JONATHAN EDWARDS ON THE REASONS WE SHOULD AVOID SIN

’Tis our duty not only to avoid those things that are themselves sinful, but also, as far as may be, those things that lead and expose to sin." Jonathan Edwards

Recently I have written several blogs on sin. Sin is just not spoken of enough in the church. It is not popular and doesn't make people feel good to talk about such matters. Ricard Niebuhr had a great analysis of modern Christianity. He wrote: "A God without wrath, brought men without sin, into a kingdom without judgement, through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross." The bible writers speak soberly and frequently about the reality of sin, it's power, it's deadly consequences, God's glorious provision to defeat sin through the cross, and necessity of overcoming sin in our lives.

I try to regularly read great preachers. One of my favorites is Jonathan Edwards. For the past week I have been reading his sermon preached in 1738 titled Temptation and Deliverance. The principle that Edwards expounds is "Tis our duty not only to avoid those things that are themselves sinful, but also, as far as may be, those things that lead and expose to sin."Edwards gives nine reasons for why we should avoid what not only the things that are in themselves sinful but also the things that lead to sin and expose us to sin. They are profoundly worth reflecting upon.

1. It is very evident that we ought to use our utmost endeavors to avoid sin; which is inconsistent with needlessly doing those things, that expose and lead to sin. And the greater any evil is, the greater care, and the more earnest endeavors, does it require to avoid it.

Edwards says that sin is evil because it is committed against God who in his words is "an infinitely great and excellent Being, and so a violation of infinite obligation. Therefore however great our care be to avoid sin, it cannot be more than proportionable to the evil we would avoid. Our care and endeavor cannot be infinite, as the evil of sin is infinite. We ought to use every method that tends to the avoiding of sin."

Oh how we need to have strategies in learning how to deal with the sin that so easily besets us. Dealing with sin is obviously a thoughtful endeavor. The scriptures command us to be thoughtful, diligent, and cautious in regards to the avoidance of sin.Edwards cites numerous passages:

Joshua 22:5, “Take care to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your soul.”

Deuteronomy. 4:15, 16, “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully...beware lest you act corruptly”

Deuteronomy 12:30, “Take care that you be not ensnared”

Luke 12:15, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness”1 Corinthians 10:12, “Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Deuteronomy 4:9. “Take care, and keep your soul diligently”

2. It is evident that we ought to avoid those things that expose and lead to sin; because a due sense of the evil of sin, and a just hatred of it, will necessarily have this effect upon us, to cause us so to do.

Edwards writes: "If we were duly sensible of the evil and dreadful nature of sin, we should have an exceeding dread of it upon our spirits. We should hate it worse than death, and should fear it worse than the devil himself; and dread it even as we dread damnation." He says that sin is both hateful and dreadful. Sin will undue and bring ruin to our souls. If we truly believed that we would treat it as something to hate and dread. On sin is enough to damn us for eternity.

Unfortunately we easily forget this and can glibly think it isn't really that big of a deal. We forget that the only reason sin doesn't bring ruin to us is the costly, merciful, free, undeserved grace of God towards us. Edwards warns and gives us a serious reality check: "Were it made known to us, that if we ever voluntarily committed any particular act of sin, we should be damned without any remedy or escape, should we not exceedingly dread the commission of such? Should we not be very watchful and careful to stand at the greatest distance from that sin; and from everything that might expose us to it; and that has any tendency to stir up our lusts, or to betray us to such an act of sin? Let us then consider, that though the next voluntary act of known sin shall not necessarily and unavoidably issue in certain damnation, yet it will certainly deserve it. We shall thereby really deserve to be cast off, without any remedy or hope. And it can only be owing to free grace, that it will not certainly and remedilessly be followed with such a punishment. And shall we be guilty of such a vile abuse of God’s mercy to us, as to take encouragement from it, the more boldly to expose ourselves to sin? "

3.It is evident that we ought not only to avoid sin, but things that expose and lead to sin; because this is the way we act in things that pertain to our temporal interest.

We operate in the natural to preserve and protect ourselves from harm. We are also careful to avoid things that would bring us harm. Edwards suggests that if we naturally avoid and are careful to bring harm to ourselves, how much more should we be careful in that way towards avoiding sin against God.

Edwards writes: "Certainly we should be as careful not to be exposed to sin against the Majesty of heaven and earth, as men are wont to be of a few pounds; yea, the latter are but mere trifles, compared with the former. "

4. We would not want to do harm to our dear earthly friends. — We not only are careful of those things that would bring destruction to their lives, or their hurt and calamity in any respect; but are careful to avoid those things that but remotely tend to it.

The reason is because they are dear to us. What kind of friend would we be if we brought harm to our friends in a way that destroyed them? Edwards shows that we should think even more that way in regards to God. "Surely we ought to treat God as a dear friend. We ought to act towards him, as those that have a sincere love and unfeigned regard to him; and so ought to watch and be careful against all occasions of that which is contrary to his honor and glory. If we have not a temper and desire so to do, it will show that, whatever our pretenses are, we are not God’s sincere friends, and have no true love to him. — If we should be offended at any that have professed friendship to us, if they have treated us in this manner, and were no more careful of our interest; surely God may justly be offended, that we are no more careful of his glory"

5. We would have God, in his providence towards us, not to order those things that tend to our hurt, or expose our interest; therefore certainly we ought to avoid those things that lead to sin against him.

We would never desire for God to give us something to destroy us. We would have God only do good to us and the things that pertain to life, peace, and happiness. We want His protection, guidance, and provision. We want to be protected from evil and harm and our enemies. So Edwards suggests "Now this plainly shows, that we ought, in our behavior towards God, to keep at a great distance from sin, and from all those exposes to it; as we desire God, in his providence to us, should keep calamity and misery at a great distance from us, and not to order those things that expose our welfare. "

There is allot to think and reflect and pray upon. All I can say is that it is causing me to radically look at my sin and my weaknesses and how I order my life. So I will continue tomorrow....