"Don't be objecting and finding fault about man's fall, and arguing in your own mind against the justice of God in so ordering and permitting of it. And don't murmur and quarrel with God about your own particular sins, because God did not restrain you. Consider how you have willfully, and of your own free choice and without any manner of compulsion, done those things that you know God had forbidden, and that he warned and exhorted and counseled you against, and humble and abase yourself, cast yourself down as in the dust, and own that nothing but the wrath and vengeance of that holy Being you have offended is your due." Jonathan Edwards, "All God's Methods Are Most Reasonable"
Showing posts with label Jonathan Edwards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jonathan Edwards. Show all posts
11/09/2010
All God's Methods are Most Reasonable even when God Permits us to Sin
"Don't be objecting and finding fault about man's fall, and arguing in your own mind against the justice of God in so ordering and permitting of it. And don't murmur and quarrel with God about your own particular sins, because God did not restrain you. Consider how you have willfully, and of your own free choice and without any manner of compulsion, done those things that you know God had forbidden, and that he warned and exhorted and counseled you against, and humble and abase yourself, cast yourself down as in the dust, and own that nothing but the wrath and vengeance of that holy Being you have offended is your due." Jonathan Edwards, "All God's Methods Are Most Reasonable"
4/29/2009
About preaching
Our people need a God-besotted* man. (*having an irrational passion for a person or thing) ... they need at least one man in their life who is radically & totally focused on God & the pursuit of the knowledge of God, & the ministry of the word of God...they need a true vision of the greatness of God. They need to see the whole panorama of his excellencies.
They need to see a God-entranced man on Sunday morning & at the deacon's meeting. Robert Murray M'Cheyne said, "What my people need most is my personal holiness. That's right. But human holiness is nothing other than a God-besotted* life."
And our people need to hear God-entranced preaching. God himself needs to be the subject matter of our preaching, in his majesty & holiness & righteousness & faithfulness & sovereignty & grace. And by that I don't mean we shouldn't preach about nitty-gritty practical things like parenthood, & divorce & AIDS & gluttony & television & sex. We should indeed! What I mean is that everyone of those things should be swept right up into the holy presence of God & laid bare to the roots of its Godwardness or godlessness.
What our people need is not nice little moral, or psychological pep talks about how to get along in the world. They need to see that everything, absolutely everything - from garage sales & garbage recycling to death & demons have to do with God in all his infinite greatness. Most of our people have no one, no one in the world to placard the majesty of God for them. Therefore most of them are starved for the infinite God-entranced vision of Jonathan Edwards & they don't even know it.
Excerpted from "The Pastor as Theologian" (Life and Ministry of Jonathan Edwards) by John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1458_The_Pastor_as_Theologian/
They need to see a God-entranced man on Sunday morning & at the deacon's meeting. Robert Murray M'Cheyne said, "What my people need most is my personal holiness. That's right. But human holiness is nothing other than a God-besotted* life."
And our people need to hear God-entranced preaching. God himself needs to be the subject matter of our preaching, in his majesty & holiness & righteousness & faithfulness & sovereignty & grace. And by that I don't mean we shouldn't preach about nitty-gritty practical things like parenthood, & divorce & AIDS & gluttony & television & sex. We should indeed! What I mean is that everyone of those things should be swept right up into the holy presence of God & laid bare to the roots of its Godwardness or godlessness.
What our people need is not nice little moral, or psychological pep talks about how to get along in the world. They need to see that everything, absolutely everything - from garage sales & garbage recycling to death & demons have to do with God in all his infinite greatness. Most of our people have no one, no one in the world to placard the majesty of God for them. Therefore most of them are starved for the infinite God-entranced vision of Jonathan Edwards & they don't even know it.
Excerpted from "The Pastor as Theologian" (Life and Ministry of Jonathan Edwards) by John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1458_The_Pastor_as_Theologian/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)