Edwards on The Fight

Jonathan Edwards was so ahead of his time – and this was a guy who was born in 1703! But starting in the year 1720 he started writing his resolutions – 70 commitments that he wanted to keep all his life. When I read this thing, it is hard to believe that they were written by a young man starting when he was about eighteen -- I am greatly challenged. There are so many that I can profit from. The one that I read recently that really gripped me was number 56:

56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

Edwards is known for his passion for the grace of God. He is known for his love of the Savior and his deep doctrinal understanding. But inside the heart of the Pastor, inside the heart of the missionary and the College President was the heart of a disciple who pursued his relationship with his Savior and personal holiness.
In our day, the minister who’s preaching started the Great Awakening, who preached the most famous sermon on American soil is a giant in the faith, an icon among the puritans. But in his own eyes, he was a man constantly battling his on corruptions and often times unsuccessfully.
If that was Edwards view, I must ask myself some questions:
1. Do I pursue my own personal holiness with growing hatred of sin?
2. When I fail, am I prone to succumb further, or re-launch my pursuit with renewed vigor?
3. Is my battle with sin even important to me, as it was to Edwards and as it is to God.

Father, it is by grace that I am saved. And it is by grace that I am further sanctified. Please give me a hatred of sin and a love of righteousness that allows me to live a life worthy of this wonderful gospel. Let me see the cross in all its torturous suffering as both the full payment of my sin and the beautiful evidence of your love.