Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Two Options for the Sinner: Repent or Burn

Whilst reading Calvinist Jonathan Edwards sermon on hell fire and damnation for the sinful, it was hard not to imagine this actually happening to a sinner. The imagery painted throughout this sermon really solidifies in one’s mind the torment and suffering that comes from sinning and facing the wrath of God. This view is much different than the one that I believe in, a loving Heavenly Father, but Edwards is trying to get a single point across here, and that is the issue of committing sin and not repenting. His audience is the sinners, and those that choose not to ask for forgiveness for their wrongdoings.

His objective with this sermon is to create a branded image of what it’s like for a sinner if they die in their sins. He uses the analogy of a spider dangling over a fire to a sinner dangling over a pit of hell fire. The tone that he uses is fierce and strong. He is attempting to provoke fear into the eyes of his audience so they can see the position they could end up in. There is a repetitive pattern of discussing God’s wrath and how He will show no mercy if one does not repent and come unto Him. If this speech was given orally, I could only imagine a crowd of wide-eyed, fear stricken people wondering if they have done enough to not be like unto the spider. Reading his words did enough for me to understand his point, being in person listening to this would have taken it to the next level and made it unforgettable.

The Great Awakening was a period of time with much religious commotion, and a preacher really need to stick out among the others to get attention. This is how Edwards stuck out, and got people to listen. Although I believe in a much more loving Heavenly Father, I can see where he is coming from, and the importance of repentance only become clearer after reading this sermon.

2 comments:

  1. I like how you pointed out that the vivid imagery would have helped Edwards stick out as a preacher during the tumultuous religious time, because by making himself memorable he would be more likely to have people coming back to listen to him which is an objective of a preacher.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like how you pointed out that the vivid imagery would have helped Edwards stick out as a preacher during the tumultuous religious time, because by making himself memorable he would be more likely to have people coming back to listen to him which is an objective of a preacher.

    ReplyDelete