According to
, sinners must come to Christ with humble hearts and ask for Christ's forgiveness in order to be
spared God's wrath. Only those people who have found Christ's salvation have a chance of
avoiding hell.
Edwards's sermon is famous for its vivid , showing how close
humans are to hell, whether we know it or not. For example, Edwards describes those who have
failed to come to Christ as
Unconverted men [who] walk
over the pit of hell on a rotten covering.
This physical
image of walking over hell on a cover that won't hold makes clear that the unconverted could
fall to hellfire at any time. We are none of us, Edwards argues, as far from hell as we might
imagine. Our sense of security is at best precariousuntil we come to Christ.
Edwards wanted people to seriously seek salvation rather than live complacently, as if
everything would always be all right. Though perhaps shocking to us in the way it plays on fear,
his sermon is meant as a wake-up call.
No comments:
Post a Comment