Jonathan Edwards’ Resolution #18
Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour before I should hear the last trump.
I must say that it seems very evident at this point Edwards was deeply pondering what his earthly and, more importantly, eternal impact would be with the people of his time. From Resolution #7, then onto #17, and now #19 the theme of these very similar resolutions has become quite apparent. I suspect because Edwards, in my opinion, out of any American theologian has a more clear, concise, and thorough understanding of God’s wrath and eternal damnation. It weighed heavily on him and this is why the theme of “doing all I can for the furtherance of the gospel before my death” has occurred several times.
One of the most damaging theological misnomers of today’s Christianity is the idea of God’s wrath as a lightweight one and how an all loving, perfectly just God could not send someone to a real place where “the fire shall never be quenched” and “where the chains of darkness” reside. However, when Christ Himself preached on hell, He was not light on the matter, so neither should we be. We must have a proper understanding from Scripture of what the believer has really been saved from along with the reality that those still in their current sinful state are still on a course to that dreadful destination. This will ignite our passion for Christ, stir up our love for the gospel, and give us a desire to become fishers of men. Most of us are afraid to speak about such a subject. But ask yourself, if you truly believed in an eternal damnation for the unsaved would you speak an hour above the last trumpet? Why wait?
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night
(Psalm 63:5-6)
[This article is part of an ongoing series on the Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards.]
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