1 Peter 1:6 is one of my all-time favorite verses of Scripture. I came to appreciate it during a very difficult season of my life as we studied through 1 Peter in one of my college Greek classes.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,

Trials are tough. That’s why they are called trials and not recess. But trials can be a great benefit to us as they tend to accomplish three things. First, they weed out the posers. Posers aren’t typically interested in playing the game once it gets difficult or if it causes them to suffer. A profession of faith—if that’s all it is—isn’t worth maintaining if it involves pain. When things get tough, the non-legit get going.

Second, trials prove the genuineness of faith. This is the other side of the coin seen clearly in verse seven:

so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Not only do trials tend to weed out the hypocrites, they also reveal the ones who are real. Only a true believer is going to keep following over the long haul regardless of the cost. Perseverance through hardships is a confirmation of genuine faith.

And then third, trials purify faith. Suffering refines us from impurities, as the dross is purged from gold by fire. At the end of that testing, the gold is stronger, purer, more lustrous, and more valuable.

But this is more than just a mini-sermon on trials. Notice what comes next in verse 8.

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

Coming out of verse seven we see authentic, non-contaminated, strengthened faith. And when faith is real, verse eight explains that it displays itself in two ways. The first is LOVE for Christ (v.8a). The reason Peter’s readers willingly endured persecution and suffering was because of love; they were devoted to Him. They exposed themselves to all kinds of difficulties was because they had a stronger devotion to Christ than their own physical survival. Pure faith demonstrates deep love for Christ.

Genuine, purified religion also exercises itself through JOY in Christ (v.8b). Bona fide faith functions with joy, and not a little amount of it. Note that the degree of this joy is “inexpressible and filled with glory.” This is an overflowing, beyond-words joy and happiness that flies above circumstances. This unspeakable joy is a supernatural delight in Christ too strong to be described or conveyed with human words.

And 1 Peter 1:8 is the beginning and basis of Jonathan Edwards’ book, The Religious Affections. Edwards’ concern in the RA is to distinguish true religion* from false. Part I of his book launches from this discussion on trials to the nature and importance of affections. In particular, as trials prove and purify faith, what we see coming out of that faith is love and joy; in other words, affections . True religion is always rooted in affections.

The rest of Part I in the RA sets out to define affections and prove that authentic Christianity is found in the affections. We follow JE’s argument by considering three things: An Explanation of Religious Affections, The Evidence for Religious Affections in Scripture, and Some Exhortations Concerning Religious Affections.

* Please remember, when JE (and I) used the word “religion,” he meant it as another word for biblical Christianity. “Religion” in the 18th century did not have all the negative, legalistic, external, and oppressive connotations as it does today. So Edwards is not referring to a works based system; it is simply a synonym for Christianity.

An EXPLANATION of Religious Affections

I understand that if we don’t get a clear definition of affections in our minds we’ll be building on a weak foundation.

I also should admit that Part I of The Religious Affections was the most difficult for me to grasp. I’ve gotten stuck in the beginning of the book at least two or three times. The reason is because Edwards not only far exceeds my intelligence and insight, but because he starts his explanation by drawing distinctions between the different parts of man. But having meditated on this section for a while now, I think I’m tracking with him and I believe his explanation is extremely helpful.

Edwards said that God has given man two internal—that is, not physical—faculties or powers or abilities. Namely, each person has a head and a heart; understanding and affection.

With the head we are able to know certain things. With our head we can view things and think about things and distinguish between things.

But the heart goes beyond just evaluating or considering. With the heart we are either drawn toward what we see or are repelled from it. It is more than knowing; we like or dislike; we are pleased or displeased; we approve or reject. This second part is what JE calls various things, like “inclinations,” “will,” “heart,” and then of course, “affections.”

Note that “affections” for Edwards are not the same as emotions, nor are they simply feelings or some mystical sense. Affections are deeper and broader than those things. Our affections are like a ship’s rudder, providing an orientation to our lives. Or even better, they are like a magnetic force that pulls us toward some things and causes us to repel others.

So our affections are the part of us that puts feet on the knowledge. They can take us one of two ways: either toward what we like in approving and being pleased with it or away from what we are opposed to and reject.

The following is a simple chart to illustrate the direction and degrees of affections.

There are only two ways the affections take us, but the degrees are endless. For example, some of our being pleased or displeased, approving or disapproving moves us maybe but just a bit beyond “perfect indifference.” In those cases affections are present, but they are thin. Then we have other affections that make us react vigorously or violently in opposition or passionately and zealously in pursuit. The more exercised and lively the affections, the more likely emotions are to be involved and perhaps sometimes even bodily reactions.

Some of the “positive” affections are love, hope, joy, gratitude, pleasure, etc. Some of the “negative” affections are hatred, fear, anger, grief. And then there are some affections that are mix, such as pity—a love for the victim but anger toward the criminal.

So even though the language may be imprecise, the heart is basically the same as the will. We know (with the head) and we respond (with the affections), sometimes strongly and other times not as strong. But any response is a work of our affections. Our affections then, positive or negative, strong or weak, are what determine every one of our choices.

All of us live by our affections. No one lives outside of this process. Everything we do comes out of our affections. Every choice is determined by our desires. And here is the kicker: We always do what we WANT to do , whatever seems most pleasing to us at the time. We NEVER go against our affections .

Some of you may be having a little argument in your head right now, thinking “I don’t always want to do my homework” or “I don’t really want to do the dishes.” But while your dislike of homework or dishes may be very strong and a genuine affection, if you go ahead and complete your homework or wash the dishes there is evidently a stronger affection that overcomes the other. Maybe it is fear of being punished or losing your allowance. Maybe it’s pride that hates being humiliated. Either way, you always do what you most want to do, and what you want to do are called affections.

The application for the Christian should be obvious: religious affections are wants, likings and dislikings, approving and disapprovings, that move us toward spiritual things. Affections are not optional for the life of faith, they are the center of it. As Edwards puts it:

True religion, in great part, consists in Holy Affections.

And here is where embarrassment sets in. If we always do what we want to do, then when we sin, we wanted sin more than God. When we are impatient, we show that we have more affection for ourselves than for God’s display of Himself through providence. When we fall asleep in church, we show that we wanted to worship our comfort more than worship God. It applies to every situation and circumstance we’re in: we do whatever our affections are strongest for, and they should be strongest for God.

Well maybe all of that sounds too simple to be true. What we really need to know is, is it biblical? That leads to our second point,

The EVIDENCE for Religious Affections in Scripture

Edwards lists 10 proofs from Scripture that true religion consists in the affections. I’ve taken liberty to combine a couple of them, reorder them a bit, and even rephrase them. And though there isn’t enough time to cover each one of them as detailed as he does, I could think of nothing better than that you would go to work on The Religious Affections yourself. But it is important to follow his flow of thought and build a solid, Scriptural foundation as we think about the importance of religious affections.

1. God made us to be moved by affections.

Affections are the “spring of men’s actions.” That is how God created us and this is why we are told to pay close attention to our hearts. For example, our affections determine our choices:

Proverb 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

What we choose in life comes out of the heart. That is why we must be careful to guard our hearts, because if our hearts go wrong our lives will go wrong.

Affections are also the source of our words:

Matthew 12:34 … For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

What you are thinking about and longing for is what you talk about. Our mouths are filled with the object of our affections. God made it so that the things we choose and the subjects we discuss come from the heart. Edwards described it like this:

Such is man’s nature that is is very inactive any otherwise than he is influenced by some affection, either love or hatred, desire, hope, fear or some other. These affections we see to be the springs that get men a-going. (p.29)

We don’t act unless there is some love drawing us or some fear repelling us. This is true in our daily experience. We are dull and listless when we are tired and un-motivated, or perhaps the more accurate way to say it is, when the strongest affection is for our comfort as manifested in our laziness.

The significance is that knowledge alone does not get a person following God. A person may have the best intellectual understanding of God, but if he doesn’t love Him he will not worship or obey Him. Theology is insufficient without corresponding affections. So,

In a word, there never was anything considerable brought to pass in the heart or life of any man living, by the things of religion, that had not his heart deeply affected by those things. (p.31)

Until the heart is affected there will be no movement toward, or for, God. That is because God made us to be moved by affections.

2. God does not accept affection-less religion.

Edwards said,

The religion which God requires and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless wishes, raising us but a little above a state of indifference. (p.27)

God is not pleased when our pursuit of Him takes us but a baby step past disinterest. A weak, half-step toward Him simply does not glorify His infinite worth. Instead, God in His Word greatly insists that our affections be vigorous, lively, and totally involved. For example, the apostle Paul states in Romans 12:11,

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

This is not a new requirement. Moses told the Israelites that based on the character of God their affections were to be fully exercised.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

The things of religion are so great and big and majestic and glorious that nothing else should or can move our affections like God. Our affections cannot rise too high because He is infinitely valuable. At the same time, nothing is so out of proportion, so odious as luke-warm, half-heartedness. God does not want our love only when it is convenient or when we give Him our left-overs.

This is why Christianity is so often compared to things where men have their affections and hearts engaged the most such as running a race, wrestling or agonizing for a great prize, fighting strong enemies seeking our very lives, or warring as those who by violence take a city. Finishing a marathon doesn’t happen without strong desire. Wrestling to win won’t happen if all we have is knowledge about the sport. Soldiers will not fight and survive if they are disinterested. And in a similar way as all of these, passion must predominate the Christian life. So Edwards summarizes,

If we be not (intensely wholehearted) in religion, and our wills and inclinations be not strongly exercised, we are nothing. (p.28)

Wherever there is true religion there will be lively and strong affections. God does not accept less.

We’ll consider the remaining scriptural evidences for affections, as well as some exhortations, at our next Sunday evening service.