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Scripture In Jonathan Edwards

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Introduction Backdrop Many preachers within contemporary Christendom take license when dealing with Scriptures speaking of judgment and eternal damnation. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was no such preacher, for he unashamedly proclaimed the judgment of God upon unrepentant sinners. The “fire and brimstone” preaching Edwards demonstrates the sagacity of a true man of God; for he did not take exception to difficult passages of Scripture simply because they are uncomfortable, or might offend some of a more than holy opinion of themselves. The first half of the 18th century found many preachers declaring the punishment of God upon wicked and unrepentant sinners, with Edwards proclaiming that “there is nothing that keeps wicked men, at any one …show more content…

Therefore it is incumbent upon the preacher to preach the “whole counsel of God, in season and out of season” (Acts 20:26-27; 2 Tim. 4:2-3); and it is equally important for those in the congregation to share these truths with all whom they should meet and do know. Ignoring the hard passages of Scripture will not make them go away or be annulled; and the soul of a man living in sin will never find peace because of those truths. Men ignore them at their peril and mock them in the ignorance of their soon demise (spiritual). There have been indicators of the previous over the last century, therefore the research to follow highlights the difference between sinners in the hands of God as delivered by Edwards and Billy Graham, and how the preacher today might present what has been in Scripture since the times of …show more content…

In the 18th century, the demise of individuals was routine given lack of advancements in medicine both preventative and as a cure for disease; therefore, people tended to be concerned with where they might go when death visited them. What many might view as hat rhetoric and scandalous, those of this period in history tended to appreciate and sought to learn more about. Indeed, what Edwards did was to “prepare the lost for what was sure to come quickly, if not today, then

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