The Religious Affections

by Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards is best known as the theologian of revival. In this, his major study on the theme, he analyses the nature of a genuine work of the Holy Spirit.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Religion, Classics

382 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1746

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Jonathan Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards was the most eminent American philosopher-theologian of his time, and a key figure in what has come to be called the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s.

The only son in a family of eleven children, he entered Yale in September, 1716 when he was not yet thirteen and graduated four years later (1720) as valedictorian. He received his Masters three years later. As a youth, Edwards was unable to accept the Calvinist sovereignty of God. However, in 1721 he came to what he called a "delightful conviction" though meditation on 1 Timothy 1:17. From that point on, Edwards delighted in the sovereignty of God. Edwards later recognized this as his conversion to Christ.

In 1727 he was ordained minister at Northampton and assistant to his maternal grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. He was a student minister, not a visiting pastor, his rule being thirteen hours of study a day. In the same year, he married Sarah Pierpont, then age seventeen, daughter of Yale founder James Pierpont (1659–1714). In total, Jonathan and Sarah had eleven children.

Stoddard died on February 11th, 1729, leaving to his grandson the difficult task of the sole ministerial charge of one of the largest and wealthiest congregations in the colony. Throughout his time in Northampton his preaching brought remarkable religious revivals.

Yet, tensions flamed as Edwards would not continue his grandfather's practice of open communion. Stoddard believed that communion was a "converting ordinance." Surrounding congregations had been convinced of this, and as Edwards became more convinced that this was harmful, his public disagreement with the idea caused his dismissal in 1750.

Edwards then moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, then a frontier settlement, where he ministered to a small congregation and served as missionary to the Housatonic Indians. There, having more time for study and writing, he completed his celebrated work, The Freedom of the Will (1754).

Edwards was elected president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) in early 1758. He was a popular choice, for he had been a friend of the College since its inception. He died of fever at the age of fifty-four following experimental inoculation for smallpox and was buried in the President's Lot in the Princeton cemetery beside his son-in-law, Aaron Burr.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I'm going to be thinking for a long time about three ideas from this book: 1) that we do not truly love God if we have no actual affection for him in our hearts. Dutiful obedience is not love, knowledge about the things of God is not love. Love is love. 2) Edwards' idea that true love for God is founded upon God's own loveliness, which, combined with #1, means that true love for God means, among other things, a deepening trust in the face of mystery, a deepening confidence that in all seasons that God is truly lovely (or, in Edwards language: morally excellent) and 3) our love for God is not true unless our affections move us to action, both inwardly/spiritually and outwardly/practically.

It is not an easy read, but very worthwhile--like a cross-cultural experience, but also amazing to see how much has and has not changed in American religious sensibility since the 18th century. I learned a lot from this book and it was very thought-provoking.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't really put into words what kind of affect this book had on me. Reading it once will not do it justice... Mr. Edwards is most notably a keen intellectual...a brilliant mind & has the most unique way of communicating the timeless truths of scripture... This book is only for the serious seeker....and I wouldn't hesitate to say this book 'changed my life & the course of my Christian walk.'

[Henry Oakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edwards' primary concern in Religious Affections:
-to identify what constitutes true and authentic spirituality

His answer in one sentence:
-True religion consists not merely of a "notional" understanding and cognitive acquiescence to truth, but of a "sense of the heart" in which lively and vigorous affections of love and delight and joy and peace and yearning are in evidence" (SS 34).

Quotes I loved that are probably too long:
"All gracious affections that are a sweet odour to Christ, and that fill the soul of a Christian with a heavenly sweetness and fragrancy, are broken-hearted affections. A truly Christian love, either to God or men, is a humble broken-hearted love. The desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires. Their hope is humble hope; and their joy, even when it is unspeakable and full of glory, is a humble broken-hearted joy, and leaves the Christian more poor in spirit, and more like a little child, and more disposed to a universal lowliness of behaviour" (266).

"The more a true saint loves God with a gracious love, the more he desires to love Him, the more uneasy is he at his want of love to Him; the more he hates sin, the more he desires to hate it, and laments that he has so much remaining love to it; the more he mourns for sin, the more he longs to mourn for sin; the more his heart is broken, the more he desires it should be broke: the more he thirsts and longs after God and holiness, the more he longs to long, and breathe out his very soul in longings after God" (303).

"gracious affections go to the very bottom of the heart, and take hold of the very inmost springs of life and activity" (315).

"a man's actions are the proper trial [of] what a man's heart prefers" (347).

[Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Edwards there is no way to reason your way into a faith. The "religious affections" he's talking about is a sincere love and devotion to God. And in the sense that most people think of Puritans as judgmental beings, Edwards takes half the book to discuss the twelve signs a person will have if he is faithful.

But the key here is that these signs can only be used for yourself. You can only judge you, and no one else. In fact, as the introducer to this edition points out, Edwards' subject has strong relations to existentialist struggles. Most likely the believer is going to constantly doubt his own conviction, and all he can really hope for is that his affection for God is true, and uncomplicated by other motives. The signs help, but ultimately, the believer is going to be someone who both sees and experiences his religion. Just as a person could describe honey, but until he tastes it he will never really know what honey is.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

,,True virtue never looks so lovely as when it is most oppressed, and the divine excellence of real Christianity is never demonstrated as clearly as when it faces trials.”

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

5★ for content
3★ (or maybe even 2) for style.

This was a free selection from Christian Audio, and I'm so glad it was or I might never have gotten around to reading this book. At the outset, I had no idea what the book would be about, and I was thrilled to discover that by "religious affections," Edwards means, more or less, "all the feels" when it comes to religious experience. Edwards is writing on the heels of the revivals of the Great Awakening, and as a pastor of that era, he's seen more than his fair share of wild emotional fervor on the one hand, and bitter skepticism toward displays of religious emotion on the other. And he does a masterful and careful job of navigating the power and pitfalls of the emotional life as it pertains to the Christian walk, bringing the Bible to bear on everything he says.

In fact, the topic is so utterly relevant and Edwards's insights so incredibly valuable to Christian life today that it was rather maddening that his writing is so dense as to be nearly unreadable at times. It may be unfair to judge a theologian of the 18th century for writing in a style that is so inaccessible to 21st-century readers, but I'm told that even he himself later said that he regretted not writing in a way that could be more easily understood by the common man.

What could be said in 20 words, Edwards says in 200. Or 2000. Some sentences are as long as an extensive paragraph, and he tends to opt for strings of massive latinate words when a few punchy Anglo-Saxon words would have communicated far more clearly and memorably. And in some sections (particularly later in the book), Edwards hashes out every conceivable hair-splitting example of misguided and self-deceiving religious experience, so that it'll either make a person's eyes glaze over with boredom or drive even the most stalwart saint to doubt the his salvation. (Navel-gazers beware.) And it's a pity, because the world really needs—right this minute—so much of what Edwards has to offer here.

What Edwards desperately needed was a loving but obstinate editor to make him whiddle the book down by half and to help him cut brighter, more polished sentences that would shine through the ages like the jewels that they are. If I could make a plea to the editors of modern Christendom, it would be to do just that: read this book, and then do for Edward what no editor of his day did for him, and translate it all into modern English for the benefit of today's reader.

——

Note about the audio version: Simon Vance does a fine job reading, but the chapter breaks on Christian Audio edition make exactly zero sense. Some audio chapters are as short as 4 minutes, some over an hour, and the last one, 3 full hours long, and for no discernable reason.

——

Note 2: Tony Reinke has a very good article on modern application of Edwards's insights here.

[Parker Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve tried to read this book twice and haven’t been able to get through it. I The content is thought provoking but it’s kinda a snooze fest… I feel guilty about this. Please still consider me reformed.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've ever read. Reading it was like putting up a mirror to our present culture in the USA. Edwards precise definitions, distinctions, descriptions, expositions, and elaborations complete a masterpiece on the subject of discerning vibrant faith from counterfeits. There are too many profound things to share that I'm just going to say that anyone who hasn't read this book is deprived of profound riches until they do.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edwards, Jonathan. Religious Affections. Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume One. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1979.

It is almost a cliche at this point to say that Jonathan Edwards was the greatest mind America ever produced. So he was. It is far more fascinating to see how Edwards’s thought “cashes out” when applied using the tools of analytic theology. At the risk of anachronism, Edwards’s work anticipated several key gains in modern analytic theology: such as Alvin Plantinga’s warrant epistemology and the holistic unity of the human person in his choosing.

Writing to steer his community away from a cold rationalism on one hand and mindless enthusiasm on the other, Edwards explores what constitutes a true experience of God. While he will ultimately agree that such an experience must always be “backed up” by the word, he is aware that sometimes such an answer is not immediately helpful. To unpack that, therefore, requires an examination of mind, body, and human choice.

For starters, an affection is “a vigorous and sensible exercise of the inclination and will of the soul” (1.1.2). JE clarifies that “affections” are not separate from the mind and will. Affections are located in the mind but they have an affect on the body. These affections are “the spring of men’s actions.”

And if affections affect the body, then we shouldn’t be surprised to see them. On one hand, JE says we shouldn’t conjure up false affections; yet on the other hand we are within our epistemic duty to have affections. If religious affections are from the Spirit of God, and are to some degree “immediate,” then they will come to us prior to our rationally analyzing them. Or at least some time.

Of course, affections are open to defeaters, and much of JE’s book consists in offering defeaters for faulty affections, but the larger point remains: there is a doxastic relation between truth and the affections.

“Wherever true religion is, there are vigorous exercises of the inclination and will toward divine objects” (1.1.2).

“Love is the fountainhead of affections” (1.2.5).

Inclination of the soul + sensible and vigorous exercise = affection.

On the other hand, “the motion of the blood and ‘’animal’ spirits is not of the essence of these affections, but the effect of them” (1.2.8). Nonetheless, “If such true religion lies much in the affections, we may infer, that such means are to be desired, as have much tendency to move the affections” (1.3.2).

Summary of the argument at the beginning of Part Two: “All affections whatsoever have in some respect or degree an effect on the body” (2.2).

In examining whether one is rationally justified in engaging in such affections (such as, “is it really from the Spirit?”), Edwards comes very close to Alvin Plantinga’s “warrant” epistemology. To wit, “But if there be indeed a power entirely different from and beyond our power–or the power of all means and instruments, and above the power of nature…it is in no wise unreasonable to suppose that this effect should very frequently be produced after such a manner.”

And,

“When grace in the heart indeed is not produced by our own strength, nor is the effect of the natural power of our own faculties, or any means or instruments…is it a strange thing, that is should seem to them who are subjects of it, agreeable to truth, and not contrary to truth” (2.4).

In other words, if an affection comes to me prior to my rationally reflecting on it and is not at odds with God’s word, then I am warranted in accepting it. Of course, this warrant is open to possible defeaters and Edwards examines a few in the next pages. The most difficult one concerns whether an affection came “from the occasion of the Scripture, and not properly [from] the genuine fruit of the Scripture” (2.5). Or to put it simply, using an example that Edwards uses, “How do you know the devil didn’t bring it to your mind?” A possible answer, though I do not think Edwards directly considers it, is found in section eight. Edwards directs his readers to “the nature of the effect which God has brought to pass in the soul” and the Spirit’s method of producing fruit (2.8).

The next few sections concern assurance and our warrant of it. Summarizing New England Puritanism’s doctrine of assurance is a daunting task, but Edwards nicely points the reader to the relationship between knowledge of God’s promises and assurance of them (2.11). Interestingly enough, Edwards, while acknowledging the importance of self-examination, points his readers away from examination towards action (3.1).

Virtues and Gifts

He says that spiritual virtues are a more reliable indicator than spiritual gifts (3.1). He warns against having “the Spirit of God acting upon the soul only, without communicating itself to be an active principle in it.”

At this point Edwards introduces a new term: principle. A principle is the foundation or natural habit. Either in conversion or in the influx of new affections, new principles supervene on old faculties. In other words, religious affections arise from a new idea in the mind. We must keep in mind that by “idea” JE means something like the Lockean use of it.

Edwards then moves to the “witness” or “seal of the Spirit.” It is “an effect of the Spirit of God on the heart, of which natural men while such, can form no manner of notion” (3.). He then makes a rather commonsense observation which had hitherto escaped me: “When God sets his seal on a man’s heart by his spirit, there is some holy stamp, some image impressed, and left upon the heart by the Spirit, as by the seal upon the wax.”

Excellencies

Discerning to what degree, if any, JE broke with “faculty psychology” is perilous, but it appears, at least here, that he did. No longer is the intellect the seat of man, but rather “the moral excellency of an intelligent voluntary being is more immediately seated in the heart or will.” Perhaps the will still follows the intellect. I think in some sense for JE it does. Nonetheless, to borrow an example from Plato, it is no longer in the most important seat in the chariot.

Understanding

Up to this point Edwards’s argument is congruent with much of charismatic theology. Edwards now puts the brakes upon some, though not all, charismatic readings of him: for one, “knowledge is the key that first opens the hard heart” (3.4). Indeed, affections arise from a “new understanding of the excellent nature of God.” This allows him to speak of a “spiritual understanding,” a sense of the heart about spiritual beauty. When this obtains, the will and the understanding cannot be separated.” A sense of the heart, thus, is when the mind grips and relishes an object.

Conclusion

Even if one were not a Christian, he would be forced to conclude that this is a masterpiece of analytic theology and human anthropology. Edwards anticipated numerous issues in today’s philosophy of religion. This work repays careful note-taking and constant reading.

[Julia Bucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so this particular author is not one whose books you fly through in a week. The language is quite cumbersome and the content requires a slow pace to absorb and appreciate it all. Jonathan Edwards is my favorite reformed theologian/philosopher/writer. Here is a very convicting snippet from this treatise:

"A true saint, when in the enjoyment of true discoveries of the sweet glory of God and Christ, has his mind too much captivated and engaged by what he views without himself, to stand at that time to view himself, and his own attainments. It would be a loss which he could not bear, to have his eye taken off from the ravishing object of his contemplation, in order to survey his own experience, and to spend time in thinking with himself, What a high attainment this is, and what a good story I now have to tell others! Nor does the pleasure and sweetness of his mind at that time, chiefly arise from the consideration of the safety of his state, or any thing he has in view of his own qualifications, experiences, or circumstances; but from the divine and supreme beauty of what is the object of his direct view, without himself; which sweetly entertains, and strongly holds his mind. "

He's a brilliant mind (understatement alert) who is most known for the Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - and even then not the entire sermon which is not so harsh in its overall tone as it is made out to be.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edwards' thesis is that "true religion consists in great part in holy affections." In other words, genuine saving faith is not lifeless or indifferent
but passionate about God.

Many people struggle with issues like God's existence, the problem of evil, evolution and creation etc. But my greatest struggle is the gap
between what the New Testament says Christians and the church should be and what we are in contemporary America. Are we a nation of spiritual infants or only deceiving ourselves as to the reality of our conversion? In the context of the greatest spiritual awakening in American history Edwards
expounds on the marks of genuine conversion. This is powerful and sobering.

A good summary of the book can be found at www.loveofchrist.info/church/jedwards...

The only reason I didn't give this 4-5 stars is that I listened to it while working and know that I missed more than I got. I must carefully read this someday.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often moving, sometimes confusing (I needed frequent breaks), and worth the challenge.

[Phil Cotnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up my copy of this classic from my Grandpa's library. It's the kind of book that has a reputation before you ever pick it up. So there is a kind of expectation that one should find it as valuable as those esteemed persons you heard about it from found it. This particular version is from the "Classics of Faith and Devotion" series, has an introduction by Charles Colson and is edited by James Houston. The language has been modernized and the text edited somewhat. I thought they did a good job editing it, although I say that without having compared it to the original. I compare it only to a few sermons I have read of Edwards in which it is true his 18th century English and his unending sentences make for slow going.

Even with all that help, I had a hard time making it through this book. It took me quite a few months, with long pauses in between resurgent efforts. This says more about me as a reader than it does about the book itself. But it does make me think that increasingly the newer generations will be cut off from the great texts of the past, not by lack of access, but by lack of mental ability to sustain one's attention and by the ubiquitous glowing rectangles of endless distraction that we worship.

As for the book itself and its content, it was great. I was struck by the depth of Edwards' thinking, the thoroughness with which he dealt with his subject, and most of all his sense of balance and even-handedness. For some reason I had a notion that an old Puritan-minded man like Edwards would necessarily be given to extremes and imbalances, and yet it is on that very point that Edwards seemed to shine the brightest in this text. He explained how part of the glory of Christ is this perfect mixture of graces: lamb-like gentleness and lion-like boldness in the same person. Likewise a genuine Christian, indwelt by the Spirit of this Christ, will increasingly manifest a balance of graces. He also makes allowances for individual personalities, temperaments, and weaknesses. All in all you really get the impression of a reasonable and gracious man with a towering intellect.

[Caleb Plattner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edwards is very pastoral here as he guides the reader through understanding our affections for Christ and religious worship. Written well before the days of emotional-response-type revivals, concerts and congregational worship, it feels like he knew what was coming. I heard someone say that they wouldn’t have a conversation with someone about the “worship wars” unless they first read this book, and I can understand why. It is helpful not just with respect to emotions in corporate worship, but with regard to all of life. Highly recommend.

[Kyle Grindberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no wonder it's a classic, I found it easier to comprehend and follow then the 1800s translation of Calvin's institutes.

A friend of mine described the book as Edwards undertaking two contradictory tasks, one, to establish the truth and reality of experimental religion in the context of the revivals of the first Great Awakening, and also to explain why so many that had seemingly come to faith could have fallen away through that Great Awakening. Edwards does this with skill, and with intelligibility to the reader.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic of American Protestant theology and an incisive look at human psychology as well. Highly, highly recommend!

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this but I struggled to follow everything he was saying as I was busy doing things during the audiobook.

[Willem Hanssen · Rating 5 out of 5]

F-ING LIFE CHANGING

[Stevie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As was about a 1/3 of the way through the book when it hit me that I was reading an abridged and modernized text. I was quite frustrated and felt like I was not even reading Edwards' actual words. Despite this I was thoroughly roughed up in my soul by his words. The whole book is about how we need to examine our own sense of salvation. He argues that the surest sign of inward salvation is outward Christian obedience and character.

Poignant Excerpts:

"So it is God's way of dealing with mankind to lead them into a wilderness before He speaks comfortably to them. The principle that is many times demonstrated in Scripture is this: God will bring people into distress in order to make them see their own utter helplessness and absolute dependence upon His power and grace before He appears to work any great deliverance for them (Deut. 32:36,37)

"But what indecent self-exultation and arrogance it is when poor, fallible, and ignorant mortals pretend that they can determine and know who are really sincere and upright before God and who are not!"

"...perhaps God's goodness depends upon what they themselves define to be good. On false grounds such as these, men may love a god of their own imagination and be far removed from loving the true God who reigns in heaven."

"It is not primarily that they first see that God loves them and therefore He is to be loved, but rather that they first see that God Himself is lovely. Christ appears so glorious and excellent that their hearts are enraptured by Him alone. This then is what really motivates their true love of God."

"So a true saint is so wrapped up in the enjoyment of the true discoveries of the sweet glory of God and Christ that he never sees himself and his own attainments...he never wants to take his eye off the ravishing object of God."

"Holiness comprehends all the true virtues of a good man such as his love to God, his gracious love to men, his justice, his charity, his mercy, his gracious meekness and gentleness, and all the other true Christian virtues that he has"

"the test of affections, particularly love and joy, lies in whether or not holiness is the foundation of the affections."

"...spiritual understanding consists in: 'a sense of the heart for the supreme beauty and sweetness of the holiness of moral perfection of divine things, as well as all the discernment and knowledge of things of religion that depends on and flows from such a sense."

"Yet how small is the love of the most eminent saint in comparison to what God deserves!"

"All gracious affections that are a sweet perfume to Christ and that fill the soul of a Christian with a heavenly sweetness and fragrance are brokenhearted affections."

"...a true Christian can delight in religious fellowship and conversation, yet he also delights to retire from all fellow men and converse with God in solitude."

"To them the realities revealed in the Word of God are so great and so infinitely more important than anything else, that if a person believes in them it is inconsistent with human nature that he should not be influenced by them in practice."

"Trials and temptations are the vital proofs by which to determine truly whether men have the right disposition of heart to cleave to God or not."

APPLICATION: Pray daily for a week to see God more clearly in all his Holiness and Beauty.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sobering

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skimmed this hard. The conclusion, argued in the first chapter, that "true religion, in great part, consists in holy affections (i.e., emotions)," is severely off track. I don't want to say that emotions have no place in Christianity, but that they are not the basis or evidence of true faith. Edwards' argument lies heavily on his definition of an affection (emotion) as "vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclination and will of the soul," a highly debatable definition. Some emotions spring from the body, rather than the mind (e.g., "hangry"). Further, the examples by which he argues his conclusion are also debatable--love, fear, and joy in the biblical sense aren't merely emotions. They may include emotions partly, but not wholly. Finally, the fruit of this kind of thinking leads to a lack of assurance, a feeling that you aren't truly saved if you don't have the right emotions. There's some good stuff sprinkled in here, but the main point is off track.

[Min Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phew, even this abridged and updated version was a tough read at times... But I gained tremendously from Edwards' deep insights of true religious affections. The paragraphs on true and false spiritual humbleness were particularly helpful.

Would have definitely given it 5stars for the parts I kept up with and understood, but there were numerous places where Edwards just took off in his long train of thought, leaving me behind in confusion. It would be definitely necessary for me to read this work again in the future.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book only once, but plan on reading it at least a few more times. Edwards' main emphasis in this book is on what true revival is, and true conversion. It challenged my own walk with the Lord tremendously. This is not an easy read, but the jewels that you do get out of it is worth it. It is one of the best books I have ever read.

[Ben Chidester · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pertinent work for our culture, despite its age. I greatly benefited from examining my own affections for God against Edwards' points, as he laid out what constitutes true love for God and what should stir us toward such love. Edwards' methodical style, while very comprehensive, was a bit tedious at times, but still very much worth the effort of reading.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most convicting audiobook I’ve ever heard. I will need to actually read this very soon.

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edwards is brilliant. There is no doubt about that. After reading the main of his major works now, I stand in awe of his thoughts, logic, illustrations and analogies, and the conclusions he persuasively makes, rooted both in philosophy and the Bible.

His treatise on The Religious Affections was no different. It was full of deep insight and observation about how people work, and what genuine Christianity is not and is. You can tell he has thought long and hard about it, and that it is coming not mainly from an ethereal realm, but a pastoral concern. In his days, people were being affected in various ways, and he wanted to know how (and how not) to know they were true, Christ-given, saving affections. It was a pressing pastoral concern for him.

And his insights about what makes them genuine is still relevant today, since it is based mainly and persuasively in the Bible. (This is especially helpful, I think, with the rise of the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements in the past 100 years. Maybe more than ever, Edwards’ practical thoughts are needed to be applied).

I will not have space to include all the brilliance in the treatise, but I will summarize it’s main parts.

Edwards begins his treatise by arguing that religion consists in the affections. He does this to combat two different incorrect opposing views. On the one hand, you cannot say that since some affections are wrong, that we shouldn’t have affections. Religion consists in the affections. But on the other hand, you cannot just say that all affections are good, since religious consists in certain affections. But the point remains, you must have affections/feelings (love, hate, desire, etc.) to be a biblical Christian. The question is, how do we know which are true, saving, affections, and which are counterfeits? For, as Edwards points out, in the Bible and in clear experience, there are tons of counterfeits.

He begins by answering this in Part II by showing what things do not give us certainty that affections are religious. Here, he combats certain things (12 things, like them being very strong, or having a strong testimony, etc.) that people often attribute to making them genuine, when in reality they don’t teach us that they’re genuine at all. This is a heavy section, since you get to the end and wonder, Well then how can we have any assurance? There seem to be so many ways not to have certainty. So how do we have any? This is where the longest Part III comes in.

In Part III, he shows how we can distinguish truly gracious (and saving) affections. Here he also lists 12 things. And they’re very helpful.

But his concluding sign is the strongest, most helpful, and longest. The last 80 pages or so of the treatise are him arguing that Christian practice (or, living like a Christian) is the best certainty of truly gracious affections. He shows that this is true for how we distinguish affections in others, and how we have certainty about ourselves. Space doesn’t permit me to rehash all his arguments, but he really does make an excellent case. He has more biblical support than I imagined, and he shows that this—this judging by fruits, practice, living—is the way the OT, Jesus, and his apostles wanted us to see if something was real and genuine.

In brief, Edwards’ treatise does what he set out to do. I will use it as a reference much in ministry. It makes you realize how much phony religion there is out there, and sadly in people’s hearts, and how the Bible is pretty firm on what true fruit looks like. But it also is very helpful here because, in a religious atmosphere that is so various and emotional at times, it helps clear away the muddiness of what are true religious affections/emotions/feelings. For this, I am thankful I read it.

However, I was tempted to rate it 4 stars (but I didn’t because of its insight). Why? Honestly, just because Edwards here was clearly rambling and repeating himself at times. Because of this, it was very hard to get through. I don’t know if an abridged version would be better—because when you read Edwards sometimes you hit gold—but I also think he sometimes just keeps going when he could’ve been more concise.

That being said, I recommend it fully, especially to pastors or those interested in figuring out what truly (biblically) are feelings from God. It is going to be a priceless reference in ministry. I would love to read Sam Storms’ summary of it, as that might be really helpful.

[Iasmina Ivasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Această carte e una dintre cele mai cu impact cărți pe care le-am citit. De multă vreme chiar căutam o carte care să vorbească dește emoțiile reliogioase. Într-adevăr, o carte destul de grea și dură de multe ori, dar având în vedere pasiunea mea pentru acest subiect nu m-am supărat să citesc aceleași pasaje de 5 ori ca să înțeleg ce vrea să spună autorul :)
De multe ori a trebuit să las cartea jos și să meditez la ce am citit, pentru că mă regăseam de prea multe ori în scrierile autorului; dacă nu cu starea de acum, cu starea mea trecută sigurat. Nici nu realizam la începutul credinței că uneori emoțiile pe care le simțim pot fi false. Lumea este condusă de manipulare, și fără să realizăm, chiar în bisericile noastre ne este indusă o stare superficială și diluată de “creștin” pe când noi nu avem o autenticitate în relația cu Dumnezeu. Sunt anumite capitole din carte pentru care încă caut răspunsuri având în vedere că de multe subiecte am auzit pentru prima dată. Chiar Biblia ne spune în 1 Tesaloniceni 5:21 ”Ci cercetați toate lucrurile și păstrați ce este bun.„
Chiar îmi doresc să citească măcar cineva din prietenii mei apropiați cartea pentru a dezbate tot ce spune, pentru că sunt subiecte profunde pentru care avem nevoie de o cercetare lăuntrică ca nu cumva să cădem în capcana emoțiilor false. Recomandarea mea este ca această carte să fie citită cu scopul de a pune în practică ceea ce prezintă, nu doar ca o simplă lectură, pentru că dacă nu ne dăm toată silința pentru a înțelege mesajul, nu vom înțelege mai nimic.

[Nate Bate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading (listening to) this book has been a long time and coming. I listened to it on audible, and because I am not good at listening to audio books, it look me several months to finish (with large gaps between listening sessions). So, my absorption was not near what it needed to be. But, I am glad to at least made it through the book a first time, and I am eager to pick up a hard copy and read it at some point.

What I like about Jonathan Edwards so far, is that he makes me think deeper. He lights up my mind with new energy on a topic and gets me excited to think about it more. The only minimal negative I experience with him is he can follow things to the logical nth degree; however, he did that less in this book. The principal value from this book is from its apt name - I thought about how people's affections on religious matters tend to work. This is helpful as we consider our own religious experience as well as observing others.

[John Caulfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a peculiar relief that comes when reading something that absolutely exhausts a particular topic in it’s totality and leaves one feeling no further need to read something else on that topic.

While reading, one is confronted with the sense that you are wading in deep waters, but at least you’ve got a shot of getting to the true bottom of things.

To be honest, Edwards slapped me around with this book. One page I’m questioning my salvation, the next I’m laying in prostrate wonder. I particularly enjoyed his painstaking effort to tether every theological framework/doctrine he presents to not just one or two, but several chapters and verses.

Unnecessary side note: I suspect that this is one of those books that Christian publishers hope people do NOT read bc it would eliminate the need for about 50 newly published Christian books by wheel-reiventers each year.

[Trevor Bon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a much needed read for modern day Christians. So many people around us claim Christianity but live in opposition to it. So many pastors we have looked up to, yet have come out much later to completely reject the faith and prove their lack of saving grace. If you have doubts about your own salvation or the salvation of others, if you want to know what to look for within yourself as evidences of salvation this is the book for you.
Although it can be challenging to read at different times, I think that it is totally worthwhile to read. This quote pretty well summarizes the main focus of this book: “There is no question whatsoever that is of greater importance to mankind...than this: What are the distinguishing qualifications of those that are in favour with God, and entitled to His eternal rewards?” -Religious Affections