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Audio Transcript
Welcome to October. This month we’re celebrating the Reformation collectively — Martin Luther’s nice stand towards the pope and towards Rome’s religious abuses and theological errors. Luther didn’t stand alone, after all. Different males stood for this identical trigger, earlier than and after him — folks like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Thomas Cranmer, John Knox, and John Calvin. And plenty of different lesser-known names paid the last word value within the Reformation — women and men, even youngsters, who stood towards Rome, and who bled and have been burned and drowned for it. These tales of sacrifice are our focus within the month forward, in a 31-day tour you’ll be able to full in simply 5–7 minutes every day. It’s known as Right here We Stand. In the event you haven’t but, subscribe to the e-mail journey at the moment, on-line at desiringGod.org/stand. Or simply go to desiringGod.org and click on on the hyperlink on the highest of the web site. I hope you’ll be part of us in remembering the value paid for the religious blessings and spiritual liberties we get pleasure from at the moment.
Talking of church historical past, once more, the birthday of Jonathan Edwards falls on Saturday, October 5. Pastor John, on Monday we talked about Christian zeal — an old style phrase, however an vital one. You known as zeal an “important advantage” to Christian obedience. To make the case, you quoted Paul’s biblical exhortations, like in Romans 12:11: “Don’t be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” And in Titus 2:14: “[Christ] gave himself for us . . . to purify for himself a folks . . . who’re zealous for good works.” Then you definitely introduced up Jonathan Edwards and his seventy resolutions that he made as a younger man, particularly the one you’ll be able to recite from reminiscence after nearly fifty years because you first learn them — specifically, quantity 6: “Resolved, to dwell with all my would possibly, whereas I do dwell.”
However right here’s at the moment’s query. Each you and Edwards are Christian Hedonists. And he’s a significant supply of your individual understanding of Christian Hedonism. A degree that was not made clear final time, as you have been speaking about zeal: Does Edwards see a connection between zeal and enjoyment of God? Do you? Do you see a connection between zeal to dwell with all our would possibly for the glory of God and the Christian Hedonist’s ardour to maximise his pleasure in God?
Sure, and one of the best ways I believe to see it’s to observe a sure sequence of thought in Edwards’s thoughts and my thoughts that strikes from (1) zeal for the glory of God to (2) zeal for good deeds to (3) the inside motivation of these deeds in love for God or enjoyment of God or treasuring God (other ways to say the identical factor) to (4) the Christian Hedonist precept that we must always search to maximise — zealously search to maximise in each method we are able to — our pleasure in God now and endlessly.
Christian Hedonist Zeal
Let’s attempt to observe that sequence of thought. And we’re going to stumble upon one other superb decision of Edwards that basically brings readability to his Christian Hedonism.
1. Zeal for God’s Glory
Bear in mind, in Romans 12:11, Paul mentioned, “By no means flag in zeal, serve the Lord.” So, clearly, Christian zeal is directed towards serving the Lord. And for the reason that Lord shouldn’t be needy — he doesn’t want any servants to make up for any lack in himself — what which means is that we must always avail ourselves of his energy to do his bidding to make him look nice. I believe that’s what “serve the Lord” means.
“We should pursue pleasure with zeal, with ardour, with all our would possibly.”
The apostle Paul mentioned, “Whether or not you eat or drink, or no matter you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Every part in our lives ought to be calculated to make God look extra superb than folks assume he’s. Edwards defines Christian zeal as “a fervent disposition or affection of thoughts in pursuing the glory of God.” That’s the first step.
2. Zeal for Good Deeds
This zeal for God’s glory implies being zealous for good deeds — good deeds to folks — as a result of that is one essential method God is glorified. Titus 2:14 says that Christ died to create a folks “who’re zealous for good [deeds].” Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:16, “Let your gentle shine earlier than others, in order that they might see your good works and provides glory to your Father who’s in heaven.” So, that’s step two. Zeal for God’s glory implies zeal for good deeds since that’s how Jesus mentioned we are going to glorify the Father. Or as Edwards says, Christian zeal is a “fervency of spirit that good could also be carried out for God’s and Christ’s sake.”
3. Zeal from New Hearts
Step three is to understand that good deeds towards man and outward acts of worship towards God are of no religious worth and not using a new coronary heart that loves God, values God, delights in God, treasures God above all else. Jesus mentioned, “This folks honors me with their lips, however their coronary heart is way from me; in useless [emptiness] do they worship me” (Matthew 15:8–9). Outward acts of worship with out inward affections of affection are nugatory. Jesus speaks of ethical acts of fine deeds in the identical method: “You blind Pharisee! First clear the within of the cup and the plate, that the skin additionally could also be clear” (Matthew 23:26). They did every kind of fine deeds, the Pharisees did, however have been hypocrites, as a result of these deeds weren’t coming from the proper of coronary heart. They simply needed to be seen by males.
So, if we would like our zeal for the glory of God to be actual, and we would like our zeal for good deeds to be morally important in God’s sight, we should be modified on the within, in order that we worth and treasure God above all issues. Or to say it one other method, we should enjoyment of God, be glad in God, discover God to be our superior satisfaction in order that our outward acts of worship are genuine and our good deeds towards folks serve to glorify the worth of God and never ourselves. Psalm 16:11: “In your presence there’s fullness of pleasure; at your proper hand are pleasures forevermore.” Tasting that proper now — tasting that within the coronary heart — is the center of worship.
And on the horizontal stage of fine deeds, Jesus mentioned, “It’s extra blessed” — extra glad, extra completely satisfied, extra satisfying — “to provide than to obtain” (Acts 20:35). We should always discover extra gladness in good deeds than in having safety and luxury and riches. That’s true now, in measure, and he says it’s true lavishly sooner or later. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil towards you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for excellent” — that’s an understatement! — “nice is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11–12). Which results in step 4.
4. Zeal to Maximize Pleasure in God
If that is true, if worship is genuine as a result of our hearts are treasuring and delighting in and being glad with God above all issues, and if good deeds are morally important due to the current expertise of gladness and blessedness and due to a future hope or reward in God, then we merely can’t be detached to the pursuit of pleasure in God himself and the enjoyment that comes from the overflow of that Godward pleasure into the lives of different folks via good deeds. We will’t be detached to that pleasure. We should pursue it with zeal, with ardour, with all our would possibly — which is what makes us Christian Hedonists.
Edwards on Zeal and Pleasure
Now, that was an extended argument to get to the purpose that, sure, there’s a connection between zeal for God’s glory and being a Christian Hedonist. Right here’s the superb method Edwards related zeal with the pursuit of this pleasure in God. This simply boggled my thoughts after I first learn it. Quantity 22: “Resolved, to endeavor to acquire for myself as a lot happiness, within the different world” — that’s, in God, in heaven, or within the age to return, not in earthly ease — “as I presumably can, with all the facility, would possibly, vigor, vehemence, yea violence, I’m able to, or can carry myself to exert, in any method that may be considered.” That’s simply off the charts. Zealous for pleasure. Zealous for happiness with God in heaven endlessly. That’s like saying, “Resolved, to dwell with all my would possibly whereas I do dwell.”
There’s the connection between Christian Hedonism and zeal in his personal decision language. “To dwell with all my would possibly whereas I do dwell” — specifically, within the pursuit of most pleasure in God, with him, endlessly, by no matter means on earth I can. In fact, which means by doing as many good deeds as I can, even when it prices me my violent demise. That’s the purpose of referring to violence. It’s not violence towards others he’s speaking about, however the sort of violence that cuts off your hand or tears out your individual eye if it could diminish your doing of fine and your avoidance of sin and your expertise of pleasure in God via loving different folks.
So, my conclusion, Tony, is sure, there’s a highly effective connection in Edwards’s thoughts — there actually is in my thoughts — between zeal to dwell with all our would possibly for the glory of God and the Christian Hedonist ardour to maximise our pleasure in God. They arrive collectively as our pleasure in God extends itself to make God look nice via deeds of affection. We pursue our pleasure within the pleasure of others in God as a result of zeal for his glory and for his or her good impels us within the Christian Hedonist pursuit of most pleasure in God endlessly.
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