31. Resolved, Never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is
perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of christian honour, and of love to
mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and
failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said any thing
against any one, to bring it to, and try it strictly by, the test of this
Resolution.
1. Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God,
and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration;
without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many
myriads of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and
most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved, so to do,
whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.
I can’t do this on my own. Period.
Thus begins my study of Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions.
As great as resolutions seem, quite the timely subject considering we are now in 2010, they are worthless without the Spirit’s work through them. How arrogant would it be, after salvation accomplished by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, to assume I could achieve holiness on my own. To become like Christ, I need Christ. I need His Spirit actively working in me. Sure, there’s a place for maximum human effort (MHE). But pursuing the goal alone? No.
Holiness. God defines holiness. It describes His very nature. I am called to this standard:
But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
I am called to this holy standard for one purpose – the glory of God.
The very first question in the Westminster Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”
When I read through this first resolution, my mind is drawn to a psalm of David:
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
God receives the glory when I find my delight in Him. When everything else this world offers looks ugly and God looks beautiful, as He truly is, and my desire is to glorify Him, God will give me the desire of my heart – His name glorified.
Practically speaking, how can I pursue the glory of God:
“for my own good, profit, and pleasure”? To be eternally-minded, growing in understanding how to better focus my life completely on Christ, would benefit me far greater than any earthly pursuit.
“without any consideration of time”? God is outside of time. He created me. I am His slave. To use time as an excuse to ignore God and pursue my own glory would be the biggest shame. How can I, a new creature, pursue the dead creature I once was? It is out of the question.
“for the good and advantage of mankind in general”? Making much of Christ, glorifying His name above all else…isn’t that what the gospel is about?
“whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever”? Even when I’m discouraged by others, I should not let them discourage me from giving God the glory in front of them. Christ loved me; therefore, I should love others.
Before embarking on his journey to pursue holiness through seventy written goal statements, Edwards determined to set his course right at the outset.
Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him, by his grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.
Dr. Lawson, in his commentary on Edwards’ pursuit of holiness, “The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards,” summarizes the Preamble, dividing it into 5 themes.
Today, I want to focus in on Humble Submission.
Honestly, God amazes me in how He orchestrates my study decisions. I started out a month or so ago reading Mahaney’s book on humility. He suggested further study (and practical application) of humility through the study of the incommunicable attributes of God. That suggestion led me to A.W. Pink. I chose to start with God’s sovereignty (as you might have ascertained based on the themes of many posts over the last month. I am still striving to understand God more, particularly as His sovereignty is portrayed throughout the events of Scripture.) In addition to my study on God’s sovereignty, I picked up Dr. Lawson’s book on Edwards. (I recalled the many times I’ve heard godly teachers encourage me to rehearse God’s grace through reading good biographies on the lives of the great heroes of the faith.) Incidentally, Edwards was a man whose life was centered around the sovereignty of God. (This is my story in a nutshell – how I started in personal humility and ended up in the pursuit of holiness, lived out in the Resolutions of one man, Jonathan Edwards.)
Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
The Resolutions, not only for Edwards, but also for me, today, should not be an attempt to gain holiness without the Spirit’s work or for my own personal, God-less desires. Dr. Lawson writes of Edwards, “…the ‘Resolutions’ must be a humble attempt to submit himself to the will of God in all things, for God’s will rules. God had charted a course for his life, one that was ‘good and acceptable and perfect’ (Rom. 12:2), and he must submit to that divine plan in and through his ‘Resolutions.’”
In addition to my study of the sovereignty of God and Edwards and his Resolutions, I have also picked up a reading plan I followed earlier in the year. The plan (Prof. Horner’s Bible-Reading System – download) sets up 10 chapters throughout the Bible to read each day. The benefit of this system is that it gives the reader an opportunity to see God’s hand in the big picture. Today was a great example of seeing God for who He really is. He is like the flawless diamond in that there are so many facets (characteristics/attributes), each with a different colored beam of light. Today (Day 51) had me reading the following chapters of the Bible:
These are just a few of the observations that can be gleaned from the passages above. I am in awe. How can I stand before such an awesome and holy God? Were it not for His Son, Christ Jesus….
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:3-4
In my study of Jonathan Edwards, I came across a biographical section where the town he ministered in experienced a “mini” revival. Edwards wrote:
“The town seemed to be full of the presence of God; it never was so full of love, nor so full of joy….There were remarkable tokens of God’s presence in almost every house…everyone [was] earnestly intent on the public worship.”
I know I’m far from perfect; even my worship is tainted with sin and selfishness. I also know that God is not finished with me.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
Sanctification is a process. I want to do my part, as Edwards pursued in his Resolutions, to strive for holiness.
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
Maximum Human Effort (MHE)!
With this post, I’m still setting the groundwork for my study of Edwards’ Resolutions. When I came across the quote I posted above, I instantly felt a void in my own life and worship. Unfortunately, I also see it around me in the corporate setting.
The question is: What am I going to do about it?
…it never was so full of love, nor so full of joy….everyone [was] earnestly intent on the public worship.
I don’t want my life to be described as unloving, without joy, or spiritually comatose.
Where is my love – for God, for my brothers and sisters in Christ, for the lost, for the Word of God?
Where is my joy – in Christ’s resurrection, in my salvation, in the living hope & inheritance I have been promised, in Christian fellowship?
Where is my worship – intense, vibrant, true, spiritual, holy, sanctified?
As I contemplate my response to these questions, I realize I have an opportunity even now to practice love, joy, and worship. In the personal setting which I find myself currently, I can implement the following actions, attitudes, and goals:
I find myself with the opportunity to practice these things corporately tomorrow evening at Bible study. I hope my striving for greater love, joy, and worship will be evident & contagious! I pray that God would use me as an instrument of grace in His hand to edify my brothers and sisters and to spur them on to love and good deeds!
I want to share my musings on Edwards’ Resolutions soon, but for now, I will merely post the text from the First Resolution:
1. Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved, so to do, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.
Soli Deo Gloria!
I’m taking on a challenge.
“The beauty of Christianity is the beauty of holiness.” David Vaughan
My problem: I see my life lacking in the pursuit of holiness.
My inspiration: Jonathan Edwards.
My goal: To glorify God with my life. (The ultimate desire of every believer should be the glory of God.)
My action plan: To study and put into practice Edwards’ 70 Resolutions. (As a result of my studies, I plan on jotting down a few thoughts about each resolution; particularly as each one relates to Biblical application, exhortation, and wisdom.)
What I am NOT trying to accomplish:
What I AM trying to accomplish:
My current resources:
I hope God will bless this practical journey toward holiness. To any readers out there, I hope you’ll be encouraged by this challenge I am undertaking. May God also bless your pursuit to be more like Christ!
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