Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Today marks the 283rd anniversary that Jonathan Edward’s preached his famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” It was preached on July 8, 1741, and not for the first time. This was a sermon that Edward’s had preached before, but this was the time the Holy Spirit would come in power to convict and convert many souls.

I have listened to an audio version of this sermon many times. I had received it as a gift while I was in college, and I listened to it over-and-over again. I was gripped by this kind of preaching. I had never heard the wrath of God so clearly presented.

Many in our day may see Edwards’s sermon as a kill-joy and hateful. However, the modern American church needs to hear more about the holiness, justice, and wrath of God.

I would argue that it is impossible to understand the greatness, severity, and beauty of the cross of Christ without understanding God’s wrath. God saves us from his wrath toward sin because Christ faced the wrath of God in the place of his people at the cross. As Isaiah 53:5 says,

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
  upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.

The dread of eternal punishment for the lost is meaningless without an understanding of God’s just wrath against sin. The beauty of the cross is tainted without a clear understanding of what Christ faced for his people when he died there. The wrath of God is part of the Gospel. It is a key component to true Gospel preaching. The Gospel makes no sense without understanding that God is angry with sin and will judge sinners.

I am thankful for this sermon preached nearly three centuries ago and the work God has accomplished through it. May the Lord be pleased to bring revival in our time, as he did in Edwards’s day. May the Lord be pleased to raise up in our generation godly men to preach the Gospel without compromise.

Here is a link to a more thorough article by Josh Moody titled “This Day in History: Jonathan Edwards Preaches “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash