers can never be certain of God’s favor. [1] Others viewed a lack of assurance as sinful, often ignoring saving faith in Christ and new life as its necessary foundation. Edwards rejected both views, clarifying the nature of assurance and its relationship to […]
Of the twelve signs Edwards characterized as “uncertain,” great time, energy, and praise to God in religious works and worship would seem to provide good evidence of a true work of God in the hearts of people. Yet, many viewed the displays as emotional excess, sanctimonious theatre, or worse. Others ignored alternative explanations and concluded
Under the preaching of God’s Word during the Awakening, many experienced deep sorrow for sin and fear of God’s judgment, followed by joy and comfort when convinced they had become objects of God’s favor. Some refused to believe this scenario was evidence of God’s saving work, while others viewed it as undeniable proof. For Edwards,
The Presence of Love Unlike the other eleven “uncertain” signs described by Edwards, no one viewed the presence of love as evidence against God’s work in the heart. Many, however, saw the presence of love in religious affections as proof they came from God. Love “is the chief of the graces of God’s Spirit, and
In the previous article we examined how religious affections perceived to be from an external or supernatural source could be from a satanic, natural, or divine source, and were thus considered by Edwards to be an “uncertain” sign of a work of God. But, what if such affections came with texts of Scripture brought to
Many experiencing intense religious affections during the Great Awakening traced their experience to “some extrinsic and supernatural power upon their minds.” [1] Supposing the source to be outside themselves and produced by other than natural means, they concluded it must be from God. Others took an opposite view, believing the “manner of the Spirit of
The sound and fury of the Great Awakening involved a grand display of lively affections and their affects, including an extraordinary measure of talk about Christ, the Gospel, and divine things. But, as with the great bodily effects and the other phenomena of the Awakening, abundant religious talk appeared to some as more of the
The high and intense affections of the Great Awakening often came with an assortment of bodily effects, including fainting, shaking, sweating, crying, and exhaustion (among others). Some found the displays unsettling and refused to accept any of them as works of God. Others welcomed them all as evidence of God’s work. Here again, Edwards took
The greatest revival in American history burst onto the scene with lively displays of religious affections and their extraordinary effects, leading some to conclude that people subject to them were “delusional.” Others assumed by their energy and impact that the Holy Spirit produced them all. Edwards, however, acknowledged a mixture of good and bad and
Some who rejected the entire Great Awakening as a work of God also denied religious affections as necessary to the Christian life. For them, faith involved reason and the intellect only, not the affections. For Edwards, however, this was a serious error with enormous negative consequences—new life in Christ does not exist where religious affections
