Formed for the Glory of God: Learning from the Spiritual Practices of Jonathan Edwards

by Kyle Strobel

These images narrate two specific realities Edwards hopes to convey: First, we are called to certain actions—“means”—to receive grace. These actions are powerless in themselves to change our lives or make us holy. If we think they can, the Christian life will inevitably become a self-help project. Rather, we are called to enact them and put our faith in God to do with them what he will. Second, if God chooses, he will endow the means we do in faith with his grace. God does this by his will and grace alone, and it has no direct correlation to the acts we do. Our call, in other words, is not to grow ourselves, but to present ourselves to God through the means he has provided (Rom 6:13). Means of grace are spiritual postures to receive God’s grace. To use biblical imagery, our call is not to bear fruit, but to abide in the vine (Jn 15). This does not mean, of course, that these practices are not hard work. Many of them are deeply trying. They are designed to put you into circumstances that run contrary to your brokenness, fleshliness and worldliness. But they do not grow you. If anything, they break open your fleshliness in full so that you are able to hold that before the Lord and seek his grace.