Religious Affections

I recently read a selection from Jonathan Edwards in Devotional Classics. The excerpt in this reading begins with, "The kind of religion God requires… Does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless "wouldlings" - those weak inclinations that lack convictions - that raise us but little above indifference. God insists that we be good earnest, fervent in spirit, and that our hearts be engaged vigorously in our religion." Many years ago I would have been surprised to read a statement like this from a Calvinist or someone from a Reformed tradition. My tradition was one that eschewed all tradition except the one we were making, forging, and practicing for ourselves at that set time and place. We heard scary stories of other denominations that denied the power of the Holy Spirit, denominations that were dry, dead, and dying because they refused the gift of baptism in the Holy Spirit. The problem comes when one reads someone like Jonathan Edwards.

He writes, "When we receive the Spirit of God we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost who is like fire and along with it the sanctifying and saving influences of God. When this happens… it burns within us." These are not the words of a dried up passionless man. These are the words of a soul hungry for God, a soul thirsty for that which only God can give. I think that many Pentecostals would do well to read Jonathan Edwards because in this portion he highlights one of the primary attributes of the Holy Spirit, namely the convicting work he does in our hearts and his sanctifying power in the lives of Christians. I find it amusing that many in Pentecostal circles would dismiss Edwards because of the Christian tradition he hails from but what I see here is a man just as baptized in the Holy Spirit as anyone from the Pentecostal stream.

Later he mentions what he terms the "spring of action" and how stirred by the Spirit, our affections are also stirred. He also ties in the knowledge of doctrine and theology with religious affection, correctly noting that knowledge of these things are useless without our hearts being stirred first. Reading this passage made me think of the other day when I was teaching a class on water baptism at my church. I read Titus 3:3-7 and as I was reading it, my eyes began to water and my voice began to crack. There is something about this scriptural passage that always stirs me to tears, always stirs my affection, but also my gratitude to God for his love and for saving me. It made me understand that a neglected part of the work of the Holy Spirit in my tradition is conviction. We would highlight the convicting work of the Spirit in regards to conversion but we would focus on the ecstatic experience as a way of sanctification rather then the Holy Spirit stirring our affections for God in such a way that encourages us to keep from sinning as we pursue Him.

Education as Pride

Recently for a seminary assignment I had to read The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. Reading Thomas a Kempis was something I had been planning on doing for a very long time. Many years ago, one of my professors in Bible College lent me a copy. I eagerly went to read it but was stymied right away. I did not quite know how to approach it because that copy was divided in to verses, almost like a Bible, and the content varied from chapter to chapter. Thomas writes little snippets of information almost offhandedly as if he is daringly throwing down the gauntlet to his reader to consider what he has written before moving on to the next portion. That approach challenges people to really examine themselves and wrestle with what is being said instead of offering a cursory reading.

The first book reminds me of the book of Ecclesiastes, some of his language reminds me of the arguments in it, the tension between the daily actions of life and futility of it apart from God. On the surface he seems to be anti-learning but upon closer examination something else appears. I didn't get the impression that he was anti-education, but what I did glean from book one was this undercurrent of humility. Thomas puts his finger on a problem very early on; people with education can become arrogant in their knowledge. He claims that it is better to live right before God then to have too much knowledge that it does one no good. I have the propensity for arrogance when I learn or read something new. Often I, consciously or unconsciously, look for opportunities where I can bring up what I have learned in order to appear wise or learned. His comments in book one are an excellent reminder to watch out for pride and to let my pursuit of God be forefront instead of my pursuit of knowledge about God. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." For me, this is the heart of book one and Thomas says it well when he writes, "Well-ordered learning is not to be belittled, for it is good and comes from God, but a clean conscience and a virtuous life are much better and more to be desired."