''The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners'' is a

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

by American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, reformer,

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, and

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician ** ''Jonathan Edwards'' (album), debut album ...

, originally published in 1734, that uses the text of Romans 3:19 as its basis.

Synopsis

The main subject of the doctrinal part of Edwards' sermon is the free grace of God in man's

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

, especially in regards to justification by faith alone. Edwards examines the context of Romans 3:19 in which the Apostle Paul chastises the Jewish people for their literal observance and interpretation of the Law and then proceeds to condemn them for it. Edwards affirms, and then elaborates upon, Paul's original assertion.

Analysis

Edwards preached the sermon during the First Great Awakening (c. 1730–1755) in a series of sermons entitled "Justification by Faith Alone" in 1734. The result of Edwards' preaching was the beginnings of a great revival in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

and along the Connecticut River Valley in the winter and spring of 1734-5. During this same period, more than three hundred of Edwards' congregation made professions of faith. "The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners" was preached against the principles of

Arminianism Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Re ...

, namely the disabling effects of

original sin Original sin is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 (t ...

free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to actio ...

and the tendency to make

morality Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of cond ...

the essence of religion.

History and impact

While not as popular as some of his other works, modern day

Calvinists Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

such as John Piper refer to Edwards' teaching often and use his works extensively in their own ministries. When the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University opened, Piper was quoted as saying that its opening had "fulfilled a dream I did not expect to see.”

References

External links

Complete text of the sermon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners Calvinist texts 18th-century Christian texts 18th-century speeches Christian sermons 1734 works

Synopsis

Analysis

History and impact

See also

References

Further reading

External links