The Experience That Counts (Jonathan Edwards)

Description

What does it mean to be a Christian? Is Christianity a matter of the intellect alone? What about desires, feelings, and experiences? What is conversion? These questions are not new, Jonathan Edwards, the great American theologian tackled these, and many others, against the background of the First Great Awakening.

These questions, and the answers Edwards gives to them, are profoundly relevant to us today.

Find 'a guide for the perplexed' - a voice of clear Biblical and spiritual sanity to lead us safely through the maze of contemporary confusion in this crucial area.

Sample Chapter

The Experience That Counts

Endorsements

Some books from past centuries have proved their timelessness. Jonathan Edwards' "Treatise on Religious Affections" is a perfect example. But sadly, that gets obscured by their time-bound language. So it's fantastic to have this wonderful book made accessible again. Edwards shows such humanity and realism as he tackles the issue of our emotional life. But he does so with great biblical clarity and charity, walking the tightrope between constraint and freedom. This is one of those books that every Christian should read more than once!

Mark Meynell, European Associate Director, Langham Preaching, London

Table of Contents

Introduction ....................................................................9

Preface ...........................................................................13

PART ONE. The nature of emotions and their importance in Christianity...........17

1. Opening remarks about emotions ....................19

2. What are emotions? ..........................................21

3. True religion consists mainly in emotions .........22

4. The diff erent emotions .....................................24

5. True religion is summed up in love ...................27

6. David, Paul, John and Christ as examples of holy emotion ...........28

7. Emotions in heaven ..........................................30

8. Emotions and our religious duties ....................31

9. Emotions and hardness of heart .......................32

10. What lessons about emotion can we learn from all this? ..............33

PART TWO. Things which do NOT prove that our emotions come from a true experience of salvation ....................37

1. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if they are strong and lively ........39

2. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if they produce great effects onthe body ............41

3. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if they produce a great warmth and readiness to talk about Christianity ..................43

4. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if we did not produce them by our own efforts .......................................................44

5. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if they come to us accompanied by a Bible verse ............................47

6. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if there seems to be love in them .................49

7. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if we experience many kinds of them ..................50

8. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if comforts and joys seem to follow in a certain order .........................................52

9. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if they cause us to spend much time in the outward duties of Christian worship ......57

10. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if they cause us to praise God with our mouths ..............................................58

11. It does not prove that our emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, if they produce assurance of salvation ...59

12. We cannot know that someone’s emotions are spiritual, or unspiritual, just because he gives

a moving account of them ................................66

PART THREE. The distinguishing signs of true spiritual emotions ..............69

Opening remarks ...........................................................71

1. True spiritual emotions arise from spiritual, supernatural and divine infl uences on the heart ...72

Product Details

Title: The Experience That Counts  

Author: Jonathan Edwards

Publisher: Christian Heritage

Pages: 136

Binding: Paperback

Size: 19.8 x 13.0 x 0.8 cm

ISBN: 9781781917190