Damning Of The Masses Essay Research Paper
Damning Of The Masses Essay, Research Paper
That if you confess with your oral cavity, & # 8220 ; Jesus is Lord, & # 8221 ; and believe in your bosom that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
& # 8211 ; Romans 10: 9
From the clip we are little kids sitting in Sunday school non able to to the full hold on the love of God that we sing simple vocals about, we are taught that Jesus was sent to earth to love us no affair what. The Puritan fold listening to Jonathan Edwards & # 8217 ; sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God in 1741 were non being taught of this fantastic gift. Though Edwards & # 8217 ; purposes were sincere and good, he put far excessively much accent on the side of judgement that is to be greatly softened by the lesson of love Christ came to earth to do known. This made his invitation to salvation really appealing, but merely through the avenue of fright of what might go on otherwise, non through sincere love for Christ. Because of this, Edwards & # 8217 ; name to Christianity and penitence is non complete.
In Edwards & # 8217 ; discourse, accent is placed on what will go on if we do non set Christ on in baptism, enslaving ourselves to transgress. He uses the fright of God that is emphasized so much in the Bible and twists it merely a spot. The fright we are to hold in God is one of regard and worship of His amazing power. It has the sense of respectful trust in God that includes committedness to his revealed will ( Holy Bible, NIV, Ge. 20:11 note ) . Edwards interprets this fright as trepidation and panic, leting no room for our
psyches to love God as he loves us.
Edwards besides fails to stress a major thematic construct of the Bible & # 8211 ; love. The word love is used in 539 poetries of the Bible. In this discourse it is used merely four times. Merely two of those times straight refer to Christ & # 8217 ; s love for us. Edwards seems to hold shaded this important facet of redemption.
In the really little subdivision of Edwards & # 8217 ; discourse that he gives his hearers a manner out of being dropped like a spider into the ardent lake, he fails to give their panic release, still doing his message into a menace. Jesus ne’er threatened. God ne’er finds pleasance in the damning of work forces & # 8217 ; s psyches. The Lord wishes merely for us to be with him.
I agree with Edwards that if we do non come to Christ and obey His bids that we will pass infinity in snake pit, but I besides believe that our God is a God of infinite grace and love. This is something Edwards seems non to hold felt or appears to hold interpreted in a manner that makes God into a vindictive, covetous God waiting to oppress us at any minute. If lone Edwards would hold realized how important Christ & # 8217 ; s message of love was to the redemption of his fold. His powerful invitation of rescue would hold given people hope and a more healthy sense of urgency. They would hold seen that the lone manner out was non merely leaping in the H2O and shouting & # 8220 ; I & # 8217 ; m safe! & # 8221 ; , but through their ain heads and Black Marias devoted
Bibliography
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Fifth Edition, vol. 1
