Heaven is a World of Love by Jonathan Edwards — Book Review

This book is part of the Crossways Short Classics series, which introduces readers to some great heroes of the faith who wrote many sermons, essays, lectures and other short pieces that are well worth reading.  Jonathan Edwards was one of those heroes, and he was immensely productive — the Yale University Press edition of his collected works contains twenty-six volumes.

This short book (about 100 pages) is an exposition of 1 Corinthians 13:

“Charity never faileth;  but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;  whether there are tongues, they shall cease;  whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.”

If your contact with Edwards has been limited to his famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, this book may surprise you, because it is almost all about love.  The love that we will both give and receive in heaven.  Love is that “great fruit of the Spirit” which will remain when all the other fruits are no longer needed.  It will flow like a fountain from the Father, Son and Spirit.  This love is holy and perfect.

Love in heaven will::

• Always be mutual
• Never be interrupted or damped by jealousy
• Will not be hindered in its’ expression by anything internal or external
• Be expressed with decency and wisdom
• Unite all the saints in close and dear relationships
• Allow all believers to share in property and ownership of one another
• Conspire always to promote more love
• Continue forever

In consequence of this heavenly, perfected love:

• Behavior toward God and one another will be perfect
• There will be perfect peace and joy
• There will be no contention and strife

It’s hard to wrap our human minds around this agape love, and it is something that as Christians, we hope for.  There is also a section about hell, where everything is hate.  God hates the inhabitants there, and they hate Him and one another.  There is no union, or friendliness or peace.  Edwards warns those who refuse to repent, that this will be their final destination.

A brief biography of Jonathan Edwards in included.

VERDICT:  3 STARS.  I found it a bit repetitious, and I disagree with Edwards’ belief that some saints will experience more love in heaven because they are holier.

For more about the Puritans see:

An Introduction to John Owen by Crawford Gribben–Book Review

Beyond Stateliest Marble by Douglas Wilson — Book Review

The Lutheran Ladies recieved a free e-copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.  Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CPR 255.

If you would like to purchase this book follow the link below:

https://www.crossway.org/books/heaven-is-a-world-of-love-tpb/

 

 

 

The Life Everlasting, Part 3

This is a continuation of a sermon from two previous posts:

Now, as to judgment. There are two judgments that occur for all people. The first is called the judgment of faith. That refers to what happens when our bodies die. Those whose faith is in Christ go to the intermediate state I talked about earlier. Those who have no faith in Christ go to Sheol/Hades, The second judgment, the judgment of works takes place at the end when all people, those destined for hell and those destined for heaven will see their failures to abide by God’s Word. Those condemned as to their condemnation and those elected to salvation so we can see how much we owe to the Lord. We will all be judged in the end.

And I suppose I should say something here about hell. Hell is empty today, but after the final judgment it will be full to capacity. It has become popular to deny the existence of hell. People say that a loving God could not condemn anyone to eternal punishment. But when they say that they are not speaking of God, but of the God they create for themselves. They speak not of a holy and perfect God against whom all sin is an attempt to destroy His perfection, but of a kind of doting parent who gives his children whatever they want and more. To deny God and His Word is an attack on reality, the creation of a sort of wonderland,

We should not underestimate the horrors of hell or pretend that it won’t be that bad, because it will. And that should spur believers to be active in telling others the Good News of Jesus. The 19^th century English preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this in one of his sermons; “Oh my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners must be damned let them leap into hell over our bodies; and if they perish let them do so with our arms around their knees imploring them to stay and not madly to destroy themselves. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions; let no one go there unwarned and un-prayed for.” That is, I think, a great reminder of the reality of hell and the pain that all Christians must feel for those who will be there forever. If we pretend there is no hell and tell no one of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for us, then we fail in an extraordinary way to be the people God wants us to be.

For earlier sections of this sermon see these posts:

The Life Everlasting, part 1

The Life Everlasting, part 2

 

Katelyn’s Question #5

What happens to people after they die?

This is a continuation of the following posts:

Is There a God? If So, What is God Like?– Or Katelyn’s Question #1

Katelyn’s Question #2

Katelyn’s Question #3

Katelyn’s Question #4

After people die they either go to heaven or hell.  If the person was a believer of Christ, then their soul ascends into heaven to be with the Lord.  In Luke 23:43, Jesus tells the repentant thief on the cross:

“I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.”

While on the other hand, if a person did not believe in Christ, then they descend into hell.  Heaven or hell is the final destination of all human beings.

Christians are described as having eternal life, thus meaning that after their physical death, they live forever spiritually in the kingdom of God.  While their body stays buried in the ground their soul goes to heaven.  One passage in the Bible which speaks of death is Ecclesiastes 12:7 which says,

“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was;  and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.”

Though everyone dies, in John 11:25, Jesus says,

“I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.”

When Christ comes again, He will reunite the soul with a new body and all believers will live in the kingdom of heaven.

Changing Direction

,LLWhere are you headed?  As humans, our default position is sin, and if we keep heading the way we’re inclined, we’ll end up in eternal separation from God–that’s what Hell really is.  We don’t like to talk about this, or even think about it, but it’s true and denying it won’t change anything.

There is a remedy for this sorry state of affairs, and it involves repentance.  In a previous post, I told you that in Greek the word repent actually means to turn your insides around; if you choose to think of it in military terms, it would be doing an about face; turning away to head in the opposite direction.

The apostle, Peter describes how God works through repentance this way:

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”  Acts 3:19-21

Sounds pretty good to me.  Forgiveness, basking in God’s presence, receiving a Savior, the eventual restoration of all things vs. guilt, alienation, trying to save myself and remaining in the miserable mess I’ve created.

Why not turn around before it’s too late?