Does your heart burn with within as grace is exercised? Does God excite your heart as you live out of obedience to Him? True religion is one that changes the way that we use our emotions and respond to God through them. True religion is not just an exercise of the mind.The Spirit of God, in those that have sound and solid religion, is a spirit of powerful holy affection; and therefore, God is said to have given them the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (II Tim. 1:7). And such, when they receive the Spirit of God, in his sanctifying and saving influences, are said to be baptized with the Holy Ghost, and with fire; by reason of the power and fervor of those exercises the Spirit of God excites in their hearts, whereby their hearts, when grace is in exercise, may be said to burn within them; as is said of the disciples (Luke 24:32).
-Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections
1 comment:
It's really something how much emphasis guys like Edwards and the Puritans put on emotions. (And my knowledge of them is minuscule, too.) Not to mention the Psalms, of course. It's a bit of a strawman argument to say that conservative Christians suppress their emotions, but it's nonetheless something we could work on. Thanks for sharing.
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