Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703 – March 22, 1758) was an American revivalist preacher, and pastor who played a vital role in shaping the First Great Awakening and oversaw some of the first revivals in 1733–35 at his church in Northampton, Massachusetts. Edwards recorded that more than 300 people were converted in his own town of Northampton in just six months, and chronicled revivals reaching many hundreds more across neighboring communities. Later, regional revivals between 1740 and 1742 brought thousands to Christ across the colonies. His most notable sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was preached at a 1741 revival in Enfield, Connecticut. In that powerful sermon he mentioned a spider twice. The most memorable, in my opinion, is as follows, “The God that holds you over the pit of Hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked; his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times so abominable in his eyes as the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours.”

MY FIRST THOUGHT after reading again in its entirety, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is that Edwards did not hold back, he was not “politically correct” as it were, to avoid offending someone, nor did he mince words. He spoke directly and boldly to his congregation. Perhaps, impactful revivals, changed lives, and countless salvation decisions are only read in books and pamphlets of yesteryear because unlike the 18th century, the 21st century church is holding back. For example, there is seldom if at all an elaborate mention of an angry God who abhors sin, or hardly the mention of a fiery Hell over which the lost are held in the hand of God. Many churches today will spare no expense to make today’s church goers feel comfortable. Decor, props, lighting, sound, music, furniture, casual dress, including the pulpit ministry, and more continues to evolve into a contemporary feel to produce a comfortable atmosphere. Is the church rolling over, or doing whatever it takes to make sinners feel comfortable? The goal of a Seeker Sensitive church is to make the environment as comfortable as possible so “seekers” can visit, mingle, and explore without feeling judged, awkward, overwhelmed, or offended. This was known as “kowtowing” back in the day. Some may call it pandering; its what politicians do for votes. The evolution of change includes without elaborating Contemporary Worship, Practical Sermons, A Casual Environment, and State of the Art Production. Yes, much has changed, unfortunately, what hasn’t changed is the lives of lost people. i.e. the world at large is still lost. At the conclusion of Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, “devout Jews, out of every nation under heaven” said to him and others when they were pricked in their heart, “Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:37-41)

Jonathan Edwards did not mince words, kowtow, or “roll over” to make anyone including sinners feel comfortable. According to John 16:8, the Holy Spirit has come to “reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Today, it appears that more time, effort, and money is spent on performance than on pursuing the lost. I remember hearing often, while preparing for ministry, that evangelism should be the largest line item in your annual budget. The church is not going after sinners, as exemplified by our Saviour in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” E.M Bounds said, which applies more today than when it was first spoken, “What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men, men of prayer.”

Looking back at men whom God has used, may prove to be more helpful, than to continually look on the other side of the fence.

MY SECOND THOUGHT is that preachers, evangelists, and pastors, though there will be doctrinal differences and varied styles of sermon delivery, “Sinners in the Hands of Angry God” or similar should be read occasionally. I am not comparing a sermon to the inspired eternal Word of God. I’m simply saying that anointed preaching of yesteryear can “stir up the gift of God, which is in thee” (2Ti 1:6), and remind all of us what God is able to do with one who is yielded to God and anointed by the Holy Spirit. The study of Scripture, an exhaustive exegesis, or a contextual explanation of Scripture is of great importance to many young preachers today, as it should be. There has been and for too long a haughty disregard for doctrine and expository preaching. In the pulpit of every church, the Word of God should be read, explained, and applied. However, one must guard against the danger of scholarship (a high-level of learning; study). Paul the Apostle said this in 1Co 2:4-5, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing (persuasive) words of man s wisdom, but in demonstration (proof) of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

The danger of scholarship is making disciples of men. The product of Spirit-filled preaching is disciples of Jesus Christ.

MY THIRD THOUGHT is that I was reminded by the Holy Ghost that the souls of people are the single most important responsibility of the church. One of my college teachers, who taught How to Start a Church, said in class one day, “The Ministry is People.” I’m not against curb appeal, first impressions, or social media for example. However, “…whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1Co 10:31) Everything, I recall learning, should be a means to an end; i.e. the end to everything in ministry is catching fish before they plunge into Hell. We must guard against becoming “menpleasers.” (Eph 6:6, Col 3:22) We must seek the approval of God and not the praise of men (2Ti 2:15). Nothing should be done without considering the will of God; the purpose for which we assemble as a local body of believers which, according to Ephesian 4:11-12, is “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” The work of the ministry is the work of an evangelist; or evangelism. (See 2Ti 4:1-5) Jesus spent the entirety of His earthly ministry ministering to people (Mt 4:18-25), while making from fisherman, fishers of men (Mt 4:18-25).

There is a passionate appeal and an urgency to convince the sinners in his congregation of their need to be born-again, in the following excerpts from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, “O sinner! consider the fearful danger you are in: ‘Tis a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the Hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you as against many of the damned in Hell: you hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment.”

“Therefore let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over great part of this congregation: let every one fly out of Sodom: Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind you, escape to the mountain, least you be consumed.”

Disclosure: This article, The Preaching of Yesteryear, does not endorse Reformed Theology or every word Edwards chose to use in the delivery of his most notable sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.