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“Edwards worked hard to correct false notions of piety. His aim was twofold: he cared immensely about the spiritual welfare of his congregation’s souls, and he wanted to save the Awakening from disrepute.” – Dr. Joel Beeke

Jonathan wrote many sermons providing a biblical context and understanding of the Great Awakening. He wanted people to have a correct understanding of what God was doing during that particular time period. While his intentions were understandably focused on the people of Northampton and the 18^th century American colonies, Edwards’ writings benefit believers in Christ living in the 21^st century.

In September of 1741, Edwards explained the Awakening in a sermon entitled The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. He articulated that non-traditional worship services and emotion neither proved, nor disproved, the moving of God’s grace among people.

“After testing the revival for evidences of true piety, which essentially involved devotion to Jesus as Savior, reverence for and sound interpretation of Scripture, Edwards concluded that it indeed was the work of the Spirit of God,” Dr. Joel Beeke writes,

The First Great Awakening, as previously noted, had both its detractors and supporters. In order to reconcile both sides, Edwards’ wrote Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival of Religion. Edwards took great effort to denounce the extremists from both perspectives.

“Edwards enlarges and develops the arguments put forward in his The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, with the aim of defending this unprecedented period of revival against the unjust words of its critics and the overzealous excesses of its friends, both of which, he feared, would quench the Spirit and put a stop to the blessing,” an Edwards’ biographer explains.

Edwards sought to answer the following questions. One author states, “What is a revival? How is it to be recognized? Is it a genuine work of the Spirit of God? If it is, then how is revival to be guarded against the spurious errors and unspiritual tendencies of its over-zealous promoters? These are the questions taken up and ably answered by ‘the theologian of revival’, who, in God’s providence, has supplied future generations of Christians with a sure guide on this vital subject.”

When Minister Charles Chauncey (705-1787), of Boston’s famed First Church, denounced the Awakening in Seasonable Thoughts On the State of Religion in New England (1743), Edwards responded with Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (1746). In what is considered one of his most important works, Edwards distinguished between true and false religious experience.

In 1958, biblical commentator Philip Edgcumbe Hughes wrote about Jonathan Edwards in Christianity Today magazine. “Ever since Pentecost, there have been revivals, and there have been other Peters who have won multitudes to Christ. Occasionally and tragically, there have been revivalists who were interested first in the living they could make. As for laymen, too often the Christian experience became a matter of periodicity; in between the annual excitement of being “revived,” they lapsed into a corpse-like coma. Of the meaning of true revival, few seem to have an understanding, ” he stated,

“This year, which marks the two hundredth anniversary of the death of Jonathan Edwards, evangelicals would do well to turn back to the writings of that remarkable man of God who was so notably used as an instrument of revival in New England. They would find of particular interest Edwards’ Faithful Narrative of Surprising Conversions, his Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New England, and his Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. Add to these the penetrating Treatise on Religious Affections, and you have a study of the subject of revival, its various aspects and operations, which for depth of perception and scriptural insight has never been surpassed, and is as relevant to our day as it was to his.”

“In approaching the discussion of this subject, Edwards has one overruling principle, namely, that “we are to take the Scriptures as our guide” and to resort to them as “an infallible and sufficient rule.” Doing this, we shall recognize that “the Holy Spirit is sovereign in his operation.”

The First Great Awakening can best be summarized in one sentence by Edwards’ himself. “There was an appearance of a glorious progress of the work of God upon the hearts of sinners, in conviction and conversion, this summer and autumn, and great numbers,  I think we have reason to hope, were brought safely home to Christ,” he wrote, in 1741.

May such a work of God, in bringing many souls safely home to Christ, be seen in our lives today. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!   

“Historians call it the First Great Awakening. It remains one of the most significant events in United States history.” – Dr. Stephen J. Nichols

The First Great Awakening had not only its supporters but also its detractors. The movement had its proponents, opponents and zealots. Let’s examine all three.

Jonathan Edwards’ was the First Great Awakening’s strongest supporter, along with evangelist George Whitefield. As one author explains, “If Edwards was the Awakenings great theologian, then Whitefield was the Awakening’s great evangelist.”

Another supporter was Gilbert Tennent. At the time, he was a well-known Presbyterian minister. His sermon The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry caused a strong reaction the church. Dr. Stephen J. Nichols explains, “The sermon helped lead to a split in the Presbyterian church between the New Side and the Old Side. In the Congregational churches, where Edwards roamed, the split was referred to as New Lights and Old Lights.”  

However, there were also opponents to the movement. As previously mentioned, these were the Old Lights. One such detractor was Charles Chauncy. Along with his criticism of the behavior of recent converts and the lack of proper decorum, he was opposed to the movement’s underlying theology, which stressed the sovereignty of God in salvation. This was because Chauncy was a universalist who believed that everyone was destined for heaven.

The zealots were fanatical in their opposition to the First Great Awakening. Whereas the recently converted displayed great emotion in their conversion, ministers like James Davenport displayed great emotion in their opposition. He referred to Edwards, and other pastors like him, as wolves in sheep’s clothing. He also led in public bonfires for the burning of books. Later on, Davenport regretted his actions, but the damage was already done.

Yale College, Edwards’ alma mater, was split down the middle regarding the First Great Awakening. On September 10, 1741 Edwards delivered the annual commencement address for the new school year. His text was I John 4:1-6. He identified five marks which demonstrated an authentic work by the Holy Spirit. The sermon resulted in the published work entitled The Distinguishing Marks of a Word by the Spirit of God (1741).

Edwards set forth five marks to indicate an authentic work by the Holy Spirit. Those marks of a true work (1) raises people’s esteem of Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world; (2) leads them to turn from the corruptions and lusts to the righteousness of God; (3) increases their regard for Holy Scriptures; (4) establishes their minds in the objective truths of revealed religion; and (5) evokes genuine love for God and man.

May these marks of a true work by the Holy Spirit be seen in our lives today. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.” (Deuteronomy 32:35 (ESV)

Jonathan Edwards was the most vigorous defender of The Great Awakening. He believed the Holy Spirit truly moved among the people of the American Colonies in 1740-1742. This awakening not only brought about conversions unto salvation in Jesus Christ, but also brought about a renewed commitment by believers in Christ to personal consecration and holiness.

The pinnacle of the Great Awakening occurred on July 8, 1741. Jonathan Edwards was in Enfield, Conn. for a midweek service. He was not scheduled to preach that night. However, the intended preacher became ill and Edwards provided pulpit supply. His text was Deuteronomy 32:35. Dr. Stephen J. Nichols explains what then occurred.

“Edwards delivered what is likely the most famous and the most read sermon ever preached on American soil, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The drama overwhelmed the crowd. They shrieked and cried out. But the drama did not stem from Edwards’ technique. Rather than whoop up the crowd into a frenzy, Edwards waited for the congregation to regain its composure, and then he pressed on in his sermon. The drama came not in the technique but in the truth, the truth of eternal damnation, the truth that all of us are on the precipice of eternal judgment. The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow is pointed directly at us. We are like spiders dangling over the pit of hell, saved from the flames for the time being by a mere thread. God used Edwards’ words to pierce hearts.”

“Edwards equally matched his imagery of judgment with imagery of redemption. Christ has ‘flung the door of mercy wide open and stands in the door crying and calling with a loud voice to poor sinners.’ This was passion for the gospel.”  

“Edwards had preached the sermon a month earlier in his own church with little visible effect. But when he delivered it at Enfield, a powerful revival occurred. Sinners were convicted and souls were shaken. Edwards was forced to motion for silence as people clung to the pews for fear of dropping into hell,” Dr. Steven J. Lawson states

We must again note that drama of that evening was not sourced in Edwards’ preaching technique. The drama was not in technique but rather in truth. Edwards preached the truth of eternal damnation and God’s eternal judgment of sinners without faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit brought conviction of sin. This distinguishes Edwards from being a motivational speaker to being a herald of the Word of God.

Eternal damnation is a truth which continues to be denied today, by even some well-meaning pastors. However, it remains a truth to be preached, leading to the gospel to be believed (Romans 1:16-17).

Soli deo Gloria!

“It was no ‘superstitious panic,’ but a plentiful effusion of the Holy Ghost.” – George Whitefield

“Now, God is pleased again to pour out His Spirit upon us; and He is doing great things among us…You have had your life spared through these six years past, to this very time, to another outpouring of the Spirit.” –Jonathan Edwards, 1740.

The surprising work of God broke through the spirit of slumber among the people of Northampton in the 1730’s. Unfortunately, this gave way to “a long season of coldness and indifference” to the Word of God in the beginning of the 1740’s. However, “The Great Awakening broke upon the slumbering churches like a thunderbolt rushing out of a clear sky, ”  one minister wrote.

The Great Awakening, often referred to as the First Great Awakening or the Evangelical Revival, was a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the 1740s. The revival movement permanently affected Protestant churches as believers in Christ strove to renew their individual holiness and religious devotion to God and His Word.

The Great Awakening marked the emergence of American evangelicalism as a multi-denominational movement within the Protestant churches. The movement built on the foundations of three older traditions: Puritanism, Pietism and Presbyterianism. The major leaders of the revival include evangelist George Whitefield, John & Charles Wesley along with Jonathan Edwards. All of them articulated a theology of recommitment and salvation that transcended denominational boundaries. This helped to forge a common evangelical unity.

Characteristics of the Great Awakening were several. These included a passion for the doctrinal imperatives of the 16^th century Protestant Reformation, an emphasis on the providential outpourings of the Holy Spirit, and the extemporaneous and expository preaching of God’s Word.

“Throughout New England, it is estimated that out of a population of 300,000, between 25,000 and 50,000 new members were added to the churches during the revival,” Dr. Steven J. Lawson states,

People became aware of a sense of deep personal conviction of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. This repentance of sin and trust in Christ as Savior and Lord also fostered introspection and commitment to a new standard of personal and biblical morality. Revival theology stressed that religious conversion was not only an intellectual assent to correct Christian doctrine but had to be initiated by the “new birth” or regeneration (John 3:1-8). This was done solely by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of God’s Word.. The leading proponents also taught that receiving an assurance of salvation was a normal expectation in the Christian life.

“In 1740–42, God brought about another season of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as awakening came not only to the churches up and down the Colonies, but also in the lands of Old England. In Old England, George Whitefield and brothers John and Charles Wesley preached to tens of thousands—mostly gathered outdoors. Soon, Whitefield crossed the Atlantic and preached to crowds of similar size in the Colonies. An indefatigable evangelist, Whitefield crisscrossed the Atlantic and logged thousands of miles on horseback,” Dr. Stephen J. Nichols explains,

The Great Awakening would produce one of the most famous and most read sermons ever preached in America. Jonathan Edwards would be an instrument God would use to proclaim it. Join us next time as we examine Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.   

Soli deo Gloria!

“Jonathan Edwards’ first letter was an account of the outpouring of the Spirit of God. His first published sermon was a clear proclamation of the sovereignty of God in the work of redemption. His first book chronicled a revival. Awakening was a dominant theme of the life and ministry of Jonathan Edwards.” – Dr. Stephen J. Nichols, 2018.

In 1739 Jonathan Edwards preached a series of thirty sermons in his church at Northampton, Massachusetts. These sermons were based on Isaiah 51:8: “For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.” Edwards crafted a book containing these messages. He entitled the book A History of the Work of Redemption.

A History of the Work of Redemption traced God’s work of redemption from the beginning to the end of history. It was Edwards’ pronouncement of the truth of the gospel.

Whatever originality the book possesses is literary and theological. Edwards’ used figures of speech to connect the events of redemption history. These included the metaphors of a river and its tributaries, a tree and its branches, the construction of a building, the conduct of war, and “a wheel,” or “a machine composed of wheels” reminiscent of Ezekiel’s vision of the divine throne chariot and of clockwork.

The book also consists of Edwards’ examination of typology, the practice of interpreting things, persons, or events (the “type”) as symbols or prefiguration’s of future realities (the “antitype”). Protestants had restricted typology to figures, actions, and objects in the Old Testament which foreshadowed forth Christ as their antitype. Edwards interprets the New Testament typologically as well, arguing that relevant passages prefigure events in the church’s later history. Most radically, Edwards interprets nature typologically.

Finally, Edwards’ placed great emphasis on the objective and historical side of God’s act of redemption. The perspective was rare in Puritanism, which tended to stress the redemption’s application to the individual souls of sinners.

A History of the Work of Redemption is structured as follows.

General Introduction.

I. From the Fall to the Incarnation.

A. From the Fall to the Flood.

B. From the Flood to the calling of Abraham.

C. From Abraham to Moses.

D. From Moses to David.

E. From David to the Babylonian Captivity.

F. From the Captivity to Christ.

G. Improvement of the First PERIOD.

II. From Christ’s Incarnation to his Resurrection.

A. Of Christ’s Incarnation.

B. The Purchase of Redemption.

C. Improvement of the Second PERIOD.

III. From Christ’s Resurrection the End of the World.

A. Scriptural Representations of this PERIOD.

B. How Christ was capacitated for effecting his Purpose.

C. Established Means of Success.

D. How the Success was carried on.

E. To the Destruction of Jerusalem.

A History of the Work of Redemption is available as a free download at monergism.com. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“We acknowledge that some particular appearances in the work of conversion among men may be occasioned by the ministry which they sit under, whether it be of a more or less evangelical strain, whether it be more severe and affrighting, or more gentle and persuasive. But wheresoever God works with power for salvation upon the minds of men, there will be some discoveries of a sense of sin, of the danger of the wrath of God, and the all-sufficiency of his Son Jesus, to relieve us under all our spiritual wants and distresses, and a hearty consent of soul to receive him in the various offices of grace, wherein he is set forth in the Holy Scriptures.” – Isaac Watts & John Guyse, 1737.  

It was in 1734 that Jonathan Edwards witnessed the first occasion of spiritual power and success in his pastoral ministry. It was in December of that year that Edwards wrote the following words in an article entitled The Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God.

“In the latter part of December, 1734, the Spirit of God began extraordinarily to set in, and wonderfully to work amongst us; and there were, very suddenly, one after another, five or six persons, who were to all appearances savingly converted.”

The conversion of souls continued in the initial weeks of 1735. A great interest and concern of the Christian Gospel began to take hold upon the residents of Northampton. A noticeable difference in behavior and conviction began to be seen in the life of the town.

Edwards wrote, “The minds of people were wonderfully taken off from the world. It was treated amonst us as a thing of very little consequence. When once the Spirit of God began to be so wonderfully poured out in a general way through the town, people had soon done with their old quarrels, backbiting’s, and intermeddling with other men’s matters. The tavern was soon left empty and persons kept very much at home.”

The surprising work of God reached its peak in March and April of 1735. Edwards’ biographer Iain Murry explains, “Edwards believed the work of conversion appeared to be at the rate, at least, of four persons in a day, or near thirty in a week.”

This surprising work was not uniformly believed or received by others within New England. A widespread revival was unheard of at that time. Edwards’ contemporaries, Isaac Watts and John Guyse with whom he corresponded and who lived in England, not only believed the news but shared it with their congregations. They said, “So strange and surprising work of God that we have not heard anything like it since the Reformation…should be published and left upon record.”

“ The most successful method of preaching is that which aims at thorough and radical convictions of sin. The law must be applied with power to the conscience, or the precociousness of grace will be inadequately known.” – James Henley Thornwell

Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Awakening was a dominant theme of the life and ministry of Jonathan Edwards.” – Stephen J. Nichols, 2018.

 “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:1–8 (ESV)

Jonathan Edwards was committed to the biblical doctrine of the sovereignty of God. Throughout the 1730’s, he consistently preached the doctrines of God’s grace to the congregation of Northampton. He understood that true conversion, along with true revival, is solely the product of the Holy Spirit’s work through the preaching of the Word of God by the faithful man of God.

In 1734, Edwards preached a sermon titled A Divine and Supernatural Light. “When dead souls rise to new life, when blind eyes see the beauty of the gospel, and when deaf ears hear the transforming truth of the redemptive work of Christ—all of this is because of the divine and supernatural light. It is not a human or a natural light. Spiritual awakening comes from heaven above,” Edwards stated,

Edwards was not only concerned about the conversion of the lost, but also deeply concerned about the spiritual growth and maturity of his believing congregation. He faced the challenge of promoting godliness within the Northampton church that often seemed to lapse into spiritual indifference. The fervent task of the faithful pastor has remained the same.

“To correct the errors into which some had fallen during the last years of (Solomon) Stoddard’s pastorate, Edwards focused his preaching in the early 1730’s on common, specific sins. He urged people to repent and to embrace the gospel by faith, explains Dr. Joel Beeke. ”

Edwards’ sermons resulted in a series of spiritual “awakenings” at Northampton. Edwards described, in his first book entitled Faithful Narrative of Surprising Conversions in the winter of 1734-1735, that young people and their parents responded to biblical truth with renewed interest. They began examining both their public and private behavior.

“People who visited Northampton noticed the change of spiritual climate and returned to their homes bearing Edwards’s message. Meanwhile, independently of Northampton, the Holy Spirit brought revival to other places as well,” Dr. Beeke states.

The periodic awakenings which took place in the Connecticut River Valley in the mid to late 1730’s would serve as a prelude for what the Lord would bring forth in the early 1740’s throughout the American colonies and beyond. More to come.

Soli deo Gloria!    

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—“ (Ephesians 2:1–5 (ESV)

“It is affecting to think how ignorant I was, when as a young Christian, of the bottomless, infinite depths of wickedness, pride, hypocrisy and deceit left in my heart.” – Jonathan Edwards

One of the most fertile places in the Christian’s pilgrimage is what Puritan John Bunyan called the Valley of Humiliation. It is in this so-called valley that the believer in Christ becomes acutely aware of the depths of their sinfulness prior to their conversion and the heights of God’s graciousness that brought about their conversion. It is in this valley that man’s erroneous perspective of free-will is finally discarded and God’s free and sovereign grace is fervently embraced and appreciated.

It was in this valley that Edwards began to acquire a deepening understanding of God’s sovereign and divine grace in salvation. Like many other before him, and after him, Edwards became aware of the real nature of sin, and fallen man’s inability to independently repent of sin and believe the Gospel unto salvation. He came to understand that God saves sinners according to His good pleasure and for the praise of His glorious and sovereign grace alone (Eph. 1:3-11).

As a youth, Edwards had no affection at all with the doctrine that God appoints men to salvation. However, as he grew in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), he acquired a heart-felt awareness of the power and depth of sin in the unconverted individual.

“Spiritual experience and sound theology go together. Accordingly, the Reformers, and the Puritans after them, had attributed opposition to the doctrines of grace as evidence of spiritual ignorance. Men must be saved by sovereign mercy or not at all, and the more he (Edwards) saw of this way of salvation – God giving grace to those who had no claim or right – the more he saw his own dependence upon it,” Edwards’ biographer Iain Murray explains,

“It appears to me that were it not for free grace, exalted and raised up to the infinite height of all the fullness and glory of the great Jehovah, and the arm of His power and grace stretched forth in all the majesty of His power, and in all the glory of His sovereignty, I should appear sunk down in my sins below hell itself – far beyond the sight of everything but the eye of sovereign grace that can pierce even down to such a depth, ”  Edwards wrote,

Edwards was deeply impacted by the biblical doctrine that God owes salvation to no one and that He may justly withhold pardon from any. To say otherwise, is to deny the very concept and definition of grace itself. For if anyone believes that grace is deserved, then it is no longer grace that they believe.

Have you had your own valley of humiliation? I pray you have as I have. May the Lord be glorified and praised by us today.

Soli deo Gloria!

“As the philosopher he could discern, and discern truly, between the sterling and the counterfeit in Christianity –still it was as the humble and devoted pastor that Christianity was made, or Christianity was multiplied, in his hands.” – Thomas Chalmers.

Jonathan Edwards not only left behind a whole host of messages and sermons, but also personal reflections in his diaries. He referred to these entries as his Personal Narrative. These were primarily composed in the 1730’s while he served as the pastor of the church in Northampton.

“While telling us nothing of his outward life, the document gives us the key to his mind and, as Cromwell once told the English Parliament, ‘The mind is the man’,” explains Edwards’ biographer Iain Murray.

What follow are excerpts from Edwards’ Personal Narrative. The personal knowledge of God is the main theme.

• “God is the highest good of the reasonable creature. The enjoyment of him is our proper; and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Better than fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of any, or all earthly friends. These are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean.”
• “God’s purpose for my life was that I have a passion for God’s glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion.”
• “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.”
• “A truly humble man is sensible of his natural distance from God; of his dependence on Him; of the insufficiency of his own power and wisdom; and that it is by God’s power that he is upheld and provided for, and that he needs God’s wisdom to lead and guide him, and His might to enable him to do what he ought to do for Him.”
• “If I murmur in the least at affliction, if I am in any way uncharitable, if I revenge my own case, if I do anything purely to please myself or omit anything because it is a great denial, if I trust myself, if I take any praise for any good which Christ does by me, or if I am in any way proud, I shall act as my own and not God’s.”
• “Since I came to this town, I have often had sweet complacency in God, in views of His glorious perfections and the excellency of Jesus Christ. God has appeared to me a glorious and lovely Being; chiefly the account of His holiness. The holiness of God has always appeared to me the most lovely of all His attributes.”

Today, consider beginning a personal narrative of your own concerning God. What attributes of God completely captivate you? Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!   

²⁸ “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ³⁰ And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ³¹ so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:28–31 (ESV)

Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon God Glorified in Man’s Dependence on the Public Lecture in Boston, MA. July 8, 1731. The sermon was published at the request of several ministers and others in Boston who heard Edwards preach it. It was the first sermon Edwards published. What follows is a brief excerpts.

“Those Christians to whom the apostle directed this epistle, dwelt in a part of the world where human wisdom was in great repute; as the apostle observes in the 22nd verse of this chapter, “The Greeks seek after wisdom.” Corinth was not far from Athens that had been for many ages the most famous seat of philosophy and learning in the world. The apostle therefore observes to them, how God by the gospel destroyed, and brought to naught, their wisdom. The learned Grecians, and their great philosophers, by all their wisdom did not know God, they were not able to find out the truth in divine things. But, after they had done their utmost to no effect, it pleased God at length to reveal himself by the gospel, which they accounted foolishness. He “chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world, and things that are despised, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught the things that are.” And the apostle informs them in the text why he thus did; ‘That no flesh should glory in his presence’.”

“First, all the good that they have is in and through Christ; He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. [1 Cor. I. 30.] All the good of the fallen and redeemed creature is concerned in these four things, and cannot be better distributed than into them; but Christ is each of them to us, and we have none of them any otherwise than in him. He is made of God unto us wisdom: in him are all the proper good and true excellency of the understanding. Wisdom was a thing that the Greeks admired; but Christ is the true light of the world; it is through him alone that true wisdom is imparted to the mind. It is in and by Christ that we have righteousness: it is by being in him that we are justified, have our sins pardoned, and are received as righteous into God’s favor. It is by Christ that we have sanctification: we have in him true excellency of heart as well as of understanding; and he is made unto us inherent as well as imputed righteousness. It is by Christ that we have redemption, or the actual deliverance from all misery, and the bestowment of all happiness and glory. Thus we have all our good by Christ, who is God.”

“Secondly, another instance wherein our dependence on God for all our good appears, is this, that it is God that has given us Christ, that we might have these benefits through him; he of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, etc.”

“Thirdly, it is of him that we are in Christ Jesus, and come to have an interest in him, and so do receive those blessings which he is made unto us. It is God that gives us faith whereby we close with Christ.”

So that in this verse is shown our dependence on each person in the Trinity for all our good. We are dependent on Christ the Son of God, as he is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. We are dependent on the Father, who has given us Christ, and made him to be these things to us. We are dependent on the Holy Ghost, for it is of him that we are in Christ Jesus; it is the Spirit of God that gives faith in him, whereby we receive him, and close with him.”

The complete manuscript may be accessed at monergism.com. Have a blessed day in the LORD.

Soli deo Gloria!