At the end of each year, I like to think through priorities, goals, and habits as I prepare for the upcoming year. Over the years, I've stumbled over articles and sermons about Jonathan Edwards's Resolutions. Written when he was approaching his twentieth birthday, these resolutions reflect areas of focus and spiritual growth for young Edwards. As a young-ish guy (I'm 33rd birthday!) I want to be "making the best use of the time because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16), so I decided to embark on a more thorough study of Edwards's lifestyle and resolutions. In God's providence, I stumbled upon Matthew Everhard's Holy Living: Jonathan Edwards’s Seventy Resolutions for Living the Christian Life. Everhard is a pastor with a popular Youtube channel detailing his study methods, reviewing Christian resources, and sharing information from his scholarly studies on the life and ministry of Jonathan Edwards.

A Bit of Tension
As a black Christian in America—and yes, my Christian identity trumps my racial identity—I often wrestle with the tension of early American Christianity and slavery. There is clearly nothing deficient about the gospel or biblical ethics. Unfortunately, the rich theology proclaimed in Christian books and sermons from that era didn't always move from head to heart to hand—especially when those hands held slaves. Sadly, Great Awakening heroes like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were guilty of supporting slavery either vocally or silently through their actions. I'm not trying to spark the discussion of how slaves were treated by Christian slaveholders, whether they were just products of their time, or if these men were genuine Christians. These are complex discussions that ought not be handled lightly via social media or blogs. For what it's worth, I hope to see both of these men in heaven worshipping the Lord alongside Africans and people from every other tribe, tongue, and nation (Revelation 7:9).

In Holy Living, Everhard doesn't shy away from this tension of slavery in Jonathan Edwards's life. In fact, he mentions it a couple of times in the opening chapter. I want to zoom in on one specific section where we see Edwards's disciples build upon his blind spots:

"Following his death, Edwards’s legacy continued to rise sharply. His disciples carried on some of his ideas, applying them more courageously than he had in areas of social concern, especially his concept of “benevolence to being in general, ”which meant a love for God and humanity. His son Jonathan Edwards Jr. and his disciple Samuel Hopkins applied their concept of “disinterested benevolence” to race relations and slavery, working toward the abolition of that horrific institution. Like their mentor, they were way ahead of their time. (p. 15; emphasis mine)"

Not Far Enough
Jonathan Edwards thought and wrote deeply on the concept of Christian love and the fruits it bears in the lives of believers. He also taught that all people were created in the image of God—even African slaves. He wrote of the "benevolence of being in general" which emphasized first love for God and then love for other people. Though this teaching didn't shift his practice of slaveholding, it did move and his congregation to receive black and Native American members into their congregation. He would eventually give his life to mission work among Native Americans before passing away from a smallpox inoculation. Though his views and action regarding race and slavery were likely countercultural for his day, we know that Edwards didn't go far enough in renouncing slavery and racism in word or deed. He failed. His whole life wasn't a failure, but he failed to defend the image of God in people who didn't look like him. Like Peter's ethnoreligious blunder in Galatians 2, we could easily say that Edwards's action was "out of step with the gospel" (Galatians 2:14). Perhaps this was a blind spot that was obvious to many in his day and nearly everyone today.

In God's remarkable providence, Jonathan Edwards was an abolitionist—Jonathan Edwards Jr, that is. At least with regard to Edwards's doctrine of benevolence, Jonathan (the younger) and Samuel Hopkins applied the rich theology of their mentor in order to fight against "that horrific institution" called slavery. I imagine young Jonathan looking at Venus, on of the family's slaves, with confusion and perhaps pain in his heart. Perhaps he had wondered why his father taught of benevolence toward all while keeping Venus locked away like a caged bird. Maybe he looked at the society around him and grieved at the atrocities faced by millions of Africans simply used as domestic and agricultural machinery by wealthy Americans. This, of course, is mere speculation. But it is clear that Edwards Jr. was driven by his inherited theology to fight against the ills of racism and slavery.

God is Gracious When We Can't See
Where does this leave us today? I can't speak for others, but I am willing to learn from Jonathan Edwards's life and ministry. I'm willing to learn from both his successes and diligence as well as his frustrations and failures. I'm becoming more willing to bear with the blind spots and folly of pastors and scholars today, too. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't acknowledge sin and unwise action where we see it. It definitely doesn't mean compromising sound doctrine in order to fit in with today's culture. Rather, I want to be more willing to see the good in someone's life and teaching despite being blind in areas that are easy to see. 

Most importantly, I'm reminded that I have my own blind spots. If King Solomon could be blinded by luxurious living and numerous wives, how can I expect to get everything right? If Jonathan Edwards kept most of his seventy resolutions but turned a blind eye to slavery, will the blue light from tiny screens blind me to the distraction and debauchery of our day? If those men can fail, so can I. But there is grace for those who stumble. It is God alone who can keep me from stumbling. He alone can prevent my spiritual legacy from being tarnished by my blind spots and weaknesses. God is light and in Him alone is there no darkness at all.

For more information on Jonathan Edwards and the complex issues of race, see Matthew Everhard's Article "Jonathan Edwards’ Complex Views on Race"

Affilliate Disclosure: I sometimes use affiliate links in my content. This comes at no cost to you and helps me keep writing. Thanks for your continued support! 

Image Credit: ​Photo by lalesh aldarwish from Pexels

Temptation often meets us in our weakest moments. Maybe you're exhausted from a rough night of sleep, and your spouse says something that triggers a volcanic eruption of anger in your heart. Perhaps you both caught COVID while caring for your newborn child, and there's a civil war brewing in your home. Maybe you're on your phone past midnight and pornographic images begin flooding your thoughts and screen as you scroll. Perhaps you've been wronged by a close friend and feel the need to air your grievances about the situation. The combinations are endless, but you get the point. If we ask the Spirit to open our eyes, we'll see more temptation than we've ever realized.

What do you do in moments of temptation? Many times we are too oblivious to see Satan's snares as we dive headlong into sin. Other times we notice the temptation but simply lack the energy or the desire to fight against it. Still other times we grapple with the tempter seeking to win the upper hand before tapping the mat because his chokehold seems just too fierce. As we grow in our faith, though, we increasingly recognize the temptation, remember our armor, and put sin to death. How is it that we should fight temptation to sin?

No Confidence in Ourselves
Until we are saved, we don't have the new life required to put sin to death "by the Spirit" (Romans 8:13). God may have graciously restrained our sin or given us the natural temperament to abstain from certain sins when we were unbelievers, but we didn't have the power within us to truly fight sin to the glory of God. In fact, we were slaves to sin (Romans 6:17-18). Once we are saved we still sometimes still succumb to sin, but we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to actually put it to death. We are given the full armor of God by which we fight the spiritual enemies in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-20).

We all have two choices when we face temptation. We can face it in our own strength using our own resources, or we can be imitators of Christ and fight temptation by the Spirit using the Word of God and prayer. The choice is obvious, but it's not always easy. When you think of fighting temptation, do you think of white-knuckled willpower or prayer-saturated warfare? Thomas Manton reminds us that we fight sin by faith which "[shows] us the truth and worth of heavenly things, and taking God's word for its security, masters our desires and carnal affections."¹

Let's look at two very different scenarios of temptation in the Bible. 

Cain Relied on Himself
Cain was a lot like his mother, Eve. He knew the rules but didn't have the heart to follow through. He heard the truth loud and clear, but the lie held more sway over him. When he and Abel had been making offerings to God, his offering was met without regard. Some speculate that his offering didn't have blood and therefore wasn't acceptable. That may be true. But it's also possible that instead of giving from the first fruits of his crop, he gave God leftovers whereas Abel gave the "firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions" (Genesis 4:4). Regardless of our speculations, one thing is certain: "by faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4). Cain lacked such faith in God. Perhaps this is why he gave a lesser gift, and it's certainly why his gift was not regarded.

Cain's face fell, and he was exceedingly angry. At this crucial turning point, he had a choice to make: trust God and do well or flee from God and do evil. We can either run to God and heed His voice or run from Him. God gave Cain a solemn warning: "sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it" (Genesis 4:7). At this point, Cain could have repented of his anger and sought the grace to love Cain. Instead, he chose to harbor sin in his heart. Matthew Henry, commenting on this passage in Genesis 4, said, "If sin be harboured in the house, the curse waits at the door, like a bailiff, ready to arrest the sinner whenever he looks out"². In other words, carrying sin in our hearts is like hiding a wanted fugitive in our homes with the S.W.A.T. perched outside waiting to break the door down. God urged Cain to put the sin out of his heart through repentance and faith. He urged him not to listen to his sinful desires and the serpent's crafty lies like Eve did. But he refused to put his anger to death and killed his brother instead.

Jesus Relied on the Word of God
Any casual reader of Scripture will notice that Jesus's encounter with temptation went much differently than Eve's and Cain's (See Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12,13, and Luke 4:1-13). It would be easy to throw our hands up and exclaim, "He's Jesus for crying out loud! Of course the Son of God would do better than Eve and Cain!". However, it's still wise for us to look to Jesus' example as we face temptation of our own. He was alone and hungry after 40 days and nights of fasting—that ought to catch our attention!

Let's look at how Jesus responded to the tempter. Twice Satan questions Jesus' identity, and finally Satan offers him the world if Jesus will bow down and worship him. We aren't given many details, but I am confident that Jesus didn't ponder whether he was really the Son of God. He was sure of His identity and had many Scripture to verify it. I don't envision Jesus pondering whether he would actually bow down to Satan in order to gain something that was already His (John 1:1, Hebrews 1:10-12). He did everything to glorify His Father. Rather than ponder the words of the tempter, Jesus pulled from the storehouse of Scripture in his heart and replied three times with "it is written...". His delight was in the law of the Lord and on God's law He meditated day and night. His confidence was in the Word and worship of His Father. His food was the will of God as revealed by the Word of God. He beat Satan because He wielded the greatest weapon.

How Do You Fight?
If you don't have a weapon how will you fight? As we face temptation day in and day out, we have the Spirit of God at work in us (Romans 8:11). We have the living and active word of God as our sword (Ephesians 6:17). We have the "wartime walkie-talkie" of prayer at every moment (Ephesians 6:18). You can be confident in your victory over sin because God has warned you through examples like Cain (1 Corinthians 10:6). He has placed His Holy Spirit within you to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). As you fight sin, you can cling to these promises. Cling to the gospel hope that He who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion. Proclaim boldly that God has a way of escape for you when you're tempted to sin!

Are you feeling defeated by sin today? Are you in a season of fierce and unrelenting temptation? Remember the Word of God. Remember the power of prayer. Live by the Word. Eat the Word. Drink the Word. Hide the Word in your heart. Strike the enemy with the Word. Pray at all times in the Spirit. Devote yourself to prayer. Keep fighting and don't give up! Do it all for His glory by His grace! God is with every one of His people in their time of need! 

Footnotes:
¹ The Works of Thomas Manton Vol. 2, p. 149; text slightly modified into modern English
² Henry, M., & Church, L. F. (1961). Matthew Henry's commentary: Genesis to Revelation. Zondervan Pub. House.

​Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels