Jonathan Edwards On The Justice Of God -- By: Peter Aiken
Journal: Puritan Reformed Journal
Volume: PRJ 06:2 (Jul 2014)
Article: Jonathan Edwards On The Justice Of God
Author: Peter Aiken
PRJ 6:2 (July 2014) p. 88
Jonathan Edwards On The Justice Of God
Increasingly in Christian churches today, the biblical teaching of the eternal damnation of sinners is questioned. The question is often raised how a loving God could eternally punish sinners. At the same time, the question of how God maintains His justice in pardoning sinners of their sins is rarely questioned. But both questions are integral to an understanding of the subject and both need to be addressed if the justice of God is going to be understood.
Jonathan Edwards (
PRJ 6:2 (July 2014) p. 89
Jonathan Edwards
Edwards had a brilliant mind and has been labeled as America’s premier philosopher-theologian.2 But as Iain Murray points out, “The key to an understanding of Jonathan Edwards is that he was a man who put faithfulness to the Word of God before every other consideration.”3 He understood that it was the Christian’s business to honor God and that God will honor His truth and those who are faithful to it.4 While the notion of God’s justice pervades much of Edwards’s writings, he focused on the topic in a number of sermons, which include “The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners,” “God is a Just and Righteous God,” and “The Justice of God in Making Satisfaction for Sin.” His treatment on the justice of God is important for consideration because of the vision of God that had obviously gripped Edwards in his reflection on biblical revelation and is presented through his writings. Whereas the human tendency is to focus on oneself, Edwards insisted on prioritizing the glory of God as the supreme goal of all study. He writes, “The glory o...
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