Day 10: Jonathan Edwards - “The First Great Awakening”
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Introduction
Jonathan Edwards is considered one of the greatest theologians born and raised in the American colonies. Studying theology from a young age, by the time he was 26, he was the head pastor of the largest congregation in the colony. However, his focus was never on the size of his congregation but on the authenticity of their faith. This focus, along with the passion and sincerity of several other pastors at the time, led to what is known as the First Great Awakening.
The First Great Awakening
Edwards had a big heart for the spiritual condition of his church and community. In particular, he questioned whether Christians under his care were showing evidence of true conversion. He was less concerned with the outward appearance of their Christian lives and more about whether they had truly been changed by the gospel or not. He called his congregation to really reflect upon their hearts and determine if they were truly living changed lives or if they had grown complacent in their walks with God.
Edwards had actually assumed leadership of his church from his grandfather, the previous pastor. It would have been easier to simply preach the sermons his congregants wanted to hear and keep the status quo. But he cared less about filling his pews and more about whether he was filling them with genuine Christians.
Edwards’ passionate and sincere messages played a pivotal role in bringing about the First Great Awakening that led many, even those outside of his church, to re-examine their hearts and experience a genuine transformation of their lives.
Reflection
There are many aspects of the Christian life that we may attribute to our faith, but none of them matter if that faith is not genuine. Simply showing up to church does not make someone a Christian. Let us test our hearts and our faith today to ensure that we have not grown complacent in our spiritual walk and that we are wholeheartedly chasing after God with transformed hearts in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.