Gods Pleasure and the Fate of Sinners in Jonathan Edwards Sermon

Abstract

Jonathan Edwards: “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” How does assigning the “Pleasure of God” operate for Jonathan Edwards? One can argue that Edwards presents the concept of “Pleasure of God” to explain the connection between God’s wrath and sinners. What does this imply? Based on Jonathan Edwards, God does not condone evil thus pays the good deeds with good and evil with evil. However due to his pleasure, sinners remain prevented from instant effects of God’s wrath. To this effect, through God’s power and sovereignty Edwards confirms that through God’s pleasure and will, sinners continue existing as God give them a chance to abandon their evil ways. In his sermon, Edward cites that “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 directly provoked; his wrath towards you burns like fire..... but God’s hand has held you up,” is a confirmation that though God’s wrath towards the sinner burns like fire, he remains reluctant to enforcing punishments towards them. One may argue God’s pleasure from his holding hand that prevents the sinners from getting thrown into the pit of hell. Such pleasure illustrates that God no matter how angry he might be towards sinners does prevents them from falling into eternal damnation as he believes in giving sinners a chance to repent and embrace good ways of living. To this effect, one can conclude that sinners are subjected to God’s mercy for survival and his pleasure for continued existence otherwise if his wrath falls upon them; they will all vanish in the pit of hell and become exposed to eternal punishment.