Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God Analysis

Edwards opens his sermon by expressing the idea that men are subject to the whims of God and that those who refuse to welcome God are held out of hell by nothing more than the simple pleasure and mercy of God’s hand. He appeals to the pathos of his listeners

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God It is said that during Jonathan Edwards sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, people from the audience screamed in terror because of the blunt and intense technique Jonathan used. In this six hour long sermon, he proposed the idea that if sinners did not repent and were not in God’s grace, then they would be damned to Hell. He also explained there was nothing a person could do to refrain from Hell other than through the power of God. In order for Edwards to get his point across to his audience, he had to use effective persuasive techniques. Jonathan Edwards influenced his audience’s relationship with God by using extreme repetition, references to the elements, and compelling imagery.

In the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Edwards displays controversial viewpoints and ideas concerning heaven and hell. As Edwards speaks to the congregation he warns them of the misery and suffering they will face if they do not repent of certain sins. He also describes God as angry which probably struck fear into the hearts on many. To illustrate his own point that hell is unenviable without repentance Jonathan Edwards creates the idea of an angry God using intense similes, a harsh tone, and strong emotional appeal in “Sinners in the hand of an Angry God”.

Jonathan Edwards, a famous preacher in pre-colonial times, composed a sermon that was driven to alert and inject neo Puritanical fear into an eighteenth century congregation. This Bible based and serious audience sought after religious instruction and enlightenment. Through the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Edwards offers a very harsh interpretation to humankind. Edwards utilizes various rhetorical techniques to evoke an emotional response in his audience and to persuade the members of his congregation that their wicked actions will awaken a very ruthless and merciless God.

In Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an An Angry God,” shows an extreme viewpoint of God. According to Edwards, humanity is naturally infected with sin despite our efforts to overcome it. Throughout his sermon, Edwards goes on about how God shows such mercy in not throwing all humanity in the deepest depths of hell. As said by Edwards in his sermon, “ You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about

Jonathan Edwards's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is moving and powerful. His effectiveness as an eighteenth century New England religious leader is rooted in his expansive knowledge of the Bible and human nature, as well as a genuine desire to "awaken" and save as many souls as possible. This sermon, delivered in 1741, exhibits Edwards's skillful use of these tools to persuade his congregation to join him in his Christian beliefs.

Jonathan Edwards, a negative and realistic man, focused on how God is a judgemental god and sinners will be put to a painful death, they should be fearful. He says in the first few lines of his speech, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, “So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit.” (Edwards, Pg. 23) Edwards implies that everyone deserves to be in hell and he goes on to say that God is an angry God and that no one had done anything to try to ease His anger. Edwards also played a large role in the Great Awakening. He wanted people to experience Christianity in an intense and emotional way. In his speech, he said, “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: It is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell.” (Edwards, Pg. 26) Edward’s speech was opportunity knocking at everyone’s doors. He influenced people to want to be saved in a way that made many fearful of what could happen to them if they weren’t saved or a child of God. Edwards believed that God set the world in motion, but was not active in everyone’s life. Edwards believed that God created the world and

Edwards uses words like “wrath” and “omnipotent” to display the power that God posses, and chooses negative connotation words to describe the relationship between God and man (para. 15, 46). Making the comparison of the relationship between God and humans like a spider web or thread, the author wants the audience to know that it can be broken at any time, and that the “pit is prepared” down in hell for sinners (para. 17). Edward chooses diction that leaves humans hopeless, and at the mercy of God. He wants the audience to know that God is always in control, using words like “if God should permit” and “the mere pleasure of God” (para. 13, 7). Additionally, Edwards uses diction to portray God as merciless and immoral, saying that has God is “without pity” and “will have no compassion upon you” (para. 41). This leaves the audience despaired, and they feel as if they have no choice but to reestablish their relationship with God, or certainly face an “everlasting destruction” at any time God pleases to (para.

Edwards use of repetition and diction to build up the concept that God is an angry one by mentioning, “Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation”. By choosing to repeat the word “yea” in the beginning of his statements, he is able to assure the audience that his perspective is right, which in turn influences them as his assertive tone establishes himself as a more credible character as he seems confident in his statements. Furthermore, the ambiguity when mentioning the sinners on earth, allows the audience to believe that they are not part of these statistics, in which he uses to make the people vulnerable as he references those in the sermon to be some of the many God is angry with. As a result of juxtaposing a much larger world to the people in the gathering, this enforces an idea that nobody is safe as even in their close proximity there are many who have earned God’s wrath. His use of repetition is also seen as he introduces “that eternal and immutable rule of righteousness that God has fixed between

On July 8th 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in Enfield, Connecticut. Edwards states to his listeners that God does not lack in power, and that people have yet not fallen to destruction because his mercy. God is so forgiving that he gives his people an opportunity to repent and change their ways before it was too late. Edwards urges that the possibility of damnation is immanent. Also that it urgently requires the considerations of the sinner before time runs out. He does not only preach about the ways that make God so omnipotent, but the ways that he is more superior to us. In his sermon, Edwards uses strong, powerful, and influential words to clearly point out his message that we must amend

Edwards' creative choice of words that he uses describes the power of God and the terrible Hell awaiting sinners. These words easily infiltrate into the minds of his congregation and frighten them beyond belief. These choices of words and his use of such vivid images are mostly successful in their intent, to scare and put fear into his audience. Edwards held his audience locked up with his promises of eternal damnation if proper steps were not taken. The congregation felt the intense impact of his rhetorical strategies and lived on the fear of the power of God. In this way, he was able to keep his followers from sin and away from the fiery pits of Hell.

Jonathan in his sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (July 8, 1741), claims that the unconverted are hanging from the hands of God, and can be dropped off to the eternity of hell, his sermon is used to make the sinners be afraid and understand how the power of God is saving them, but it is only for his pleasure, unless if they return to Christianity. Edwards strengths his argument by using metaphors and imagery of a wrathful God to make the unconverted people afraid of being sinners and encourage them to have a relationship with Christ to be fully saved from falling to an eternity in the flames of hell. Edwards purpose is to start his sermon with such powerful use of visualization to provide fear to the sinners and give them a

Jonathan Edwards a Puritan minister who had a very strong beliefs of Christianity was 37 years old when he delivered his famous and arguably his most impactful speech “Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God”, on July 8, 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut. In the speech Edward’s delivers, he explains to his sinning audience and sinning citizens that God is the one control of our fate whether we go to hell or not. His speech was intended to be an advisory for the people in the 13 colonies that were not taking the power of the almighty God for heart. Edwards warns sinners that they can be casted down to hell at anytime. He tells sinners that they should not wait so long to be saved from Damnation.

In the speech, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” the preacher uses a very extreme and hardcore tone in his words. To express what he means, he gave his congregation some imagery. As he tells them about us having an inevitable fate of burning in hell, he says that it is “ Nothing but the mere pleasure of God” that keeps us from falling into the gaping hole of Hell. This speech, spoken by Jonathan Edwards, strikes fear into one’s heart. With this fear, his attempt at making a point has succeeded.

An analysis of the persuasive techniques of Jonathan Edwards from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God