In contemporary evangelistic practice, the pastoral response to an awakened sinner often seeks immediate emotional relief, offering swift assurances of safety and a bare presentation of gospel facts. In stark contrast, historic Reformed soul-care—exemplified by John Bunyan's Evangelist, Jonathan Edwards's revival treatises, Thomas Scott's annotations, and the lived experience of David Brainerd—operates on the conviction that true saving faith requires a deep, experimental realization of human inability under the Law before gospel comfort can be rightly embraced. Rather than offering premature assurance to those alarmed about their souls, these historic voices advocate holding forth "more light" to dismantle all self-reliant "twigs" of moral reform, enforcing the urgent command to "flee from the wrath to come." By examining Evangelist's seemingly paradoxical counsel alongside Edwards's theology of religious affections and Brainerd's self-examining piety, this study demonstrates that stripping away false security is not ministerial cruelty, but the highest act of spiritual mercy—forcing the sinner out of self-righteousness and driving him toward true, enduring refuge in the cross of Christ.

What it will be like to see there the One we have loved here.

In this deeply reflective and doctrinally rich sermon, Pastor Eric Noorthoek addresses one of the most vital—and most misunderstood—aspects of Christian life: the role of affections. Drawing from 1 John and the work of Jonathan Edwards (Religious Affections), the sermon challenges both the cold orthodoxy of truth without love and the enthusiasm of zeal without knowledge. True religion, as Edwards observed, consists greatly in holy affections. But what are affections, and how do they differ from emotions? How do knowledge, will, and love work together in the soul of a regenerate believer? Pastor Eric walks through the biblical understanding of the inner life: the mind as the faculty of truth, the will as the executor of desire, and the heart as the control center of the soul. He emphasizes that mere outward profession, doctrinal accuracy, or emotional experiences are not the mark of spiritual life—transformed affections are. This message is a call to spiritual integrity. It urges believers not to settle for shallow feelings or performative religion, but to pursue deep, Spirit-wrought affections shaped by truth, leading to a life of godliness, love, and joy in Christ.

In this deeply reflective and doctrinally rich sermon, Pastor Eric Noorthoek addresses one of the most vital—and most misunderstood—aspects of Christian life: the role of affections. Drawing from 1 John and the work of Jonathan Edwards (Religious Affections), the sermon challenges both the cold orthodoxy of truth without love and the enthusiasm of zeal without knowledge. True religion, as Edwards observed, consists greatly in holy affections. But what are affections, and how do they differ from emotions? How do knowledge, will, and love work together in the soul of a regenerate believer? Pastor Eric walks through the biblical understanding of the inner life: the mind as the faculty of truth, the will as the executor of desire, and the heart as the control center of the soul. He emphasizes that mere outward profession, doctrinal accuracy, or emotional experiences are not the mark of spiritual life—transformed affections are. This message is a call to spiritual integrity. It urges believers not to settle for shallow feelings or performative religion, but to pursue deep, Spirit-wrought affections shaped by truth, leading to a life of godliness, love, and joy in Christ.

In this episode of Contending for the Word, Dave Jenkins is joined by Dr. Matthew Everhard to discuss the growing trend of "worshiptainment," where the stage and performance overshadow the Savior. Together, they consider what Scripture requires for true worship, the dangers of performance-driven services, and the importance of the ordinary means of grace. They also explore Jonathan Edwards's Religious Affections and how believers can discern between emotional hype and Spirit-wrought devotion. Listeners will be equipped to: Understand the biblical foundation for worship. Recognize the dangers of entertainment-driven approaches. Embrace reverent, Christ-centered worship shaped by God's Word. Guest: Dr. Matthew Everhard is a Reformed pastor, author, and scholar of Jonathan Edwards. For more from Contending for the Word check out: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/

Christian practice is a distinguishing and sure evidence of grace to persons' own consciences. We cannot reasonably suppose, when the Scripture in this case speaks of good works, good fruit, and keeping Christ's commandments, that it has respect merely to what is external, or the motion and action of the body, without including respect to any aim or intention of the agent, or any act of his understanding or will. For consider men's actions so, and they are no more good works or acts of obedience, than the regular motions of a clock; nor are they considered as any human actions at all.

Scripture plainly teaches, that practice is the best evidence of the sincerity of professing Christians; so reason teaches the same thing. Reason shows, that men's deeds are better and more faithful interpreters of their minds, than their words. The common sense of all mankind, through all ages and nations, teaches them to judge of men's hearts chiefly by their practice, in other matters: as, whether a man be a loyal subject, a true lover, a dutiful child, or a faithful servant.

It is with hypocrites, as it was with Ephraim of old, at a time when God greatly complains of their hypocrisy; Hos. vii. 8. "Ephraim is a cake not turned," half roasted and half raw: there is commonly no manner of uniformity in their affections. There is in many of them a great partiality, with regard to the several kinds of religious affections; great affections in some things, and no proportion in others. A holy hope and holy fear go together in the saints, Psal. xxxiii. 18. and cxlvii. 11. But in some of these there is the most confident hope, while they are void of reverence, self-jealousy, and caution, and while they to a great degree cast off fear.

Truly gracious affections are attended with a conviction of the reality and certainty of divine things. This seems to be implied in the text that was laid as the foundation of this discourse, Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. All gracious persons have a solid, full, thorough, and effectual conviction of the truth of the great things of the gospel. They no longer halt between two opinions; the great doctrines of the gospel cease to be any longer doubtful things,

An unequaled explanation of what it means to being "led By The Spirit. "Gracious affections arise from the mind being enlightened rightly and spirituality to apprehend divine things. Holy affections are not heat without light; but evermore arise from some information of the understanding, some spiritual instruction that the mind receives, some light or actual knowledge. The child of God is graciously affected, because he sees and understands something more of divine things than he did before, more of God or Christ, and of the glorious things exhibited in the gospel."